Chapter 283: The Ladder to High Society

Chapter 283: Chapter 276: The Ladder to High Society

The morning after Ajax’s match against Heerenveen, Guido Alberts showed up at Yang Yang’s door right on time.

He was there to pick up Chen Tao for a trial. Their destination: Utrecht, a team south of Amsterdam.

The team was quite strong, currently ranked ninth in the Eredivisie. However, they had a major problem with their offense this season, having scored only twenty-nine goals in twenty-seven league matches. Their manager, Foeke Booy, was determined to rebuild the team’s attack over the summer.

For the past few days, Chen Tao had been training with Ajax while also struggling with jet lag. His skills had earned him considerable praise from the Ajax coaching staff, but unfortunately, Ajax was already stacked with players in his position.

For instance, they had players like Demuer, Deridder, and Mitja. Add to that the fact that the Ajax Youth Team was brimming with talent, and it was difficult to find a spot for Chen Tao.

Over the past few days, Yang Yang had briefed Chen Tao on the general state of the Eredivisie. He was especially open about his own experiences from his matches against Utrecht, holding nothing back.

“Do your best! You can do it!” Yang Yang encouraged him.

Chen Tao stood before Yang Yang, nodded firmly, and pulled his teammate into a hug.

Yang Yang had already done so much for him, everything a friend and teammate could possibly do. The rest was up to him. If he really couldn’t secure a spot in a European League, he would just have to accept his fate.

“Don’t worry. A player who comes highly recommended by both Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll is sure to be fine,” Guido Alberts said with a chuckle. “In Dutch football, the Ajax name is a seal of quality.”

Besides, Chen Tao wasn’t old—only twenty—which was the perfect age for Eredivisie teams. His transfer fee wasn’t high either. Albess was full of confidence.

“Utrecht is just the first stop. I’ve already contacted several other teams, like Breda and Heerenveen. I’ve even sent faxes to Belgian First Division A teams like Genk and Anderlecht. I’ll arrange for him to go to trials one by one. It’ll be fine,” Albess said confidently.

Yang Yang trusted the Dutch agent’s skills. “I’m counting on you then, Guido. Please take good care of him.”

Albess smiled and waved, signaling that it wouldn’t be a problem.

Since Utrecht was so close to Amsterdam, Chen Tao would be back that very night.

But he was, after all, someone Yang Yang had brought to Europe; it was a responsibility that weighed on him.

……

……

After seeing off Chen Tao and Albess, Yang Yang went out for his morning training.

Everything was the same as usual, except that when he read the papers that morning, he discovered the Dutch media’s tune had changed.

In many reports from the Dutch Telegraaf, Common Daily, and People’s Daily, Yang Yang was being touted as the top contender for this year’s Top Scorer. His recent goal-scoring form had been incredibly consistent, with goals in almost every match.

Kuyt, on the other hand, hadn’t scored in four consecutive matches, leading to a great deal of scrutiny from the media.

Many even began hyping Yang Yang as potentially the youngest Top Scorer in the history of the Eredivisie, as he was currently even younger than Ronaldo was when he won the Golden Boot Award.

Yang Yang always felt a secret thrill reading these comments, but he quickly put them out of his mind.

The main reason was that the media had no principles.

Kuyt went four matches without a goal while Yang Yang caught up, so they immediately started hyping Yang Yang. But the moment Kuyt scored again and Yang Yang didn’t, they would turn on a dime and go back to hyping Kuyt without a second thought.

For them, it was simple: they hyped whoever had value, with no emotion involved.

He finished his breakfast while reading the papers, then went directly to the gym at De Toekomst for his post-match recovery training.

Everything was just as it always was.

But around noon, Ronald Koeman suddenly sent Luther Carroll to the locker room to summon Yang Yang to the coach’s office.

……

……

“I’ve called you in today because there’s something I’d like to hear your opinion on,” Ronald Koeman said with a smile.

“Me?” Yang Yang was surprised, and more than that, flattered.

For the coaching staff to ask for a player’s opinion was a special privilege usually reserved for key players, like the team captain or star players such as Van der Vaart and Ibrahimovic.

This season on the Ajax Team, besides the captain, Galasek, only Sneijder had received such special treatment.

Not even the cornerstone of their defense, Heitinga, had been afforded this.

“Don’t be nervous. We just want to hear your thoughts on the team’s upcoming schedule. You can speak freely,” Luther Carroll added with a smile.

This was the first time Yang Yang had been treated this way, and he was a bit lost, not knowing where to begin.

‘The schedule? Don’t we just play one match at a time? What other way is there to look at it?’

Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll exchanged a helpless look.

They both knew Yang Yang was the kind of player who was single-mindedly focused on football, rarely paying attention to anything else. But things were different now. In the Ajax locker room, before making any major decisions, they had to at least hear out Yang Yang.

