Chapter 338: Wu Lei Transfers to Villarreal, Ale Scores on His Debut!

【"What?"】

【"Holy crap?"】

【"Escrivá, you are the true god!"】

【"A Villarreal fan for life!"】

【"No wonder he didn't attend training camp; turns out there was a huge move, holy crap!"】

Wu Lei's winter window transfer to the Yellow Submarine was, for Chinese fans, just like Tang Ye's loan move to the Yellow Submarine back then.

Of course, this news about Wu Lei might be even more shocking.

After all, Villarreal this season is a top-three La Liga team; for a club of this caliber to sign a striker valued at only 3 million euros is what surprises the fans.

Barring any surprises, Wu Lei should be a substitute at Villarreal.

But even as a substitute, it's a huge gain!

A player can only represent one club in the Champions League in a single season; since Ale has already played in the Champions League group stage for Villarreal, he cannot represent Manchester United in the Champions League knockout stage.

But Wu Lei is different; Wu Lei has never played in the Champions League.

He is eligible to play in the Champions League knockout stage!

Why Villarreal bought Wu Lei is a question shared by both Chinese fans and Villarreal fans.

But now is not the time to ponder that question.

The match between Manchester United and Stoke City has begun!

"Let's go, let's go!"

Bouncing out of the player tunnel, Tang Ye exchanged words of encouragement with his teammates; at this moment, he still knew nothing about Wu Lei's transfer.

Just as the weather forecast predicted, it was snowing at the stadium today.

Breathing a puff of air into his mouth, Tang Ye reached out to catch a snowflake, then watched it melt in his palm.

The temperature today was indeed very low, but Tang Ye felt not the slightest bit of cold.

This was because the roar of the stadium gave him a sensation of boiling blood!

The voice of the on-site announcer rang out.

"2017-2018 Premier League Season, Round 24, Burnley vs. Manchester United; now introducing the starting lineup..."

Just as the match began, the CCTV commentators in the broadcast booth immediately started discussing Wu Lei's transfer.

"To be honest, this news is truly very shocking."

"Yes, everyone said Wu Lei had made contact with La Liga teams, but we generally assumed it would be lower-ranked clubs like Eibar or Espanyol; we never expected it to be Villarreal."

"Villarreal has qualification for the Champions League knockout stage, and they will face Manchester United head-on in the Round of 16. Of course, the probability of Wu Lei appearing in a Champions League match is certainly not high."

"Whether the probability of playing is high or low aside, at least he now has the qualification to play in the Champions League!"

What Huang Huang Jianxiang said was not without reason.

Regardless of whether he plays or not, Wu Lei has been registered for the Champions League.

Tang Ye is registered for the Champions League.

Wu Lei is registered for the Champions League.

Therefore, Wu Lei equals Tang Ye.

From this, it follows that Wu Lei's market value is 140 million euros.

The national team players are all catching up to GGBond!

Tang Ye is their role model!

Hiss—

Looking at the phone in his arms and taking a deep breath, Chinese fans realized something extremely important.

The Great Tang Prosperity of Chinese football is coming!

The camera cut to Tang Ye on the pitch.

Receiving a pass from Herrera!

Directly flicking it forward!

Passing it to the supporting Martial!

Martial dribbled forward, with Tang Ye following behind.

"Marcus, Marcus!"

Hearing Tang Ye's voice, Martial crossed the ball to Rashford.

Rashford!

Pa!

Crossing to Mata!

Manchester United's attack was very fast, but the Burnley defenders moved just as quickly; the fullback directly filled the gap inside the penalty area, preventing Mata from shooting immediately.

Valencia ran to the baseline to support, receiving Mata's layoff.

Pa!

A cutback finding Tang Ye in the center!

"Oof!"

Knowing this was his chance, Tang Ye did not hesitate.

First checking the positioning of the surrounding defenders, then looking up at the long ball flying through the air.

Extending his right foot, Tang Ye seemed to glue the ball directly to his foot.

"Wow!!!"

Shift laterally to create space!

Slap!

A through pass pushed straight into the penalty area.

Martial!

Bang!

Martial fired a shot, but goalkeeper Pope blocked it with his hands.

"Fuck!"

Ten Hag shouted in anger.

Missing a chance face-to-face with the goalkeeper is absolutely not something a qualified striker should do.

Hands in pockets, brows tightly furrowed.

Clearly, Martial's performance in this match had already drawn Ten Hag's dissatisfaction.

He glanced at the time.

It was the 27th minute of the first half; Ten Hag turned toward the bench and made a hand signal.

