Chapter 509: Do You Have Any Interest in Playing for Another Team?

【Stage 3 Task Progress: UEFA Champions League Group Stage Knockout Wins (2/4)】

Due to an unexpected loss to Sevilla in the group stage, Tang Ye's Stage 3 Champions League task progress has fallen behind.

Two more wins are needed, so Manchester United must reach the quarterfinals, or Tang Ye has no chance of claiming the task reward.

The good news is that Manchester United took a two-goal lead in the first leg, laying the foundation for advancing to the top eight.

"Hah!"

In the locker room, Manchester United players were celebrating; Tang Ye, wearing a down jacket, had just been doused with cold water and now felt chilly.

"Was that pass from you, Tom?"

Martial suddenly spoke; Tang Ye, who had been drinking water, turned his head: "What pass?"

"That one after the fog rolled in—I tried to cut inside on the left, and you should've been in the back."

Martial walked to the tactics board and used magnetic markers to show Tang Ye the exact positioning.

Two red markers represented the approximate positions of Martial and Tang Ye.

The description meant nothing, but seeing the board instantly brought back the passing moment to Tang Ye's mind: "Oh! You mean that one."

"The fog in the middle wasn't thick—I saw your shin."

Tang Ye placed his left hand below and right hand above, demonstrating to his teammate: "The upper fog was deep, but the lower fog was much thinner. I couldn't see your face, but I could see your foot and shin."

"Wow."

Teammates in the locker room looked astonished.

Tom had taken the concept of vision to its extreme.

"Hey, don't act so shocked."

Tang Ye spread his hands, puzzled by their reaction: "It's normal. If you're this surprised, how can you appreciate how good I am?"

"I've always been able to recognize you by your shins."

Tang Ye explained.

Not just today—in past matches, he'd also used teammates' cleats and shins to make passes.

Because when playing, your eyes look downward; focusing on legs instead of faces saves a lot of observation time.

"This is my secret—Marcus, don't tell anyone else."

Tang Ye grinned.

Manchester United players were incredibly lucky.

Only GGBond's trusted teammates knew his secret!

"I get the logic, but we're wearing socks, right?"

Rashford lifted his black football sock.

"They're different thicknesses, different shin lengths, and there's the cleats too. This method works great."

Tang Ye looked at Rashford, then at Luke Shaw: "If I'm passing to Rashford, I won't pass to Shaw. I've never gotten it wrong."

"Hmm, alright then."

Rashford tossed the sock into the bin: "I don't think this is really a secret—others would know but still couldn't copy it."

Tang Ye had many incredible skills—skills so absurd that even his teammates found them unbelievable.

The bad news is that most of Tang Ye's skills come from natural talent, not training.

In short, if GGBond wanted to take on a disciple, he couldn't pass his techniques on to them.

Take Luo De, his junior—he's trained under Tang Ye for nearly three years on curved through-balls.

Yet so far, he's never successfully executed one in an actual match.

Is GGBond a bad coach?

No!

GGBond is just too good—his techniques are impossible for ordinary people to learn!

…

La Gazzetta dello Sport—0:2 Defeated by Dominant Manchester United: Will Juventus' 2018/19 Champions League Journey End Here?

Marca—7 Assists in 7 Champions League Matches This Season: TY Shows Dominance on Assist Chart.

Appendix: 2018-19 UEFA Champions League assist leaderboard (first legs of the round of 16 not yet completed)

1. Tang Ye (Manchester United), 7 assists.

2. Tadić (Ajax), 4 assists.

3. Mbappé (Paris), 3 assists. - One game fewer

3. De Bruyne (Man City), 3 assists. - One game fewer

3. Eriksen (Tottenham), 3 assists. - One game fewer

As always, Tang Ye's assist total still equaled the combined total of second and third place.

One season might be insane, but Tang Ye has maintained this assist efficiency for four consecutive seasons since 2015/16—that's outrageous.

In response, Atlético Madrid's chief scout, alongside a Spanish radio expert, analyzed Tang Ye's match data and offered an assessment.

