Super Wingstorm

"Zlatan, what’s with you? We’re just going out for a meal. Why’d you use so much cologne and hair wax?"

The Porsche 911 sped along the highway to Almere as Yang Yang couldn’t help but complain from the back seat.

"Seriously, did you pour the whole bottle of wax on your head?"

The moment Yang Yang finished speaking, Maxwell and Vermaelen burst out laughing.

Ibrahimovic, who was driving, angrily snapped one word at Yang Yang. "Scram."

"I’m telling you, right before we left, he showered, changed clothes, put on cologne, and waxed his hair. It took him a full hour."

"My god, that’s insane?"

"Of course. You know there are tons of girls over by your school. You think he’d pass up an opportunity like this?"

Yang Yang thought about it and realized it was true. ’That sounds just like Ibrahimovic.’

"Maxwell, if you don’t want to die, shut your mouth right now," the Swedish Striker grumbled angrily.

But who would take him seriously?

"I even suggested he park a bit further away, since the school entrance is always crowded and it’s really conspicuous. But guess what he said?" Maxwell asked with a laugh.

"’I want the attention,’" Yang Yang said, laughing.

Everyone immediately burst into another round of laughter.

"Yeah, that’s right, I like the attention. At least it’s better than you. A girl invited you to a party and you didn’t even dare to go," Ibrahimovic immediately retorted.

"Hey, let’s be clear. It’s not that I didn’t dare to go, it’s just that she’s not my type," Yang Yang explained.

"Then what is your type?" Vermaelen suddenly asked, getting gossipy.

Yang Yang was taken aback. ’I’ve never really thought about that before.’

"Just stop pretending. If you were scared, just admit it. Stop making excuses. If it were me, I would have already..."

The Swedish Striker stopped mid-sentence, not daring to continue, because he saw Maxwell in the passenger seat take out his phone to record him. Who knew if the guy would actually do it?

If Helena heard that, he’d be skinned alive, if not worse.

"Forget it. I can’t be bothered talking to a bunch of rookies who’ve never even been in a relationship."

With that, the frustrated Swedish Striker stepped harder on the gas.

......

......

Since it was around noon, there wasn’t much traffic on the highway. Ibrahimovic drove fast, and they soon arrived in Almere.

Same as always, he took Exit 5, passed the auto mall, and arrived at Shen’s Chinese Restaurant.

It was lunchtime, and the parking lot outside the Chinese restaurant was already more than half full. Peeking inside, there wasn’t an empty seat to be found. It seemed the restaurant’s business was booming, just as his uncle had said.

Seeing a luxury car pull in, Wei Zheng, who was responsible for greeting guests, quickly came over. He hadn’t expected Yang Yang to be the one getting out.

"Brother Zheng," Yang Yang greeted him.

"Huh, what are you doing here?" Wei Zheng was surprised. Then he saw Ibrahimovic and the other two, and it all made sense. "Come on, hurry and bring your friends inside to sit down."

Yang Yang didn’t stand on ceremony. He was practically a junior host here, so he immediately led Ibrahimovic and the others inside.

Wei Zheng was an international student from China. He had graduated from a prestigious university back home and was currently studying media and marketing at the University of Amsterdam, working part-time at the restaurant. He was the same age as Yang Yang’s cousin, Shen Yuzhu. The last time he was here, Yang Yang had vaguely noticed that the way the two looked at each other was a little unusual.

His cousin, Shen Yuzhu, was of above-average looks, but her personality was what really shined. She had attended university in the Netherlands, and after graduating last year, she had been helping out at the restaurant. According to his uncle, Shen Ming, the plan was for her to return to China to work in a year or two, and he also wanted Yang Yang’s parents to help find her a suitable partner.

Yang Yang had heard his uncle praise Wei Zheng before. ’If those two could really get together, that would be a great thing.’

Shen’s Chinese Restaurant had an area specifically reserved for Almere players to gather and dine. Normally, no matter how many customers there were, this area was never used. It was a kind of special treatment that the restaurant and the townspeople gave to the Almere players.

When everyone saw Yang Yang leading the trio inside and heading straight for the exclusive Almere area to sit down, people started looking over one by one. Soon, someone recognized Yang Yang, and then Ibrahimovic and the others. At that point, the entire restaurant was in an uproar.

’These are Ajax’s star players, and they actually came all the way here to eat!’

Yang Yang recognized a few acquaintances among the crowd and naturally chatted with them for a bit. By the time Shen Ming and the others heard the news and rushed out, there was another round of greetings, and of course, they showered Yang Yang with questions about his well-being.

With his nephew making a special trip to bring guests and support the business, Shen Ming personally went into the kitchen and cooked up several of his signature dishes. This led Ibrahimovic, Maxwell, and Vermaelen to eat with nonstop praise, teasing that Yang Yang hadn’t learned even ten percent of his own uncle’s skills.

Yang Yang naturally just laughed and cursed at the three ungrateful bastards for turning on him after he’d fed them.

Full and satisfied, the group wasn’t in a hurry to leave, continuing to trade barbs and jokes.

