Chapter 121: The last day of the transfer window! A new talented center forward is coming!
Batti's heavy artillery returns to the ancient city of Rome
"Chen Xiaoliang takes over Gerrard's legacy, and his super long-range shot reappears on the green field"
China's new star books this year's Puskas Award
Roma newcomer's amazing long-range shot saves Mourinho
"The increasingly tough midfielder"
…
Chen Xiaoliang and his teammates were still on the field thanking the team, and the video of his goal had already spread on the Internet.
Outside the player tunnel, many reporters gathered around, all waiting to interview Chen Xiaoliang.
Chen Xiaoliang immediately saw Wang Tao wearing his No. 33 Roma jersey and Qing Shu, who looked as innocent as a middle school student, standing next to him.
Faced with a bunch of microphones held out to him, he gave priority to answering Qingshu's question.
"Xiao Liang, Xiao Liang! I'm so excited to interview you for the first time. That goal just now made all of us scream loudly!"
"Thank you, I'm excited myself!"
“I have been in Rome for a month and a half now. Do you feel adapted?”
“It’s great. The climate here is very comfortable, the city is very lively, life is very convenient, and the club is great in every aspect.”
"What are the expectations for Roma's performance this year?"
“Go all out and strive to win the championship in every competition!”
“What do you want to say to the Red Country fans?”
"Haha, thank you very much for your support. I hope you can just call me Xiaoliang, and don't give me random nicknames. I should be low-key and build up my good character, right? Haha."
The reporter's interview is being broadcast in real time through the live broadcast room.
The comments started to make fun of it:
[Why is the Pope so humble? It’s to have fun with his people]
[Xiao Liang went home and looked in the mirror, only to find that there was nothing in the mirror, because there will never be another Pope in this world]
[Play is play, joke is joke, don't joke about the Pope]
…
After answering the questions from Hongguo's fellow countryman, a group of foreign reporters became even more excited. They stretched out their black sticks, wishing they could stab Chen Xiaoliang directly in the face.
Based on the principle of ladies first and BCC get out, Chen Xiaoliang took a quick look and chose the one with the bustiest breasts.
"I'm Portman, a reporter from Turin Sports Daily. In this game, your two central defenders seemed helpless against Immobile. In the second half, it was your help defense that prevented them from further embarrassing themselves. Does this mean that you think the team's defense is not strong enough for you to trust?"
Shit…not only are the breasts bad, but this question is also very fierce!
As if he had expressed the thoughts of the other reporters around him, everyone stared at Chen Xiaoliang seriously.
However, a few male reporters were still staring at Portman. Chen Xiaoliang took a look and found that Wang Tao couldn't help swallowing his saliva...
"Immobile is one of the best strikers in Serie A and Europe, and the fact that he has won the Serie A Golden Boot three times is the best proof of that.
There are not many teams in the league that can keep him scoreless. Does that prove that the entire Serie A defense is not good? In addition, he failed to score in today's game. This alone is enough to prove that our defenders' defense against him was successful.
The two assists he sent in the game today were mainly because our defensive coordination was not tacit. We had too little time to train together. I believe that through the next games and training, we will be able to play a better defensive performance. "
It was foolproof, well-reasoned, and protected his teammates. Qingshu couldn't help but secretly give Chen Xiaoliang a thumbs up.
But such a steady answer was obviously not what Portman wanted. She had been waiting here for a long time, squeezing to the front among many colleagues, just to make big news!
Portman continued to ask: "You are the second most expensive signing in Roma's history, second only to the Czech striker Schick who was bought for 42 million euros in 2017.
Roma once introduced Batistuta and helped the team win the Serie A championship in the 2000-01 season.
The intention of bringing in Schick was to replicate Batistuta's success, but the deal ultimately failed, the club's investment went down the drain, and Roma even gradually withdrew from the Champions League after that.
The club spent 41 million euros to buy you this year. If you can't help the team get into the Champions League zone, does it mean that your transfer is a complete failure? "
After hearing this question, Chen Xiaoliang actually became interested in this female reporter. Although her questions were very direct, at least the openness of her answers was not like BCC's, which deliberately set traps for you.
More importantly, she is a professional Western journalist and her questions are not all foolproof.