"Sebastian, warm up!"

Haller froze for a moment, then quickly stripped off his jacket and stood up, watching which made Lin Lin Jiade on the side very envious.

If only!

If only he had once played for Utrecht as well!

But he hadn't!

"Oh, we can see that Haller, Manchester United's new winter-window signing, has already started warming up in front of the bench."

"He is Manchester United's only new signing so far this winter window; to acquire Haller, Manchester United paid a 65 million release fee. It seems Ten Hag intends to make this match Haller's debut for Manchester United."

Fans who often watch Tang Tang Qiuwang's matches are certainly not unfamiliar with Haller.

Both Haller and Rodri are Tang Tang Qiuwang's junior brothers.

But if ranking by seniority, Haller, who knew Tang Tang Qiuwang back during the Utrecht days, is undoubtedly the number one junior brother.

Even someone as strong as Rodri can only settle for second place at this point!

The match reached the 42nd minute of the first half, with the score still 0:0.

The inability to score wasn't due to poor form among the Manchester United players.

On the contrary, the Manchester United players were in excellent form today.

The problem was that Burnley played too disgustingly, packing a crowd of defenders inside the penalty area and refusing to come out, forcing Manchester United to attempt long-range shots from outside the box.

To be honest, Burnley's tactic was quite specifically targeted against Manchester United.

Because Manchester United indeed lacked midfielders with particularly strong long-range shooting abilities.

Tang Tang Qiuwang's long-range shots were slightly lacking in both precision and power!

"Get in, get in!"

Signaling Luke Shaw to make a forward run, Tang Tang Qiuwang lofted the ball into the empty space on the left side of the penalty area.

Look at Luke Shaw!

A direct header!

Luke Shaw's intention was good, but unfortunately, his header went wide!

Ten Hag shook his head on the sidelines, his face showing nothing but helplessness.

Manchester United's strength lay in defense and counter-attacks, but Burnley had zero desire to attack, making the game extremely uncomfortable for Manchester United.

"Beep, beep-beep!"

The first half ended!

Tang Tang Qiuwang stood on the pitch sighing, but soon spotted Rashford squatting on the ground, so he walked over.

"Marcus."

Tang Tang Qiuwang called out, then reached out to pull Rashford up from the ground: "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

Rashford walked toward the player tunnel alongside Tang Tang Qiuwang.

It was evident that the Manchester United winger was in a poor mood after finishing the first half.

Tang Tang Qiuwang, of course, felt the same.

In the first half, he had attempted three long-range shots, but none succeeded.

He felt terribly sorry for the teammates who had passed him the ball!

"Boooo——!!!"

"Beep-beep-beep!!!"

Whistles erupted all over the stadium.

Burnley was one of the few teams this season capable of ending the first half in a draw against Manchester United.

Holding the red-hot Manchester Red Devils to a 0:0 draw was indeed something to be proud of.

【Better to let Wu Lei come to Manchester United to replace Martial; shooting a one-on-one straight into the goalkeeper's body is something I, King Wu of Football, can do too.】

【Don't slander unfairly; King Wu of Football is at least a forward for Villarreal now!】

【Seriously, can Burnley's defenders come out of the penalty area? So many people crowded inside the box makes it look like a school inter-class match.】

【How could they come out? Burnley came specifically aiming for a draw.】

"Our opponent's defense is extremely dense; what should we do in this situation?"

"Keep taking long-range shots? We are not a team skilled at long-range shooting."

Ten Hag shouted at the players in the locker room: "What we need to do is pass, using continuous possession combinations to break open their defense!"

"Our passing and control aren't good,"

Ashley Young reminded him.

"I know, of course I know our passing and control aren't good,"

Ten Hag turned to Ashley Young: "But if it's against Burnley, this is enough, understand?"

Manchester United was no powerhouse of possession football, but even so, they were second in the Premier League, not a team that Burnley should be trying to provoke.

Ten Hag was extremely arrogant; he needed the Manchester United players to be just as arrogant as him!

"In the second half, I will assess the situation before subbing in Haller; this substitution is not certain, but I need to tell you in advance, because if Haller comes on, it means our attacking tactics will undergo some adjustments..."

Ten Hag drew something unintelligible on the tactical board, while Tang Ye raised an eyebrow at Haller.

It was a pity that Haller was sitting in Ibrahimović's spot; if he had been sitting in Mkhitaryan's place, Tang Ye could have been closer to him.

"The second half has begun!"

"We can see that after drawing with Manchester United in the first half, the Burnley fans are now somewhat agitated!"