"Without doubt, TY's assist numbers are groundbreaking. He can perform at this level on virtually any team. We've identified several key reasons."

1. Top-tier long-passing technique—this is the foundation.

2. Vision surpassing every other player—this is the core.

3. Deep understanding and consideration of his forwards' technical traits—this is psychological.

4. Absolute two-footedness—this is an additional factor.

【I can only say this isn't comprehensive enough—my GGBond armor summoner is also a reason.】

【5. Likes chewing gum—this is a dietary factor.】

【Isn't "top-tier" and "surpassing every player" the same thing…?】

【Wah, my GGBond is just too considerate.】

【Rule 1 eliminates 100% of other players, Rule 2 eliminates 100% of other players, Rule 4 eliminates another 100%. Perfect—this is the power of a groundbreaking midfielder, a time-space warrior!】

Fans jokingly called Tang Ye a "time-space warrior" because Spanish TV6's experts said his technical profile was simply too complete.

Vision, passing, even absolute two-footedness—this player didn't seem like a product of the 2010s.

"He feels like a player from the future," was the Spanish expert's exact words.

From the future?

It sounded odd, but upon reflection, it actually fit Tang Ye quite well?

After all, across today's global football, you couldn't find another player with Tang Ye's exact technical traits.

Not even a young prodigy modeled after Tang Ye existed.

God felt modern football had hit a bottleneck, so He sent a player from decades ahead to appear in the present.

That's the origin of the "time-space warrior"!

From this perspective, Spanish experts proposed another idea.

Is the TY template the answer for midfielders?

European experts were still uncertain, but Chinese fans already had their answer.

What is TY?

He is the sun!

…

Dongqiu Di Match Preview: February 19, 3:00 AM, FA Cup Fifth Round, Manchester United vs. Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Tang Ye vs. Hazard.

February's Premier League schedule wasn't too congested—after playing Juventus on the 12th, Manchester United's next match was on the 18th, against London giant Chelsea.

Besides the FA Cup, Manchester United had two more Premier League matches in February: against Liverpool and Crystal Palace.

The matches were good, but Manchester United's February tasks were heavy.

"We must win all three remaining matches. It's already February; the season ends in May, so we have no room to retreat."

Snow drifted over the training ground as Ten Hag spoke slowly to his players: "Chelsea, Liverpool, and Crystal Palace—these three matches must end in victory. That way, we advance in the FA Cup and overtake Liverpool to climb to second in the league."

Advancing in the FA Cup and rising one place in the league—this was Manchester United's ultimate goal for February.

It was still difficult, but the players were brimming with confidence.

"Three straight wins are easy."

Tang Ye muttered.

Logically, only Rodri and Rashford should have heard him—but Ten Hag heard too.

"Good, Tom, I agree with you. Lose one, and you're done."

"... Okay, okay, Mr. Erik."

Tang Ye stepped back.

He appeared fearful on the surface, but inside, he remained unmoved.

He truly believed three straight wins were easy!

At least for the current Manchester United, this statement held true.

…

Head Coach Valverde: Barcelona's goal this season is the treble. We won't discuss Tom—transfers are more complex than fans imagine; during my tenure at Barcelona, I won't comment on non-Barcelona players.

Every transfer window, reporters link Barcelona with Tang Ye—this January was no exception.

But after three consecutive failed attempts, Barcelona's desire for Tang Ye has gradually faded.

This is because Pochettino has clearly stated that if Barcelona wants Tang Ye, they must offer at least €450,000 per week—a sum still difficult for them to afford.

Lionel Messi's salary is already enough to give them a headache!

Italian journalist Romano: Barcelona's management hopes to establish direct contact with Tom, as they believe the player himself wouldn't care about a difference of tens of thousands of euros in weekly pay. They think the agent is behind the issue.

"Barcelona still has interest in Tom; they're even willing to let Messi go. But the Argentine refuses to leave Barcelona, making it nearly impossible for them to free up salary space for Tang Ye."

……

Still in Manchester, Tang Ye gave an interview to a Xinhua Sports reporter at his apartment.