"I am just an ordinary member of the team. All I have to do is give my all in every game. This has nothing to do with how much my transfer fee is. But in my opinion, the most important transfer this season is Mourinho. He is a championship coach and a natural winner. He will definitely lead us to success."
Portman is clearly not satisfied yet.
Although Chen Xiaoliang had already moved to leave, she still asked a question.
"Your odds for the Golden Boy Award have now surpassed those of Wirtz and Saka, ranking fourth. Do you think this ranking is in line with your expectations?"
Chen Xiaoliang thought, Turin Sports Daily... No wonder, this is the organizer of the Golden Boy Award.
"There are many excellent talented players in Europe. I am not very interested in the rankings, but I am very eager to have the opportunity to compete face to face with these players in the game!"
After saying that, Chen Xiaoliang took a step forward immediately.
Still unsatisfied, Portman held the microphone and continued asking questions to Chen Xiaoliang.
Chen Xiaoliang turned around. After all, there were so many cameras there. He smiled politely and said, "We Chinese like to take things slow and steady. Why don't we leave it for next time?"
After saying that, he left quickly.
After Chen Xiaoliang left, the photographer turned the camera to Portman.
【Photographer plus chicken drumstick】
[Photographer is a good person]
[Suddenly I don’t want to watch Chen Xiaoliang anymore]
[This is not Portman, this is not Portman at all, this is Portman]
[Is it possible that Chen Xiaoliang chose her for the same reason as us? ]
…
In the post-match player ratings, although Chen Xiaoliang performed brilliantly, scoring 1 goal, 5 clearances, 3 blocks, 7 steals, and a pass success rate of 94%, he did make a fatal mistake.
The best player of the game was awarded to Lazio striker Immobile, who provided two assists and almost single-handedly turned Roma's defense upside down.
But this is not what Chen Xiaoliang cares about. Missing the best player of the game simply means 5 less training points as a mission reward. He just needs to find more time to train.
But being able to snatch back one point for the team in the derby is something that means more.
When he returned to the locker room, his teammates and several coaches came to greet him. Everyone said they had never seen anything like this in their lives. Even if they were relaxed during training kicked dozens of times, they couldn't make a long shot like this.
Although some people thought that this kick was a fluke, what impressed them was the amazing speed of the ball brought about by the real power.
The angle can be guessed, but the strength cannot be guessed.
However, considering that Chen Xiaoliang had worked under Gerrard for a season and had lived and eaten with him, naturally no one would be suspicious of this defensive midfielder who never took a shot during training.
The media quickly ranked this goal, with a speed of 180 kilometers per hour ranking sixth among all goals scored since speed measurements were started.
The top five were Sheffield Wednesday's David Hurst's long-range shot against Arsenal at 183 km/h;
Barcelona's Ronald Koeman's free kick against Sampdoria travelled at 188 kilometres per hour;
Blackburn's Steven Reid's volley against Wigan Athletic travelled at 189 kilometres per hour;
When facing Dortmund, Real Madrid's Robben also had a corner kick bounced out, and he volleyed the ball into the goal from the penalty area line at a speed of 190 kilometers per hour;
The fastest goal was a free kick at an incredible speed of 210 kilometers per hour by Brazilian Ronnie Herbertson of Sporting CP against Navarra in the 2006 Portuguese Super League. He kicked the ball about one meter away from the penalty area line.
However, compared to these violent shots, regardless of their importance, Chen Xiaoliang's equalizer was indeed the one with the longest distance and the most spectacular view.
The change from 0 points to 1 point made some Roma players secretly happy that they had escaped death, but Mourinho was in a headache.
Today, his two main central defenders were beaten into a miserable state when they met Ciro Immobile who was in excellent form. If they were in one of the three major clubs and met a stronger forward combination, they would definitely be kicked out of the game.
But this season new owner Dan Friedkin has spent more than 120 million euros on the team.
€41 million for midfielder Chen Xiaoliang;
€40 million striker Abraham;
13 million euros for left-back Binya;
11.5 million euros for goalkeeper Patricio;
The central defender Ibanez was officially bought out for 9 million euros;
€6 million for right-back Reynolds;
After clearing out and renting out a large number of redundant staff, although wage expenditure was reduced, only 2.22 million euros were recovered.
The net transfer expenditure for the entire summer window is still 118 million euros.