Fans watching the broadcast on television could hear the singing from the stadium very clearly.

The Manchester United fans now only hoped that Burnley's momentum would rise even higher.

Only if the home team launched attacks could Manchester United find opportunities more easily!

Receiving the ball with his back to goal, he immediately looked for Rashford on the left wing.

After turning, he quickly ran toward Rashford's position.

Ten Hag had said that Manchester United would focus more on possession in the second half, so Tang Ye needed to adjust his style of play slightly.

Together with Rashford, he moved to the left-byline!

At this moment, an unexpected situation arose: three Burnley defenders pressed simultaneously, forcing Rashford to retreat. "Hoo-hoo—"

With intense concentration, Tang Ye quickly figured out the best way to handle the situation.

Moving near the corner flag, he signaled for Rashford to pass back!

"You go forward!"

Rashford ran off, leaving Tang Ye alone near the byline.

For Burnley, this was an excellent opportunity to steal the ball, so their full-back immediately closed in.

Tang Ye stood near the corner flag, shielding the ball.

He nudged the ball toward the byline.

Lifting his left foot to cross!

Slap!

The Burnley defender lifted his leg to intercept, but Tang Ye suddenly cut the ball to the right.

This was...

The Cruyff Turn!

!

The Burnley defenders had been fooled!

Successfully shaking off the defender and finding space, Tang Ye delivered a cross.

Slap!

【De Bruyne Byline Cross Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 157/800

At the far post!

Smalling!

A header!

Burnley's dense defense, maintained for 58 minutes, finally exploded at this moment.

"Goooo——aaaaa——lllll!!!"

"Smalling scores with a header!"

"1:0, Manchester United takes the lead!"

Wow!

Standing in place, he shook his hands.

He hadn't expected this 【Cruyff Byline Turn Template】 to be so effective.

One could only say that a legendary template truly lived up to its name!

"Wait for me, I'm coming too!"

【You have obtained 10 Counterattack Points】

Sitting back on the sidelines, Ten Hag finally let go of his suspended heart.

Facts proved that dense defense was not the answer to dealing with Manchester United.

Damn it, Tom's super passes were not something that could be dealt with so casually!

"United! United!"

In response to the home fans' earlier taunts, the Manchester United supporters in the away stand each shouted at the top of their lungs.

"We have Tom, we have Rashford, and we have Ashley Young; what do you have!"

"Burnley! You have nothing!"

"Boooooo——!!!!"

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: You know this too? Tang Ye executes a Cruyff turn, then delivers a cross to assist Smalley in breaking the deadlock.

After entering the 70th minute, Manchester United's new signing, Allé, comes on as a substitute!

The player being substituted off is Martial, who has performed poorly in this match.

After high-fiving Allé, Martial says nothing to Ten Hag and heads straight back to the substitutes' bench.

Ten Hag withdraws the hand he had just extended, narrowing his eyes as he watches Martial walk past him.

"Haha, Sebastian."

Tang Ye claps hands with Allé, who is running onto the pitch: "Keep it up, keep it up!"

"Keep it up!"

【Is Martial not feeling well?】

【Who cares if he's feeling well or not? He hasn't played a single good match since recovering from his injury.】

【Allé is finally on! Tang Tang Qiuwang and Allé have partnered for three consecutive seasons at different clubs; this must be some kind of record, right?】

【No way, now that Allé is here, isn't Martial done for? His form was already bad to begin with.】

Manchester United fans are somewhat worried about Martial, but on the other hand, they also hope Manchester United can find the striker best suited for them.

That's just how sports work; if you don't play well, you have to come off, and someone better goes on.

Following Ten Hag's instructions from halftime, the Manchester United players slightly adjusted their tactics after Allé entered the field.

Tang Ye actively stays away from the penalty area, focusing more of his energy on combining with Rashford and Mata down the wings.

"I still think he's too rushed."

Fan Fan Dejiahe whispers beside Ten Hag: "If he doesn't play well, you'll be affected by fan public opinion."

Recently, many fans online have been discussing Ten Hag, claiming he is only willing to heavily rely on players he has heavily relied on in the past, which undoubtedly pushes the Manchester United manager into the spotlight of controversy.

However, Ten Hag does not seem particularly concerned about these matters.

"Sebastian can play well; I can believe in him."

"Just like I believe in Tom."

Fan Fan Dejiahe stops speaking and instead turns his gaze to the match situation on the field.

As soon as he entered the pitch, Allé, standing 1.90 meters tall, immediately faced targeted defensive arrangements from Burnley.

