Chapter 118: Winter Transfer Window Reinforcement Plan

Berlin Olympic Stadium.

Over seventy thousand spectators rose to their feet at once, offering the most sincere applause for the wonderful free-kick performance!

This place has undergone the baptism of two wars.

This place witnessed the rekindling of the Olympic flame after a thousand years.

Countless miracles have been born here.

Whether it be Germany, or the Third Reich, or whatever ideology, nothing could stop Berliners from praising the Olympic spirit!

A few mad fans crossed the security line, running wildly toward Leverkusen's number 10, tearing off their clothes as they ran.

The front pages of major online media outlets promptly replaced their headlines with "Free-Kick Miracle!"

In an instant, it shocked all of Europe.

ESPN live broadcast room.

Suddenly, countless fans surged in.

-【Lee San is awesome! Laiyin's ferocious lion! Japanese youth training should take Lee San as a role model!】

-【Ah shit! Son Heung-min is too great; he gave his chance to score three free-kicks to the juniors! Lee's ancestors might have come from Changbai Mountain, surely sharing blood ties with Korean ancestors, seumida!】

-【When will we finally get to see the true Li Kang belonging to the national team? As long as he puts in a good performance and shows spirit, who cares about winning or losing!】

-【Fan Nan Shun Li Kang is stir-frying rice noodles.】

-【Nujiang Li Kang is delivering takeout.】

-【Zhuniudian Li Kang is mining coal.】

-【...】

Beep! Beep-beep~

Although the Bundesliga referees dislike added time, this time they waited long enough for Li Kang to enjoy the salute and applause before blowing the whistle for halftime!

The burly security guards tightly restrained the fans who had stormed onto the pitch.

Staff members escorted Li Kang into the tunnel.

Berlin Hertha locker room.

The players remained silent.

Magath comforted the red-eyed Alarcon: "Broaden your mind, change your approach—your children will grow up and still be able to witness this classic scene! They can proudly tell others..."

Leverkusen locker room.

The hearts of all staff members remained unsettled for a long time.

Dino said: "Boss, if Li completes a free-kick quadruple in this match..."

Tuopu Laotou waved his hand: "Did you notice the fierce glares of the Hertha players? They wish they could eat Li! We still have to face Arsenal and Bayern next!"

"According to the original plan, take Li off!"

The second half began.

Li Kang took a shower, returned to the locker room, pulled out a pen and practice notebook from his bag, and began doing homework.

The "Boguwo Missile" module is not omnipotent.

In the final stage of Mihajlovic's career, FIFA altered the wall rules, and his free-kick accuracy is no longer at its peak.

My scoring a free-kick hat-trick today is purely due to Hertha's defensive lapse on set pieces.

The excited assistant stammered: "Li! I'll go watch the match ball for you! The match ball from your free-kick hat-trick! Later, when you're dirt poor, you can auction it off and still get a good price!"

Even though the locker room has good soundproofing, the tables and chairs occasionally tremble slightly from the roaring waves of tens of thousands of cheers.

Half an hour later.

Li Kang finished his homework and returned to the bench, glancing at the scoreboard in mid-air, slightly surprised.

2:3!

!

Magath's team has not been crushed!

49 minutes: Yuanqi Haraguchi's long-range shot from the right broke the deadlock!

70 minutes: Wirtz drove the ball into the penalty area, brought down by Bolgies! Yin Bieshevich seized the penalty opportunity! One strike and it was in!

Hertha saw hope of equalizing!

The fiercer they fought, the fiercer they became!

This time, it was Leverkusen's coaching staff who grew nervous!

Tuopu Laotou's face turned ashen: "Damn it, our back line... must be strengthened in the winter transfer window!"

Dino tapped his tablet, saying: "Boss! Laporte of Athletic Bilbao... Stones of Everton—these two are too expensive! I think Southampton's youngster Van Dijk is good! He's very cheap! We could opt for a loan!"

"Southampton's starting center-backs are Yoshida Maya and Fonte; Van Dijk's playing time is currently limited, making him the most suitable choice—he hasn't played in the Champions League this season..."

Tuopu Laotou furrowed his brow: "Last winter, Wenger almost signed that kid, but Celtic's offer was 10 million pounds, Arsenal thought it wasn't worth it, and eventually spent 15 million pounds to buy Garaybuel!"

The 94th minute of the match, the final moment of injury time!