You should know that the main rivals in the league, the defending champion Inter Milan, made a lot of money after selling Lukaku, Ashraf and others, with a net transfer income of 161 million euros;
Although AC Milan bought several players with a net transfer expenditure of €69.2 million, the most expensive ones were Tomori at €29.2 million and Maignan at €13 million;
Juventus spent tens of millions to buy American midfielder McKennie for only 20.5 million euros. After selling Cristiano Ronaldo and Christian Romero, the net transfer expenditure for the entire summer was only 500,000 euros.
For other mid-to-upper-level teams, Lazio had a net transfer expenditure of 19.6 million euros, and Napoli had a net transfer expenditure of 5.16 million euros.
Therefore, the pressure Mourinho bears does not only come from his own fame and resume, but also from the fact that his boss Dan Friedkin's support for him is among the best in Europe.
In terms of net transfer expenditure, Roma is only lower than Arsenal's 154 million euros and Manchester United's 121 million euros, and even exceeds old rival Guardiola's Manchester City's 85 million euros.
But you have to know that even the bottom team in the Premier League at the end of the season can get nearly 100 million pounds in broadcasting fees!
Serie A, which ranks fourth among the top five leagues in terms of league profitability, after La Liga and Bundesliga, does not have such blood-making ability and profit-sharing scale at all.
In this situation, with only one day left in the summer transfer window, Mourinho can no longer ask his boss to buy another defensively solid and experienced central defender.
After today's game, he became more aware of the importance of Chen Xiaoliang.
Other opponents will definitely see the weaknesses of Roma's defense through today's game. In addition to making up for this weakness through personnel matching and formation changes, the top priority is to give full play to Chen Xiaoliang's role.
He originally wanted to give the 17-year-old Red Country player some time to adapt before entrusting him with important tasks, but who would have thought that the team's current situation did not allow him to wait any longer.
Sitting in the locker room, Chen Xiaoliang was accepting congratulations from his teammates and coaches. Next to him was the No. 21 Lazio jersey that Milinkovic-Savic exchanged with him after the game.
Because of the goal just now, he could clearly see that the eyes of a group of local players, including the captain Pellegrini who was temporarily absent due to injury, had changed when they looked at him.
If you count carefully, in the four official matches at the beginning of the season, in two European Cup matches, Chen Xiaoliang scored a goal and made an assist; in two league matches, he also scored a goal and made an assist. In four games, he directly participated in and created four goals. At least from the data, he is no longer a pure defensive midfielder.
After two rounds, Roma has 1 win and 1 draw with 4 points, ranking fourth in the standings.
The top two are Napoli and AC Milan, who have won two games in a row and have 6 points. In third place is Inter Milan, which also has one win and one draw and has 4 points.
Behind Roma are three other teams with one win and one draw, namely Juventus, Lazio, and Atalanta.
Although Chen Xiaoliang himself was very happy, on the way to leave the stadium and take the bus, he gradually felt pain in his right thigh muscles.
After returning home, because Helena was not there, Chen Xiaoliang had to put the instrument on himself for a physical examination. Although he had used a physical recovery card in the second half of the game, his muscle fatigue index still reached an unprecedented 39%.
At the same time, the instrument showed that his right thigh seemed to have been pulled with great force in a short period of time, resulting in a strain on the rectus femoris muscle of his right thigh.
Obviously, he felt more and more muscle pain as he lay in bed.
The abilities granted to him by the two star cards with peak attributes were only temporary. Although his physical attributes had surpassed most players, they were still not enough to bear the beast-like power generated by the violent shots of the two legendary stars Batistuta and Gerrard.
Chen Xiaoliang called the club's doctor overnight to ask how long it would take to recover from such an injury. The doctor replied that it would take about two weeks and asked him to come to the team tomorrow for further testing.
Chen Xiaoliang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the reply of two weeks. He had even prepared to use his only injury recovery card before making the call.
After two weeks of injury, taking into account the BUFF that halved the duration of his sports-related negative states, it would only take a week for him to fully recover.
After this game, the team will face Salernitana, the newly promoted team that returned to Serie A after 22 years, in the third round of the league, exactly one week later .
This team, which was recognized by the media as a favorite for relegation before the season, suffered two consecutive defeats in the first two rounds, accumulated 0 points, scored 2 goals and conceded 4 goals, ranking 18th in the standings. It can be said that it is one of the weakest opponents in the league.
