Chapter 264: 100 million euros can bet on a future, but 200 million euros is the future itself

Manchester United official: Rodrigo, midfielder of Villarreal, has transferred to join the club.

AS Newspaper — Rodrigo's transfer fee to Manchester United should be between 32 million and 35 million euros. After the season ended, Villarreal and Rodrigo signed a new contract with a weekly wage of 45,000 euros; after transferring to Manchester United, the Spanish midfielder's weekly wage will reach 100,000 pounds after tax.

After Manchester United officially announced Rodrigo's signing, Tang Ye posted a photo of himself with Rodrigo on his Instagram account.

In the photo, Tang Ye and Rodrigo are holding up the Europa League trophy, looking extremely happy.

Just two minutes after posting the photo, Pohl called Tang Ye.

"Tom, delete what you just posted, delete it now!"

"What's wrong, Pohl?"

"You won the Europa League by stepping on Manchester United's back — you should've posted a photo of the King's Cup win, not the Europa League!"

Oh right!

Prompted by Pohl, Tang Ye realized his mistake.

Photos in his phone gallery are arranged chronologically, so when he scrolled through earlier, the first image he saw was the team photo from the Europa League campaign.

Quickly delete what he just posted, Tang Ye uploaded a new photo.

Tom and Rodrigo raise the King's Cup trophy together, golden fireworks filling the sky!

Caption: Together again!

【Tom, can you play against Southampton in the first round?】

【Rodrigo? Is this guy really that good? 35 million euros feels overpriced.】

【Midfielder with only 3 goals in a single season? Manchester United needs defenders, not a striker — why buy someone so lethal in front of goal?】

【So far two signings, but Manchester United has already spent 210 million euros. Didn't we need to strengthen the striker position? What about Lukaku?】

【Ten Hag: I want Alcácer!】

The fans' words came true — the day after Rodrigo's official announcement, Manchester United was linked with Alcácer.

But Alcácer is different from Rodrigo — the Ivory Coast center forward has been established for two seasons, winning the Eredivisie Golden Boot in 15-16 and the La Liga Silver Boot in 16-17.

Villarreal quoted a direct price of 50 million euros, leaving Manchester United, who had already spent 200 million euros, with no recourse.

Ten Hag really wanted Alcácer.

Unfortunately, Manchester United had already spent too much money this summer!

…

Dongqiu Di top post: Manchester United will hold a debut ceremony for Tang Ye before the first-round match against West Ham United — this is Tang Ye's first appearance at Old Trafford.

L'Équipe front page: Neymar's deal with Paris is complete; the player will depart for France in one week.

Romano: here we go! Dortmund's prodigy Dembélé transfers to Barcelona, fee: 135 million euros plus 20 million in bonuses.

"Phew…"

In the team locker room, Tang Ye, wearing Manchester United's home jersey, held his phone.

Four days ago, Dembélé had told Tang Ye he was going to Barcelona — he hadn't expected the deal to be finalized now.

"Tom."

Rashford walked over to Tang Ye: "Aren't you nervous?"

"I'm not playing today — why would I be nervous?"

Tang Ye put his phone in the locker, and Rashford sat beside him.

He patted Tang Ye's shoulder: "Because you're about to go out."

Tang Ye's work permit hasn't been approved yet — he's wearing the jersey today only because the debut ceremony is coming up.

It's something unique to star signings joining elite clubs.

"Oh right…"

Tang Ye hadn't felt anything before, but Rashford's reminder suddenly brought the pressure.

"What should I do? Mr. Michell told me to sign my name on the ball and kick it to the fans in the stands — is that right?"

"I don't know."

Rashford shook his head with a smile, when the stadium staff opened the door: "Time's up."

"Tom, your moment has arrived!"

Rashford and Martial pushed Tang Ye to his feet.

"It's not a debut — it's the ceremony!"

Tang Ye corrected them, walking toward the locker room door with Ten Hag.

"Hmm."

Standing at the corner of the player tunnel, Tang Ye looked around at his surroundings.

Though he hadn't stepped out yet, Tang Ye could already hear the fans' voices from the stands!

This was the pressure of Old Trafford!

"That pipe is rusted."

Tang Ye pointed to a vertical pipe in the corner and whispered to Ten Hag.

Following his finger, the pipe's connection to the upper level had rusted into a copper hue.

It seemed… as if something strange had bitten into it?

