Chapter 375: Selected Again as Monthly Best Player; Exchanging Messi for Tang

Time arrived in May, the final month of this season's European leagues.

Today marked Matchday 37 of the Premier League: Manchester United away against Brighton!

The weather was exceptionally fine; stepping out from the player tunnel, Tang Ye lifted his head and felt sunlight strike his eyes.

Although it was May, the British sun was not harsh, giving Tang Ye a very comfortable sensation.

"Marcus!"

Chewing the gum in his mouth, Tang Ye exchanged a high-five with Rashford.

Only four matches remained this season; they absolutely had to maintain good form!

"China Central Television! Here is the live broadcast bringing you..."

"The referee is checking his watch!"

"The match has begun!"

Facing Manchester United, Brighton knew their disadvantage was significant, so they deployed a 4-4-1-1 formation, aiming to widen the midfield defensive line to thereby halt the wing advances of Rashford and Valencia.

Likewise, the four midfielders could apply effective pressure on Tang Ye, preventing Manchester United's number 10 from delivering passes easily.

However, these were merely ideal scenarios; in reality, everything depended on how the players of both sides executed their play.

"Behind! Behind!"

Tang Ye shouted loudly; Rashford, receiving the ball, attempted to pass quickly but soon faced pressing from a Brighton player behind him.

"A very decisive press!"

"Brighton has won back possession! Knockaert is driving forward on the right flank."

"He's looking for his teammates' positions!"

Bang!

Knockaert played a through ball forward to Soltou.

This was Brighton's captain!

Watch Soltou's move!

Bang!

A cross from the baseline directly sought teammates inside the penalty area.

Not a bad delivery!

Look inside the box!

Gross!

Bang!

He unleashed a volleyed shot.

De Gea parried the ball away!

"Phew!"

Ten Hag breathed a sigh of relief and immediately signaled his attacking players to return to the penalty area.

Brighton earned a corner kick; Tang Ye took his position.

His task was to prevent Brighton players on the perimeter from launching long-range shots.

The corner was taken!

It was delivered to the near post!

Soltou!

With a volleyed shot, Soltou drove the ball into the near corner of the goal.

"GOOO——AAAA——LLLL!!!"

"Goal! Soltou has scored!"

Head coach Hughton raised both hands, shouting, "Nice!"

After their previous defeat, Brighton had spent a long time studying Manchester United, and now they were finally seeing results.

Brighton took the lead at home!

One-nil against Manchester United!

"Brighton!"

Bang bang!

"Brighton!"

Bang bang!

Cheers from the home supporters rang out from the stands; Tang Ye stood alongside Rodri.

Rodri shook his head and glanced at Tang Ye beside him.

It was clear Tang Ye was thinking; one just didn't know whether Tom, with his clever mind, had devised a good solution.

The match resumed!

After taking a one-goal lead, Brighton immediately retreated into a defensive shell, infuriating Manchester United fans watching the live broadcast.

Ten Hag stood by the touchline, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket.

The Manchester United manager felt no nervousness now, for he knew his team's attacking capabilities all too well.

If Brighton's defense was only at this level, then Manchester United certainly still had chances.

"Here! Here!"

Executing a continuous one-two combination with a teammate, Tang Ye suddenly cut inside to the center to receive the ball.

Lifting his left foot, Tang Ye feigned a shot but actually passed the ball to Rodri on the left.

"Shoot directly!"

Tang Ye's voice rang out; Rodri dared not delay and immediately adjusted his stance to prepare for the shot.

Just then, a Brighton defender suddenly charged forward, tackling both Rodri and the ball to the ground.

"Hey!"

Tang Ye shouted and walked over with Rashford to help Rodri up.

"Damn, are you okay, Rod?"

Tang Ye had seen it clearly: the opponent wearing number 22 had stepped his studs right onto Rodri's ankle.

Having just pulled Rodri's body up slightly, Tang Ye realized something was wrong and laid Rodri back down on the grass.

Something wasn't right.

Rod seemed injured!

Ashley Young found the referee; after a brief exchange, the referee decisively signaled for the team doctor to enter the field.

While the team doctor treated Rodri, Tang Ye stood watching from the side, but Mata pushed him away: "Focus on the free kick, focus on the free kick, don't get distracted."