Although Roma's lineup still has some shortcomings, Chen Xiaoliang believes that even if he is absent, the team can still beat Salernitana.
The Europa League has entered the group stage, and the first game will start on September 17, when Roma will face Tottenham Hotspur at home.
By then, his minor injury would have been fully recovered.
Just a few hours ago, in faraway Salzburg, Austria, Riise was having a secret meeting with Salzburg Red Bull's Slovenian striker Benjamin Cesco in the hotel where he was staying, while the match between Lazio and Roma was being broadcast on TV.
It was already the 95th minute when Mkhitaryan's corner kick was headed outside the penalty area.
What happened next is known to fans all over the world.
When the two saw this goal, they changed their calm negotiating attitude and couldn't help but scream loudly!
No matter where you are, football has the power to get your blood pumping!
The two continued shouting until the hotel waiter knocked on the door and reminded them that many guests had complained.
Cesco pointed at the TV and asked Reese excitedly: "Is this Chen? The red countryman?!"
Reese shouted proudly: "Yes! It's him! The incredible genius! The genius kissed by God!"
"This must have been taught to him by Gerard?!"
"Hmm~" Reese smiled complacently.
"You must have shared your experience with him?" Cesco asked again.
"The growth of every outstanding player is inseparable from the good teachers and friends around him, isn't it?"
Seeing that Cesco was interested, Reese took out his cell phone and opened a web page to show him.
"I don't mean to offend you. He is a genius, but there is no doubt that you are also a genius!" But he is one year younger than you, but he is already ranked fourth in the latest Golden Boy Award odds! And where are you? ! Do you know why? ! Do you know what the biggest difference between you is? ! "
Cesco said nothing, staring at Reese blankly.
"The difference is that he is in Serie A, and you are playing in Austria, a third-rate European league! The influence of the Austrian Super League is not even as good as the Scottish Premier League! You don't have good opponents, you don't have good teammates, and the media doesn't see you. Even if you can score more goals than other people of the same age in the Austrian Super League, so what? Others will say that this is just a second-rate league and your goals are not challenging at all!"
Reese knew that Cesco was even more shaken. Now he only needed to deliver a fatal blow to Cesco's last line of defense in his heart to take him down!
"And why are you still in the Austrian Super League? It's not that you don't have ambitions! It's not that you don't have the ability to go to a better league! It's that there is no one around you to help you do so!"
Riise stood up and pointed excitedly at Chen Xiaoliang on the TV screen, who was being hugged by his teammates in celebration. "If he was like you, he might still be at Glasgow Rangers now! It's impossible for him to get 80,000 euros a week, be followed by European media, and even more impossible for him to be watched repeatedly by fans all over the world the next day just because of a goal!
Hey, kid, I will do my best to help you. The fact that I can bring a 16-year-old boy from the Red Country to Rome to become an absolute main force is enough to prove my professional ability and connections! As long as you work hard, you can also stand on the great stage! Have reliable teammates! Face tough opponents! "
Late at night, Chen Xiaoliang, who was lying in bed reminiscing about Helena's relaxing post-match massage, noticed his cell phone ringing.
Reese? He picked up the phone immediately.
"Hey, Chen, just like you said, it's done!
You are so awesome! When Cesco and I were having the toughest time, you made a shot that even Gerrard couldn't make! Well, maybe I, who was 15 years younger, could have made that shot! Hahahaha! You are so fucking awesome!"
"Get to the point...Mr. Reese."
"Hahaha, right, right, right! Cesco was completely shocked by your goal! He actually thought that this was a skill you developed under the training of Gerrard and me! Hahahaha!
But I didn't lie to him, I didn't say anything nonsense!
I painted a beautiful picture for him! Well... just like what men in love say to the women they pursue!
Of course, there’s no disgusting “I love you”. I’m a real man, hahaha.
He agreed to my proposal! He told me I do! Hahaha! It's so fucking disgusting for a man to say this to another man, but it's also so fucking cool!
We will sign an agreement to change agents tomorrow!
However, Chen, we have to make it clear that he is a Red Bull player and the termination fee of the agent contract is 1 million euros, which is not a small amount. Are you sure you want to do this? In addition, the previous contact took too much time, and it should be too late for him to transfer this summer. "
"Wait, Mr. Reese, when does his current contract expire?"