Haraguchi carried the ball to the left flank, delivered a 45-degree cross!

Wirtz arrived at Leverkusen's penalty area, shoved aside Papadopoulos, and headed for goal!

The football slammed heavily into the goalpost, rebounding off the baseline!

Beep! Beep-beep~

Accompanied by the main referee's whistle.

The full match ended!

Berlin Hertha 2:3 Leverkusen!

"Hertha played with blood and guts! They stubbornly pulled back two goals!"

"Lewokusen secured a narrow victory! The defensive issues are severe, especially with Bendel and Kramer unable to play!"

"Of course, the outcome of this match won't be the focus of widespread fan attention!"

"The star of this round's five major leagues! Lewokusen's number 10! Free-kick hat-trick!"

Live stream room.

-【Li Mingdeng has gone completely viral tonight! Will he return to China to film TV dramas and movies? Or join a variety show?】

-【Overthinking it—he hardly takes any ads, let alone film and TV projects.】

-【Looking at filming schedules, ***** has the strongest competitiveness!】

-【The European rising star will be closely monitored, at most accepting a few simple interviews from well-known authoritative media.】

-【Before the winter break, Lewokusen's schedule is terrifying—after playing Arsenal's second leg, they still have to face Bayern!】

-【During this period, Son Heung-min still has to be called up by the Korean Football Association to play in those easy-prey qualifiers... If they don't reinforce in the winter window, Lewokusen will struggle!】

Post-match press conference.

Bundesliga media reporters went crazy.

"Mr. Tuop, will Lewokusen increase transfer investment in the winter window?"

"Li Kang needs more powerful teammates! The hero of Bei lai yin! He should go further on the Champions League journey!"

"Lewokusen's defense is worse than that of mid-to-lower table teams!"

Exaggerated transfer deals rarely appear in the winter window, aiming to strengthen the club's weaknesses.

Only in the summer window do wealthy giants splash big money.

Tuop Laotou had a complex expression.

These foolish reporters, ranting as if we lost the match?

He pressed down with both hands and said: "Lewokusen's defensive players are excellent; it's the coaching staff's defensive deployment that went wrong. We will increase transfer investment in the winter window... to strengthen squad depth."

No matter how poorly the players perform, an excellent head coach takes responsibility on himself.

This is the coaching attitude Lewokusen's head coach has always upheld.

The entire Lewokusen team returned to their hotel.

Unable to sightsee Berlin's scenic spots.

Neutral fans held up Lewokusen's number 10 jersey and posters, gathering near the hotel.

Brandt suddenly said: "Kai! If the German national team meets Li..."

Havertz gripped the game controller, indifferent: "Why worry about this? Neither of us will break into Germany's first team."

Li Kang hugged the match ball and returned to his room.

A system notification sound softly rang out.

【Ding! Congratulations on completing the weekly random treasure chest task.】

【Task reward: Golden Treasure Chest.】

【Opening treasure chest...】

【Congratulations on obtaining: Tumor Immunity!】

【Benign tumors are not within the scope of injury immunity, but need to be avoided from growing in awkward places.】

【A mystery is about to be born: Why are Bundesliga professional players widely affected by testicular tumors?】

The sorrow of the testicles.

From 2015 to 2022, the Bundesliga saw widespread testicular disease.

Many stars were forced to have their testicles removed...

Causes are varied and conflicting.

Barcelona.

Robert painfully pressed his temples: "Free-kick hat-trick? I don't want to hear any news about that kid lately! Lewokusen is destined to exit the Champions League!"

"How's the contact with Lyon? Tell that little black egg he'll become Barça's rotational substitute! Enrique will give him playing time!"

"25 million euros? No problem! Mascherano is getting old—we need to prepare in advance!"

"Laporte of Athletic Bilbao? I don't like Basques!"

Rhône-Alpes region.

Lyon training base.

Here, countless stars have been born.

A portly man in a suit laughed: "Joining Barça is your childhood dream, right? Why hesitate? Maybe if you go this year, you'll even win the Champions League medal!"

22-year-old Umtiti, expression hesitant: "Boss, does Barça's contract guarantee my playing time?"

The suit-clad man shook his head, adding: "By the way, there's also an offer from Lewokusen—this Bundesliga powerhouse can guarantee your playing time, their record..."