However, Allé's height is simply too prominent on a football pitch; no matter where he is, Tang Ye can easily spot Sebastian's familiar head.

Rodri receives the ball, runs past Tang Ye, then steps on the ball to pass it back to Tang Ye.

Rodri knows he needs to push forward as much as possible now, thereby helping Tang Ye draw away the defending players.

Beautiful, Rodri!

He silently praises in his heart.

Rodri can always guess what he wants him to do; this feeling is truly fantastic!

Watch the penalty area!

Slap!

【De Bruyne Standard Long Pass Lv5: Replication (Transcendent State)】

Proficiency: 23/5000

The 【Standard Long Pass】 has just reached Lv5!

Just add a bit of topspin, the kind he likes to use when taking set pieces!

"Tang Ye sends a long pass from midfield directly into the penalty area!"

"He's looking for Allé!"

Inside the penalty area, Allé charges forward against the defending players.

At the penalty spot position.

Jump up!

Due to the physical interference from the defending players, Allé fails to reach the ball!

"Damn!"

Missing the chance to score on his debut, Allé lets out a roar of unwillingness.

He turns around and gives Tang Ye a thumbs-up.

Tang Ye also responds with a thumbs-up: "Yeah, it's fine, it's fine!"

Although this long pass wasn't delivered perfectly, Tang Ye is slowly finding his rhythm.

It has been a long time since he last partnered with Allé in an official match!

"..."

"So far in the match, Allé's performance has been quite decent; like Tang Ye and Rodri, these three Villarreal players have all demonstrated extremely strong adaptability after joining Manchester United."

"However, Allé still has a long way to go."

Just as the commentators analyzed, although he is playing quite well, the coordination between Allé and Rashford or Mata is extremely poor.

These coordination errors have caused Manchester United to lose numerous opportunities.

"Huff, huff."

After entering the 80th minute, Tang Ye, unsurprisingly, begins to pant.

However, unlike usual, Tang Ye does not lower the tempo after the 80th minute; instead, he chooses to persist.

This is Allé's first match for Manchester United.

Tom wants to help his good friend score a goal!

Receiving the ball in the center!

Between passing wide and crossing, Tang Ye chooses to dribble himself.

Using rhythm to shake off the defender in front, he passed from his right foot to his left, then sprinted toward the front field!

Slap!

Pass it back to Allais, who is coming to support!

Memories hidden deep within his brain were activated; almost instinctively, Allais passed the ball to the wing.

This happened to align perfectly with Tang Ye's intention to pull out wide.

Tang Ye ran toward the ball while Allais, without hesitation, turned and made a forward run.

Tang Ye!

He glanced at the penalty area, then focused his attention on the ball.

His standing foot planted firmly.

Right foot!

Slap!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv5: Replication (Transcendent State)】

Proficiency: 192/3500

At the penalty spot!

Slap!

The ball struck the outer edge of the penalty area, bounced up, and landed right at the penalty spot.

Which was directly in front of Allais!

Boom!

"Goal!"

"A goal by Allais!"

"He scored on his debut!"

After scoring, Allais spread his arms wide.

Instead of running out to celebrate immediately, Allais first found Tang Ye, who was standing in the backfield catching his breath.

"Tom!!!"

Boom!

Allais and Tang Ye collided.

"Huff, huff, Sebastian, haha!"

Recalling Allais's exaggerated roar, Tang Ye jogged slowly to the sideline with Allais.

"Get ready, Sebastian!"

"3, 2, 1!"

"Roar—!!!"

"Roar!"

"Eh, wait, that's not right!"

Tang Ye suddenly stopped halfway through the shout.

It had been too long since he and Allais roared together; they were no longer in sync!

"After I count to three, pause for half a second before shouting, because I still need to catch my breath after counting down."

With their coordination synchronized, Tang Ye and Allais regained their bond.

"Roar—!!!!"

A super roar from Tom and Sebastian!

"Haha!"

Seeing the Burnley fans in the stands look startled, Tang Ye broke into a happy smile.

The reason Tang Ye had been so delighted when Allais previously said he wanted to come to Manchester United was not just because they could play together, but also because they could roar loudly together after scoring.

Whenever he was with Allais, Tang Ye always felt incredibly fierce.

The ferocious King Tom!

Striking fear into opponents!

The Manchester United fans on the substitute bench raised their hands in celebration, while only Martial leaned back in his chair, silent.

Winter in Manchester was about to end.

But winter for Anthony Martial had arrived.

(End of Chapter)