The spot where Rodri was fouled was perfect for a direct free kick; as Manchester United's primary free-kick taker, Tang Ye needed to carefully consider how to exploit this opportunity.

Glancing at Rodri lying on the grass with both hands clutching his head, Tang Ye gritted his teeth but ultimately followed Mata's advice.

"The team doctor is taking Rod off the field first; it seems the issue shouldn't be too serious."

"A free-kick opportunity for Manchester United!"

Beep beep beep!!!

"Xuuuu!!!"

The Brighton players on the field were doing everything they could to disrupt, while Tang Ye stood alongside Rashford.

Tang Ye began his run-up!

Smack!

"A direct shot!"

"Goal!"

"1:1!"

A direct free kick by Tang Ye!

Manchester United had equalized the score!

【Tang Ye!】

【This is the price you pay for hurting GGBond's friend!】

【So fierce, damn】

Previously, when his Physical Confrontation attribute was only 75, Tang Ye's direct free kicks possessed accuracy but lacked some speed.

Now, thanks to the increase in his Confrontation attribute, the ball speed of Tang Ye's direct free kicks had improved significantly.

Simply put, due to his enhanced strength, Tang Ye's free-kick level had become even higher!

【You have obtained Counterattack Points *15】

【Wealth Management Progress: Assists (2/5)】

The System's voice sounded, but Tang Ye did not rush to celebrate; instead, he immediately searched for Rodri's location.

Rod was slowly jogging toward Tom.

He wasn't injured!

Haha!

"Vamos!"

Tang Ye shouted loudly at Rodri and Ale.

Ten Hag rushed over directly and pushed Tang Ye back onto the pitch: "We want the lead, the lead, not 1:1!"

"Mr. Sitting Like, don't be so anxious yet..."

Tang Ye still wanted to interact with the fans in the stands, but Ten Hag gave him no such chance.

An anxious Mr. Sitting Like!

However... since Mr. Sitting Like made such a request, Tom could only lead his teammates into tripping Brighton.

"Manchester United's momentum is growing fiercer by the minute!"

"Brighton chose to continue defending; this choice is not wrong. What the home team needs to do now is hold the scoreline, then make adjustments at halftime."

Head coach Hughton and the Brighton fans in the stands were both under immense pressure.

Manchester United's attack was becoming increasingly fierce; they had to first maintain the 1:1 scoreline and wait for opportunities in the second half.

Tang Ye, of course, knew Brighton's intentions.

As the cruel king of villains, Tang Ye would not let his opponents play so easily!

Receiving the ball on the left!

Facing two Brighton defenders, Tang Ye feigned a through pass to Rashford ahead but instead executed a V-drag and turned directly.

Watch for the chance!

Smack!

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

Proficiency: 402/5000

"Oh!!!"

The long pass struck into the penalty area, precisely finding Valencia making a run to the far post.

Valencia wanted to cross, but Ale's position inside the box was blocked.

Now Valencia had two choices.

One option is to control the ball and wait for teammates to get into position; this choice is relatively conservative.

The second option is to shoot directly; this choice is extremely aggressive, and it is also the one Tang Ye hopes Valencia will make.

What's the call!

While running forward, Tang Ye kept observing Valencia's movements.

Shoot directly!

Goal!

"Phew!"

Raising both hands, Tang Ye immediately changed direction and ran toward Valencia.

A volley into the net!

Too strong, Antonio!

Tang Ye and his teammates hugged together, reaching out to ruffle Valencia's hair, just as Valencia had done to him.

【Wealth Management Progress: Assists (3/5)】

The task of five assists is now more than halfway complete!

Although few matches remain, Tang Ye has a premonition that he can finish this task before the FA Cup begins!

"Go for it, Tom!"

Hearing Rodri's voice, Tang Ye paused for a moment, then laughed: "Haha, go for it, go for it!"

Check Dongqiu Di Halftime Report: Man United leads Brighton 2-1 away from home; Tang Ye provides a precise long-pass assist and scores directly from a free kick.

After slight tactical adjustments at halftime, time quickly moved into the second half.

Out of a desire to protect his players, Ten Hag substituted Rodri off directly.

As Rodri left the field, Ten Hag walked over and gave him a high-five.

The more Ten Hag watched Rodri now, the more he liked what he saw.

The Spanish defensive midfielder lacked "vine armor," so Ten Hag had initially viewed his prospects at Man United very pessimistically.