Ten Hag turned his head and stared at Tang Ye's feet.

"What's wrong, Mr. Eric?"

"Your shoelaces aren't tied."

Ten Hag reminded him.

"Take me home, United road."

"To the place I belong to — Old Trafford and see United."

"Take me home, United road."

Outside, a deep, resonant song echoed.

The fans hadn't seen Tang Ye yet, but they could calculate the timing.

Tang Ye was standing right inside the player tunnel!

"If you're ready, you can go out now."

Ten Hag tapped Tang Ye's back; the latter took a breath and stepped around the tunnel corner.

"Oh!!!"

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

The fans reacted instantly, shouting Tang Ye's name.

The stadium is huge!

It's overwhelming!

This was Tang Ye's first impression of Old Trafford!

Emerging from the tunnel, Tang Ye jumped to slap hands with fans on both sides of the stands.

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

Amid the roaring applause, Tang Ye officially stepped onto the pitch.

The stadium announcer's voice rang out.

"Tang Ye, from Foshan City, Guangdong Province…"

The host's Chinese was poor, but after Tang Ye's transfer was confirmed, Manchester United fans had all Googled his background.

To Manchester United fans, Foshan was not an unfamiliar place.

Tang Ye walked slowly across the pitch; the announcer's voice continued.

... Graduated early from the Luenergy Football School in June 2014 and joined Utrecht's reserve team the following month.

"Promoted to Utrecht's first team in August 2015; 34 assists in the 15-16 league season, breaking the Eredivisie single-season assist record. One Eredivisie Player of the Season, one Eredivisie title, one KNVB Cup title, one U21 KNVB Cup title."

"Loaned to Villarreal in July 2016; 15 goals and 34 assists in the 16-17 league season, breaking La Liga's single-season assist record. One La Liga Player of the Season, one King's Cup title, one Europa League title, one Europa League Player of the Season, one King's Cup Best Player."

【King Tang!】

【Looking at this, 180 million euros doesn't seem unreasonable.】

【Best player in every competition he plays — is this the power of GGBond?】

【Holy shit, Manchester United is giving him this much respect? This is insane!】

Most viewers in pirated livestreams didn't understand English, and host Wang Chao didn't either.

But even without listening to the announcer, the atmosphere created by the Manchester United fans alone made Tang Ye's status clear.

Never before!

Never had an 18-year-old player received such treatment at Old Trafford!

"Viva Tom Tom!"

"Viva Tom Tom!"

The fans' cheers hadn't ended — after walking a full lap around the pitch, Tang Ye returned to the tunnel entrance and used his foot to flick up a ball on the ground.

Manchester United staff had placed 24 balls around the pitch beforehand; Tang Ye's task was to kick all 24 to the fans in the stands.

"Here! Here!"

"Tom! Over here, give me!"

Dongqiu Di pinned: Tang Ye's unveiling ceremony at Old Trafford is underway (23,134 comments)

After delivering all 24 balls, Tang Ye walked to the center of the pitch, where the Manchester United TV reporter was already waiting on stage.

"Hmm, that's true, but I'm very satisfied with the final result."

"Barcelona was an option, Manchester United was too; at the time, there wasn't much difference between the two for me, but now, joining United was clearly the better choice."

Tang Ye pointed toward the player tunnel: "Just before I came out, I was standing in the tunnel and already heard fans outside shouting my name—it surprised me. My first impression of Old Trafford? Huge. Absolutely huge."

"The only pity is I can't play today."

The stands kept echoing with fans chanting Tang Ye's name.

Slowly walking toward the player tunnel from the stage, Tang Ye looked up at the banners in the stands bearing his name, and his breathing grew rapid without warning.

Huh! Huh!

Though he hasn't played a single match yet, Manchester United fans already trust him!

…

"China Central Television! This is the live broadcast of the first round of the 2017–18 Premier League: Manchester United vs. West Ham United!"

"Now, let me introduce the starting lineups for both teams!"

Manchester United (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: De Gea

Defenders: Valencia, Bailly, Phil Jones, Blind

Midfielders: Herrera, Mkhitaryan, Fellaini

Forwards: Mata, Martial, Rashford

Head coach: Ten Hag

Less than two minutes into the match, the director's camera zoomed directly onto Tang Ye, sitting on the last row of the bench.

At that moment, Tang Ye was chatting with Luo De.

Since he wouldn't be playing, he had already changed out of his socks and cleats.