"He transferred here in the summer of 2019. Because he was not yet 18 years old, he signed a three-year contract until June 30, 2022, with one year left. If I hadn't come this time, he would have temporarily asked his agency to suspend the contract renewal negotiations with the club. Otherwise, he would have renewed his contract until 2024."
Chen Xiaoliang thought for a moment: "There is still one year left on the contract... Has the club set a price for him?"
Riise: "He is not famous now, he is still a kid and he is still in the last year of his contract. He only cost 2.5 million euros to transfer here. I looked at the German transfer market and his value is estimated at 8 million euros."
"Mr. Reese, we are going to play something big, but you may not have time to sleep tonight! I will call you later!"
Chen Xiaoliang hung up the phone and immediately called Mourinho!
After making his first fortune through commercial endorsements, Chen Xiaoliang has been thinking about what to invest in to make more money.
Stocks? Real estate? Funds? Even virtual currencies and Internet companies?
No, no, no, in the current global economic recession, Chen Xiaoliang clearly remembers that these are no longer good investment directions.
Although European football has also been affected by the overall economic environment, that is only limited to small and medium-sized leagues. For the top teams in the major leagues, their purchasing power is still increasing day by day.
He remembered that in the following years, the Premier League giants, especially the two teams in Manchester, made many amazing deals!
This has also invisibly exacerbated the bubble in player transactions in the Premier League and even the top five leagues.
Make use of the young players in your memory who will definitely become talented in the future, sign their agency rights in advance through Riise before they become famous, and then send them to big leagues and big clubs after a few seasons of operation. This will not only increase your wealth faster, but also increase your influence in European football in disguise!
For example, Roma is currently lacking a genuine striker who can assist Abraham! According to the team's current forward configuration, the lazy Shalawi, the useless Marayol, and Wu Lei, who is more suitable as a substitute in the second half, cannot replace Abraham's role.
The remaining players, such as Carles Perez and Mkhitaryan, cannot play as center forward at all.
In this situation, if Abraham gets seriously injured, the team's offense will face huge difficulties!
In this case, if the team signs Cesco, he can not only share the dividends of future player value increases with Riise, but also add a staunch ally and partner to the team!
He talked a lot on the phone with Mourinho!
That night, many people were busy because of this phone call!
At 3:00 p.m. the next day, Chen Xiaoliang, who was receiving examination and treatment from the club's team doctor, finally received a text message from Riise!
Based on the player's strong desire to transfer, the club's transfer team and he negotiated with Salzburg Red Bull overnight, and the two sides finally reached an agreement. Roma officially signed Slovenian striker Benjamin Cesco today with a transfer fee of 12 million euros to be paid in two installments!
2 million euros will be paid in this transfer window, and the remaining 10 million euros will be paid after the winter transfer window opens.
The new contract will be signed for three years. The player will confirm his joining after undergoing a medical examination in Salzburg and will wear the No. 20 jersey in the new season!
At the same time, the player's agent will be officially replaced by John Arne Riise! The commission rate is 15%, and the new agent will complete the final formalities of the transaction.
Adidas, which was previously rejected by Chen Xiaoliang, has started negotiations on jersey sponsorship with Roma's business team under the contact of Riise!
It is expected that a huge sponsorship contract totaling 408 million euros for 8 years will be signed in a few weeks!
Looking at the entire Serie A, it is second only to Juventus!
This means that the club can get an additional budget of 50 million euros every year!
The commission collected for Cesco's transfer alone was 1.8 million euros, which means that Chen Xiaoliang earned back the penalty he paid for Cesco's dismissal of his previous agent in less than a day!
Reese added a paragraph at the end of the text message:
Also, Chen, now that we have gotten over the most difficult financial situation at the beginning, and you have successfully entered the top five leagues and become a superstar, it is time for us to fulfill the previous contract and reduce my commission from 15% to 8%. (Note: Of course, there is a similar clause in the contract with Cesco, but it is limited to first-tier giants, and the proportion is 10%)
I know you never brought it up, but you brought my career as a real estate agent back to life!
I've already made a lot of money from you, so I'd be willing to work for you for free for a few years!
In short, Chen, you are so awesome. I even suspect that you have the ability to predict the future!
But I have a plan, I will take Cesco back to Rome soon! I will tell you when I come back!