"It should be Chinese New Year back home, so I was surprised when I got your email—I didn't expect you to come at this time."

Tang Ye scratched his head, looking apologetically at the reporter: "Did I make you work overtime? If so…"

"Oh, no problem at all, haha, Tang Ye. Reporters are like this—we have to go on-site if there's news during Spring Festival."

The reporter's answer put Tang Ye at ease.

Then came the questions for today's interview; Tang Ye briefly shared his journey and feelings after winning the Asian Cup.

Then came the next arrangements.

"Hmm… I've already spoken with the team. I probably won't play in the first stage of the Asian qualifiers. For the second stage, it depends. Based on past experience, we have no problem advancing to the third stage."

Tang Ye added apologetically: "My club's schedule is also tight. Of course, if the team needs me during the June–July break, I'll definitely join."

Holidays are important, but Tang Ye also has pride.

Playing only the national team matches you want to play isn't what a proper player does.

Your teammates are working—you can't just lie around waiting for the Asian qualifiers to end before stepping onto the World Cup pitch!

"I think it's perfectly reasonable even if you don't play in the first two stages, given how demanding the Premier League schedule is."

The reporter smiled.

At that moment, the door suddenly opened.

"Tom, can you check my TV? It's blacked out…"

"Oh, sorry, sorry!"

Remembering Tang Ye had an interview, Rodri quickly ran off.

"Haha, we live together—he's right across. I don't drive, so I need someone to pick me up."

Tang Ye asked: "Do we need to re-record the previous part?"

"Oh, no need at all."

Another Manchester United star appearing on camera—Xinhua wouldn't cut out that clip.

"Speaking of the Premier League, Tang Ye, may I ask a slightly sensitive question?"

"It's this… Your contract with Manchester United has four years remaining, but many teams across the five major leagues are interested in you—including Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona."

The reporter leaned forward slowly: "Have you considered leaving after this season, if you can't win the Premier League title?"

"Hmm…"

Tang Ye tilted his head: "I haven't thought about leaving. I'm not lying to you."

He glanced out the window—it was still raining in Manchester.

"I really don't like the weather here, but I think staying with teammates I know matters more than the weather. Besides, I still believe we'll win the Premier League. I won't leave until we achieve that goal."

"We're also aiming for the Champions League title—that's one of our goals," Tang Ye added.

The interview was over. Tang Ye sat alone on the sofa.

He thought long and hard, but couldn't figure out why the reporter had asked about leaving.

Winning a Ligue 1 title or a La Liga title—how is that different from winning the Premier League? And they could still chase the Champions League.

With so many goals ahead, leaving was completely unnecessary.

"Ding ling ling!"

"Ding ling…"

As Tang Ye sat in deep thought, his phone suddenly rang.

It was his agent, Bole.

Bole first chatted with Tang Ye about investments.

Professional athletes often don't know how to manage money, so they need their agents' help. Bole planned to help Tang Ye launch his own clothing brand or hotel, leveraging his fame for sales.

Low risk, decent returns—star athletes all love doing this.

Then, besides that, Bole said he wanted to meet Tang Ye in person: "Tell me when you're free—I'll fly over."

"Can't we just talk on the phone, Bole?"

Tang Ye wanted to keep things simple, but Bole insisted this had to be discussed face-to-face.

Well, there was no choice.

On February 16, Tang Ye met Bole at a café in Manchester: "Tom, I brought you a bottle of Dutch juice—I saw you drink it before, haha, maybe it'll remind you of your days in the Eredivisie."

"Haha, thanks."

Tang Ye took the juice: "Actually, juice is all the same, no matter the country—I can't tell the difference. I'm not a juice expert; I'm not good at this."

"Bole, just tell me what this is about."

Bole had sounded serious on the phone, and now Tang Ye's curiosity was fully piqued.

"Uh… it's actually something quite important."

Bole took off his down jacket and sat down.

"Tom, have you ever thought about playing for another club?"

"What I mean is… I think you might need a transfer."

……

(End of chapter)