"You don't need to introduce him, right?"

"Haha, still, let's introduce him."

"New signing Tang Ye, who transferred to Manchester United from Utrecht for a fee of nearly 200 million euros—180 million."

"Due to work permit issues and team integration, Tang Ye is not eligible to play today."

As soon as the match began, Manchester United, playing at home, launched an immediate strong attack.

Just after Tang Ye's unveiling ceremony, the United fans in the stands were all fired up, like they'd been injected with adrenaline.

"United!"

Thud! Thud!

"United!"

Thud! Thud!

"Tom!"

Hearing his name suddenly shouted, Tang Ye turned to the stands and yelled: "I haven't even played yet!"

"Haha!"

Luo De laughed beside him.

He'd only arrived in Manchester two days ago and hadn't even completed his medical checkup when Ten Hag dragged him over to watch the match.

"They really believe in you!"

Luo De placed his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder; the latter patted his chest: "Yeah, when I came out earlier, everyone in the stands was shouting my name. You know, Luo, I love that feeling!"

When Tang Ye played for Utrecht and Villarreal, he felt from the fans' cheers that he was needed.

But since coming to Manchester United, he felt something new.

The feeling of being trusted!

He couldn't quite describe it, but he loved it.

!

He was in great spirits!

Rashford was dribbling on the pitch!

"Marcus is fast," Luo De whispered.

He watched intently—he wanted to quickly understand his teammates to earn playing time as soon as possible.

"Yes, Marcus is the fastest on our team," Tang Ye blinked. He had an instinctive admiration for fast, muscular players: "And he's our best striker!"

"Best striker? Did Eric say that?"

Tang Ye blinked his eyes, instinctively admiring players who ran fast and had strong muscles: "And he's our best forward!"

"The best forward? Did Eric say that?"

Luo De gripped Tang Ye's thigh and burst out laughing.

"Don't laugh, Luo."

"No, Tom, you can't say a player's good just because you like him."

Tang Ye had only been with the team for less than a week.

"Fine, mainly because Marcus is fast—I think fast players are impressive. Don't you think so, Luo? Nicola is fast too."

Luo De patted Tang Ye's shoulder and laughed, and they turned back to watching the match.

"Alright, mainly because Ma Kusi runs fast—I think anyone who runs fast is impressive. Don't you agree, Luo De? Nikola runs very fast."

"Mkhitaryan plays a through ball to Rashford!"

"Straight to the byline!"

Mkhitaryan's through ball was fast; Rashford sprinted to the byline and barely stopped the ball.

Before he could recover, West Ham's right-back charged in!

Rashford feigned a pass, then slipped the ball between Zabaleta's legs.

"Holy shit!"

Tang Ye shouted as Rashford dodged Zabaleta to collect the ball.

The stands erupted in screams!

Rashford squared it back to Mkhitaryan!

Thud!

"G—ooooo—aaaa—lllll!!!!!!"

Goal!

Goal by Mkhitaryan!

"Vamos!"

Tang Ye suddenly stood up from the bench: "Look, Luo, fast strikers really are better!"

Tang Ye, Luo De, and Lingard in front of them slapped hands, speechless.

After watching less than twenty minutes, Luo De clearly felt Manchester United's individual talent was far superior to Villarreal's.

The attack was the most obvious.

The combination of Rashford, Martial, and Mata was far stronger than Sanzón, Ale, and Bakambu's trio!

After the first goal, Ten Hag glanced toward the away team's bench, then slipped his hands into his pockets.

The combination of Rashford, Ma Xiaer, and Ma Ta far outshone the trio of Sansone, Ale, and Bakambu!

Luo De sucked in a sharp breath.

Ten Hag's presence was nothing like Escrivá's!

This is what a Haomen manager looks like!

Luo De focused entirely on the match, trying to absorb every tactical detail of his new team.

At that moment, he felt something strange press down on his right shoulder.

Rodrigo watched the match intently, striving to catch every tactical detail of his new team.

It was Tang Ye's head.

"Tom, what's wrong, Tom!"

Luo De panicked, reaching to support Tang Ye's head.

Noticing something odd, Luo De frowned and studied him closely.

Tom wasn't unconscious—he was asleep!

Luo De shook Tang Ye; the latter shook his head, then leaned back onto Luo De's shoulder.

Tom didn't faint—Tom fell asleep!

As if sensing something, Ten Hag turned and saw Tang Ye sleeping on Luo De's shoulder.