However, Rodri made excellent use of the "sugar-coated bullet" he possessed, leveraging it step by step to become Man United's starting defensive midfielder.

Exhaling lightly, Ten Hag nodded.

Truly a Sugar-Coated Bullet Warrior!

The person he spotted...

Oh, no.

It means there can be no mistake about anyone spotted by both Head Coach Ten Hag and General Tom!

The Vine Armor Army and the Sugar-Coated Bullet Army are the two strongest forces!

After the 70th minute of the second half, a Brighton striker scored on a breakaway, but the goal was ruled invalid due to offside.

Brighton found an opportunity to equalize, yet they failed to level the score.

Instead, it was Man United's turn!

Tang Ye receives the ball!

Pass to Fellaini!

Fellaini passes it right back!

Shoot directly!

Tang Ye's decision was extremely decisive.

It was a volley struck with the outside of his right foot.

Unfortunately, the shot lacked control and ultimately flew wide.

"Tsk... Damn it."

Shaking his head, Tang Ye was extremely dissatisfied with his shot just now.

"United!"

"Man United!"

"We are the great Man United!"

The away fans gradually took over the stadium as the match came to an end.

Brighton desperately wanted to create a miracle, yet miracles are not so easily created.

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Man United defeats Brighton 2-1 away to secure their first league victory in May; Tang Ye scores directly from a free kick.

The day after the match between Man United and Brighton concluded, the Premier League officially announced the winner of the Player of the Month award; at this moment, Tang Ye was having dinner with his teammates in the base's Dideshitang.

Tang Ye immediately opened the league table.

Mancheng still had not made any mistakes, which meant the gap between Man United and Mancheng in the standings remained at six points.

With only the rescheduled Round 31 match and the Round 38 fixture remaining, if Man United wanted to overturn Mancheng, then Mancheng would have to lose both matches while Man United won both.

And the probability of both these things happening simultaneously is...

Just as Tang Ye was calculating, Rashford beside him patted him: "Hey Tom, you're zoning out again!"

"Ah, what is it?"

Tang Ye shook his head, and Mata held up his phone in front of Tang Ye: "You've won Player of the Month again, for last month."

"Wow."

He nodded gently.

Being selected as Player of the Month was naturally a joyous occasion; Tang Ye fist-bumped Mata.

"This doesn't even need to be mentioned, okay."

Arévalo placed his hand on Mata's shoulder: "Score three assists against Mancheng, and the Player of the Month for April is a certainty."

"Oh, you think so too, Sebastian?"

Tang Ye's eyes lit up.

"That's what everyone online is saying."

A smile spread across Arévalo's face: "Of course, I think so too."

Mata looked slightly surprised: "Salah and Hazard have great stats too, don't they?"

Arévalo shook his head: "But none are as good as Tom."

"Haha, alright then, what about Kane? Kane has five goals."

Mata held up all five fingers of his right hand, but Arévalo still shook his head: "Harry is also a bit short."

"Alright then, one last person."

Mata chuckled: "You're on the candidate list too; why are you so sure you can't beat Tom?"

"Oh? Me..."

Arévalo lowered his head slightly, wearing a thoughtful expression, before leaning his mouth close to Mata's ear and whispering: "I think I could win Player of the Month, but if Tom is on the candidate list, then Player of the Month has nothing to do with me."

A believer cannot defeat God.

That is the logic.

Mata's eyes suddenly brightened, his gaze filled with shock as he looked at Arévalo.

At this moment, Mata felt a sudden enlightenment.

He finally understood how Arévalo had made it to where he was today.

Facts proved that when a person possesses faith, they can achieve things others cannot.

"However... oh right, Tom, you should have a chance at Player of the Season, right?"

Rodri suddenly spoke, interrupting the exchange of faith between Mata and Arévalo.

"Player of the Season..."

Tang Ye pondered seriously.

"Maybe, but Kane and Salah also have great stats, not to mention Hazard; I feel I'll have to rely on luck."

Could he win the Premier League Player of the Season?

Tang Ye himself did not know the answer to this question.

Meanwhile, in Barcelona.

Regarding the summer transfer window, head coach Valverde and club director Abidal met in an office.

"My stance is very clear: our target for the summer window is Tom; any other option should be secondary," Valverde said first.