This wasn’t because they thought Yang Yang would cause trouble; it was a sign of respect.

“Here’s the situation,” Koeman began. “We’re currently competing on three fronts. As you know, we’ve basically decided to use a rotation squad for the Dutch Cup. The key priorities are the league and the UEFA Cup.”

Yang Yang nodded silently, showing he was listening intently.

“There are seven matches left in the league, and the point difference between us, Eindhoven, and Alkmaar is razor-thin. Any of us could win the title, but any of us could also fall out of the top three and miss out on Champions League qualification for next season. Therefore, we must concentrate all our efforts on the league. There is no room for error.”

For Ajax, participating in the Champions League represents a massive income of over ten million Euros. The club’s financial situation with that money versus without it is night and day. Moreover, for players like Yang Yang and Sneijder, playing in the Champions League is the biggest draw.

Especially for Yang Yang.

With Yang Yang’s increasingly outstanding performances this season, rumors were beginning to spread that he might leave the club in the summer. The club hadn’t issued a firm stance on the matter, mainly because they believed it wasn’t the optimal time for him to leave.

In other words, he was still growing and improving rapidly.

To put it bluntly, his market value could still rise. Selling him now would be a financial loss.

But everyone knew that if Ajax failed to qualify for the Champions League, the likelihood of Yang Yang leaving would increase dramatically.

Yang Yang himself had stated more than once that he was eager to prove himself on the Champions League stage.

He was a substitute during last season’s Champions League run, but this time he wanted to lead Ajax into the tournament as a core, starting player.

The Champions League is the ladder for any player aspiring to join a giant club.

Therefore, they couldn’t afford to slip up in the league.

“We’ve reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup, and we’re up against a very strong opponent: Villarreal from La Liga. So, some have suggested we should abandon the UEFA Cup to concentrate all our efforts on the league. Others believe we should aim for both, arguing that our team is strong enough to fight on two fronts.”

Ronald Koeman’s words sent Yang Yang deep into thought.

It was a dilemma. No matter what they chose, the risk was significant.

Choosing to focus on the league was undoubtedly the more conservative option, but it was also relatively safer.

Choosing to compete in both was the more ambitious path. After all, the UEFA Cup was still a European trophy. Villarreal was a tough opponent from La Liga, but if they could overcome them, Ajax would have a good chance against any of the remaining teams.

But the risk was also much greater. A single misstep could mean ending the season with nothing to show for it.

“Yang, don’t feel any pressure,” Luther Carroll explained. “We haven’t drawn up a concrete plan yet. We just wanted to hear your opinion. The final decision will still be made by the coaching staff and the technical department.”

Yang Yang understood that he wasn’t yet so important that his words alone could change the club’s strategy.

“I think both are valid options. But if you’re asking for my personal opinion, I’d lean towards competing for both.”

Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll exchanged another look, a hint of a smile in their eyes, as if they had expected this answer from him all along.

“Why?”

“I believe we have the strength to compete in both. And to be honest, getting knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the group stage was incredibly frustrating. Our strength wasn’t quite there at the time, but we’re a different team now. After a season of playing together, I believe we’re fully capable of sustaining a campaign on two fronts.”

“Besides, even if we don’t fight on two fronts this season, what about next season?”

Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll both nodded in agreement.

Yang Yang had never been the type of player to back down from a challenge. On the contrary, he was always confident, incredibly ambitious, and never satisfied with the status quo. It was no surprise to Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll that he would choose the latter option.

“Then you’d better be prepared for a tough fight,” Ronald Koeman warned.

Yang Yang smiled and nodded. “For me, it’s just another form of training.”

‘No matter how hard it gets, can it be any harder than the two years of nonstop basic training I endured day and night?’

‘If I could get through that, I don’t believe there’s anything I can’t endure.’

“Alright, we’ll look into it further. We’ll let the team know once we have an answer,” Ronald Koeman said, wrapping things up.

Yang Yang stood up to leave, but just before he walked out, he suddenly thought of one more thing to say.

“Boss,” Yang Yang said, turning back to look at Ronald Koeman.

“Yes?”

“Trust me, we’ll have the last laugh. The UEFA Cup, qualification for next season’s Champions League, maybe even the title, and the Golden Boot Award… I believe we’ll be the ones standing tall in the end.”

With that, Yang Yang turned and walked out.

Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll looked at each other, both seeing the surprise in the other’s eyes.

Confidence!

In that regard, Yang Yang was in no way inferior to his friend, Ibrahimovic.

But unlike the Swedish Striker, Yang Yang wasn’t arrogant. On the contrary, he was remarkably low-key, hardworking, and filled with resilience.

When a player like that finally explodes onto the scene, the result would be nothing short of astonishing.