And Luo De, awkwardly smiling.

Luo De quickly shook Tang Ye awake.

Dongqiu Di Live Match Report: Arnautović's shot from inside the box was blocked by Phil Jones.

Luo De hurriedly shook Tang Ye awake.

Dongqiu Di live match report: Anautović's penalty-area shot was blocked by Phil Jones.

Dongqiu Di Live Report: What's going on? The camera caught Tang Ye asleep on the bench.

【€200 MILLION】

【HAHAHAHAHA】

【I think this isn't the first time】

【Does King Tang think his teammates are playing like garbage and doesn't want to watch?】

【No way, come on, don't let United return him!】

Leaning against the bench, eyes half-closed, drowsiness swept over Tang Ye's mind.

It wasn't that he hadn't slept well—just watching the match from the bench was unbearably boring.

When playing or gaming, Tang Ye was fully immersed, needing to concentrate and think.

But sitting on the bench to watch a match was like watching a US drama on a plane—lose focus for a second, and your attention was gone.

"United!"

"United!"

Amid the fans' cheers, United entered the second half with a 1-0 lead.

"Martial!"

"Beautiful!"

Minute 68 of the match!

Martial scored, extending United's lead to two goals!

On camera, United's players celebrated near the corner flag.

This was United's first official match of the season; securing a 2-0 lead in their opener left the Red Devils ecstatic.

Then the director switched the shot back to the bench.

There was still the esteemed €100-million man, Tom.

He was asleep again.

This time, he wasn't leaning on Rodri's shoulder—he was slumped back in his chair, face up to the ceiling, as if staring at the stadium roof.

"Tom, no! Tom!"

Panic!

United fans panicked!

Bro, this isn't €20 million—it's €200 million!

To sign Tang Ye, United had made only two signings all summer transfer window.

Rodri was lost in thought; it was Ten Hag who noticed Tang Ye sleeping, thanks to the fans' noise from the stands.

Suddenly, Tang Ye felt a pinch on his flesh—he opened his eyes and saw Ten Hag's familiar face.

United's head coach stood at the back, head bowed, staring at Tang Ye!

"Mr. Erik!"

Tang Ye sat up straight: "I was just resting—I was watching the match."

"Beep! Beep-beep—!!"

Full-time. United won their first match of the season 2-0.

Ten Hag shook hands with the away team's coach, then woke up Tang Ye, who had just fallen asleep again: "Match's over!"

…

Click-click!

Press room at Old Trafford!

Ten Hag's turn!

"Last season, United finished fourth in the league, one place higher than the season before. Erik, there's a question fans have been curious about for a long time."

"Is last season's United considered a success?"

The camera turned to Ten Hag.

Though they'd won, the Dutchman's face showed no expression.

He thought quickly and answered immediately.

"Considering United's actual situation last season, finishing fourth was already decent."

"But considering myself, I think I didn't do enough last season."

"Can you elaborate?"

Ten Hag's words sparked the reporters' interest.

"Last summer, United made almost no moves—meaning I didn't get the players I'm used to working with."

"But this season is different."

Ten Hag looked up at the camera, still expressionless.

"Last season, I was constrained by external conditions and couldn't show my full strength. But this season is the right moment—I'm finally ready to unleash my full potential."

Click!

Click-click!

Only Ten Hag could do this—just a few sentences sent the reporters into a frenzy!

"So… can we talk about Tom's transfer? You paid €180 million—strictly speaking, €200 million—for him. Do you think this deal is worth it? Isn't it overpriced?"

"Erik, are you betting on United's future?"

Tang Ye's transfer had shaken global football; controversy was inevitable.

When the reporter asked this question, the entire press room fell silent.

Ten Hag had spent United's entire summer budget on one player—in fans' and reporters' eyes, this was clearly a gamble.

As Liverpool legend Kalage said: United always spend the wrong amount of pounds on the wrong players.

"Hmm…"

Ten Hag pursed his lips, locking eyes with the reporter; several journalists on the stands felt the pressure.

"Player valuations in football have grown increasingly inflated, causing many fans to doubt players costing tens of millions—even hundreds of millions. I understand this. A transfer is a gamble—if you lose, the team loses a lot."

Ten Hag raised one finger.

"€100 million? That's a gamble on the future. But €200 million—"

He raised a second finger.

"€200 million is the future."

…

(End of Chapter)