With Iniesta and Xavi gradually aging, problems in Barcelona's midfield were slowly emerging.

Currently, the intensity of Barcelona's midfield was no longer sufficient to support their forward line.

And Tang Ye could perfectly solve this problem!

"I very much agree with your idea."

"Yes, we have already contacted Manchester United; they are willing to trade Tom."

"Yes, we have already contacted Manchester United; they are willing to trade Tom."

Valverde frowned, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

Valverde frowned, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

"Wow."

Valverde took a deep breath.

The Manchester United coaching staff and upper management had gone mad!

This was an opportunity Barcelona needed to seize!

Of course, Valverde also knew this opportunity would not be so easy to seize.

To acquire Tom, Barcelona would need to pay a price!

"So... Eric (Abidal), what do we need to give up? Ousmane? If it's Ousmane plus De Jong, I think that works. But if it's Coutinho... you know, Coutinho is very important to us; if Manchester United wants Coutinho, I think it's best to refuse."

Valverde looked into Abidal's eyes: "Ousmane plus a transfer fee compensation; I think that is appropriate."

Abidal crossed his two hands in front of his chest, appearing somewhat hesitant.

Abidal crossed his arms over his chest, looking somewhat hesitant.

Valverde asked.

"Hiss, alright, if they are truly willing to trade Tom, you can let go of Ousmane and Coutinho."

"Hiss, alright, if they are truly willing to trade Tom, you can let Osman and Coutinho go."

"The trade is certainly real; I'm not lying to you. But..."

"The trade is certainly real; I am not lying to you. But..."

"Manchester United said that if we want Tom, we must trade Messi for him."

Abidal touched his face: "Number 10 for Number 10; that's what Manchester United said."

Abidal touched his face: "A number 10 for a number 10; that is what Manchester United said."

Valverde was speechless.

Abidal carefully observed the expression on Valverde's face before him: "I was present during the negotiations; they were not joking. This Friday we will hold a shareholders' meeting specifically to discuss this matter; right now I just want to ask for your thoughts."

Abidal carefully observed the expression on Valverde's face before him: "I was present during the negotiations; they should not be joking. This Friday we will hold a shareholders' meeting specifically to discuss this matter; right now, I just want to ask for your thoughts."

?

From Abidal's words, Valverde sensed something was amiss.

"You truly want to trade... trade Messi?"

"Leo's wages are exorbitant, and he is getting old. Swapping Messi for Tom seems appropriate to me. I believe many shareholders will think the same."

"So, Esneto, tell me your thoughts."

"..."

Valverde lowered his head, thinking for nearly half a minute.

"If we disregard the fans' opinions, hmm... I think it's feasible."

The Premier League's Round 31 makeup match was imminent.

The current top three in the league—Mancheng, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur—were all about to play their matches.

This makeup match was extremely crucial.

If Mancheng defeated their Round 31 opponent, the Blue Moon could secure the Premier League title one round early.

Mancheng's makeup match started a day earlier than Manchester United's; at this moment, the eyes of football fans across Europe were fixed on Mancheng.

With less than twelve hours remaining until kickoff, Mancheng's official account posted a teaser poster for the Round 31 match on Twitter.

The poster featured no players, only a simple line of text: Ready.

Mancheng was incredibly arrogant, and this officially released poster successfully topped the trending searches, sparking fierce discussion among fans.

But soon, Mancheng's hype was overshadowed.

A new piece of news captured the fans' attention.

Italian renowned journalist Romano: Barcelona is willing to facilitate Tom's transfer; they might use Messi for a player swap.

"Previously, Messi demanded a weekly wage of 800,000 euros from Barcelona; this could be one reason Barcelona wants to trade players. It is worth noting that a weekly wage of 800,000 euros is also a significant burden for Manchester United."

Barcelona fans:?

Manchester United fans:?

Chinese fans:?

In the past, upon seeing transfer news about Tang Ye and Messi, fans would just smile it off.

Because everyone clearly understood Tang Ye's importance to Manchester United, and likewise Messi's importance to Barcelona, transfers for both players were considered impossible.

But the news revealed by Romano was truly shocking, carrying a hint of plausibility amidst the shock.

A player swap?

Fans were currently in a state of complete bewilderment.

Barcelona fans did not know whether they had lost out or gained.

Manchester United fans did not know either.

No one knew.

(End of Chapter)