Gradually, the conversation shifted to the current first team.

Ajax’s first team had seen huge improvements in their recent results. After surviving the first crisis of confidence at the start of the season, Koman’s team had been on an unstoppable tear. Never mind the Eredivisie, they were now also ranked first in their Champions League group.

AC Milan had drawn with Celta Vigo in the second group stage match and then suffered a surprising upset loss to Bruges in the third round. This allowed Ajax, with two consecutive wins, to smoothly claim the top spot in the group.

With the team’s excellent performance, the public perception of Ajax also began to change for the better.

But Yang Yang sharply sensed that something was off with Ibrahimovic and Maxwell.

The Swedish Striker first looked around, making sure no one was paying attention to their conversation. Only then did he lean in and whisper, "Yang, Thomas, if you trust me, then get ready. From now until the winter break, whatever you do, do not get injured."

"Why?" Yang Yang was very curious.

"You could be called up to the first team at any moment."

A spark of excitement flashed in Vermaelen’s eyes, but it was immediately followed by worry. "Is that possible?"

"Absolutely possible," Maxwell said with a nod.

Obviously, the Brazilian left-back was more convincing than the brash Ibrahimovic.

"Don’t be fooled by the first team’s winning streak. In reality, the situation is not good at all," Ibrahimovic said.

Although Maxwell didn’t speak, he kept nodding in agreement.

"This season, the management has put a lot of pressure on the team for results. We have to advance from the Champions League group stage and win the league. This has put immense psychological pressure on the team, especially during that earlier period. Everyone was about to break. Van der Vaart, in particular, has been getting carded frequently and has lost his temper several times. His red card against Eindhoven was a perfect example."

Hearing this, Yang Yang couldn’t help but frown. "Doesn’t the management know that after selling Qi Wu and Van der Meede, the team’s strength has been damaged? It’s hard to be as good as last season."

"How could they not know?" Maxwell took over, shaking his head. "The main thing is that Ajax is in a precarious situation right now. We’ve been losing money for several seasons in a row. Last season was our best financially, but we still lost four million euros. And of the club’s 76.5 million euros in revenue, more than half came from the UEFA Champions League."

Last season in the Champions League, Ajax fought its way to the quarterfinals, only to lose to AC Milan in the end.

"By selling Qi Wu and Van der Meede, the club gained the financial means to extend the contracts of several players. But the financial pressure that followed is also significant. If we don’t make it out of the group stage, the club will lose a huge amount of income."

Yang Yang fell silent. He was beginning to understand the management’s predicament.

When it all came down to it, they just didn’t have the money.

"The management puts pressure on the technical director, the technical director puts pressure on the coaching staff, and the pressure trickles down layer by layer until it finally lands on the players. So you tell me, isn’t the pressure on the first-team players immense?"

After asking the rhetorical question, Ibrahimovic gave a cold smile. "But don’t think for a second that we’re the only ones having a hard time. Van Gaal and Cruyff have been at each other’s throats recently. The latter is furious that the management invited Van Gaal to be the technical director. The two have already traded blows in the media several times, and now it’s causing widespread anxiety within the team."

Yang Yang had seen some of the back-and-forth between Van Gaal and Cruyff in the media, but he hadn’t appreciated the full extent of it like Ibrahimovic had. He was also beginning to understand that in such an atmosphere, it would be difficult for players to even play with peace of mind, let alone perform at their best. ’Everyone is probably thinking about leaving,’ he thought.

At the very least, the Ibrahimovic in front of him was thinking exactly that.

"Lately, the team’s offense has been terrible, and the defense is just as bad. A major issue is that the contract of the right-back, Talabesi, is about to expire. Several big clubs, including Manchester United, Arsenal, AC Milan, and Inter Milan, all want him. His contract with the club expires next summer."

"What?" Yang Yang and Vermaelen were both shocked.

’Doesn’t that mean he can start contacting his next club right away?’

"Don’t worry. In his current contract, the club added an optional clause for a priority renewal. So theoretically, if other teams want to poach him, they still need Ajax’s approval. The club’s intention is to have him renew his contract and then leave in the summer."

Yang Yang had heard from John van Schip that Ajax had suffered a huge loss in this regard before. In the mid-to-late 1990s, constrained by the Bosman Law, the batch of star players in their prime that Van Gaal had developed basically all left on transfers for extremely low prices. This was a disastrous loss for Ajax.

It could even be said that Ajax’s financial problems started from that time. Afterward, for the sake of youth development, they invested in the South African club Ajax Cape Town, but the results were meager, and they ended up losing a lot of money, which in turn contributed to the deterioration of Ajax’s overall financial situation.

With the lesson from the past, Ajax naturally hopes for players to renew their contracts before leaving. That way, they can sell them for a relatively high price. After all, Talabesi was currently performing exceptionally well. This year, he was even on the fifty-man shortlist for the European Footballer of the Year award and was considered one of the world’s top right-backs.

"Then what about Talabesi? What does he think?" Vermaelen asked with concern.