Umtiti froze, then declared firmly: "Barça! I'd rather be a substitute at this top-tier giant than join Lewokusen—I might as well stay at Lyon!"

Staplewood training base.

Southampton's first team is undergoing intense physical confrontation.

24-year-old Van Dijk sits on the bench.

Dutch legend Ronald Koeman patted his shoulder: "Have you figured it out? Lewokusen's 8-month loan! There, you'll have Professor Cruyff's fourth-generation disciple, and you can still prove your strength on the Champions League stage! Southampton will always keep its doors open for you... Well! I might not even be here by then!"

Van Dijk nodded. Because of his two disastrous performances in the Euro qualifiers and Premier League... every time he appears in Southampton's starting lineup lately, he's met with boos from fans.

"Boss, you remind me of the restaurant owner in Breda!"

The winter transfer window is approaching.

This year.

The European football transfer market has been swept away by a mysterious force from the East!

Several Chinese Super League clubs made major signings, shocking the powerhouses of the five major leagues!

Donetsk Miner's main striker, Téxiera! Rejected Liverpool! Heading to Dragon Kingdom for a medical! Related reports claim his transfer fee is 50 million euros!

Also Roma winger Gérvínio, Chelsea midfielder Ramires, Atlético Madrid forward Jackson Martínez... and other stars in their prime, all linked with Chinese Super League clubs!

Transfer Market predicts: Chinese Super League will invest 267 million euros, making major signings!

The big moves by Chinese Super League tycoons disrupted the reinforcement plans of mid-table European teams!

Lewokusen.

Sporting Director's Office.

Wo Le Er and Tuopu Laotou looked at the little money in the account... with bitter smiles.

We originally thought Lewokusen could splash out once in the winter window! Shock Europe, but we didn't expect... "prices" to rise so fast!

"Even China League Two clubs... have more money than us!"

"Dragon Kingdom football is going to rise!"

"Lyon refused to negotiate with us, and Umtiti himself still wants to go to Barcelona!"

"Southampton agreed! They're willing to loan Van Dijk to Lewokusen for eight months!"

Wo Le Er nodded,

He doesn't like Dutchmen, his deadly rival from his playing days, being "Dutch Trio" member Rijkaard.

But there's no choice, Lewokusen has exposed too serious problems on the Champions League stage.

The junior assistant held a fax slip, hesitating: "Several Premier League clubs' bids for Li... and Bayern..."

Dragon Kingdom.

One transfer news after another topped the hot searches!

"The Sixth League of the World!"

"Chinese Super League giants' winter transfer investments will soon shock the world!"

"Famous expert: Top-tier foreign imports in Europe will boost domestic players' technical and tactical levels!"

Likes, shares, and comments surged wildly!

-【Chinese Super League has taken off! Especially that Téxiera—I've seen his Champions League matches, playing Real Madrid isn't a problem either! Coming to the Chinese Super League, isn't he going to crush everyone?】

-【The most impressive thing is, he rejected Liverpool!】

-【Liverpool these past two years... I won't say more, it's been too tough!】

-【Besides Chelsea's Ramires, the Chinese Super League tycoons are buying only top-tier European strikers! Why not buy goalkeepers? Bring over Buffon, Neuer, Čech!】

-【Trivia: Even if you put Ramires up front! In the Chinese Super League, he's still a super-sized centre-forward!】

Stamford Bridge.

Abu was somewhat disappointed.

"That kid said he needs to prepare for the Champions League, no time?"

"What a pity!"

"But I'm willing to wait for him!"

"How about Kanté? What's up with him! Chelsea won't let him go to Leicester City? Fine then!"

Stephen smiled bitterly: "You should care a bit about our Champions League..."

Abu shook his head: "Paris Saint-Germain, this nouveau riche! How could they be our opponents! They can't stop Chelsea from advancing! I won't interfere with Mourinho's personnel choices... I hope he can give Remy a bit more playing time!"

A copy of The Sun lay on the redwood table.

Abu furrowed his brows, teasing:

"Huh? 1 million euro? Lewokusen originally spent just 1 million euro to buy Li from La Masia?"

"How come I only found out about this today?"

"Damn! Still no Popo Gui!"

Stephen tried hard to recall, but couldn't think of any player in the five major leagues named Popo!

He couldn't help wondering: "Boss! Which club is Popo from..."

Abu laughed loudly: "It's the horse my little daughter bought!"