Chapter 252: Chapter 251: This Player Never Tries Out
Early August.
Lisbon Athletic had completed another high-profile transfer.
The deal had baffled many.
Because after the deal was concluded, The Sun Newspaper exposed the player’s behavior at Arsenal.
"Wenger’s invitation rejected! Swedish prodigy’s one-day jaunt in London!"
"Arsenal’s sporting director: It’s outrageous, I’ve never seen such an audacious kid! He doesn’t have a clue about the world, who does he think he is? God?"
Soon, Wenger, who hadn’t had a summer break, gave an interview about the player, expressing helplessly, "I had never met this player before, someone told me he was excellent, so I invited him to Arsenal with a responsible attitude."
"But I’m sorry to say that I didn’t see anything special in him, apart from his height over one meter ninety."
"He looked talented, but that’s just on the surface. Because when I asked him to train with our first team for a while, he outright rejected me."
"I forgive his recklessness as he is just a kid, I can’t ruin his future. Therefore, I won’t make his words public until he achieves something, otherwise it would be a devastating blow to him."
The journalist pressed, "Then, what is your opinion on his transfer to Lisbon Athletic?"
Wenger: "I am also curious because, in my view, it doesn’t seem like a wise choice. Lisbon Athletic is certainly better than Malmo where he was originally, but the turbulent Lisbon Athletic is obviously not as good as Ajax, which also wanted to sign him."
"After all, he has adapted to Dutch football, going to Portugal to start a new adventure so rashly, what if he doesn’t adapt?"
Asked the same question, Lisbon Athletic’s Trigella replied, "Perhaps that is why Lisbon Athletic could get him while Arsenal could not."
"We told him there’s a new adventure waiting for you here. Playing the same matches is meaningless to him; he can learn no more in the Dutch league, but in the Primeira Liga, he can."
"We know his favorite football star is Ronaldo, and coincidentally, our team has a C. Ronaldo. Although he can’t be compared with the real Ronaldo yet, among his peers, he is that alien!"
"Lastly, we also know the player really likes boxing, and we have many players from China here, each of them adept at ’planting flowers on an empty stomach.’ The attraction for him is immense!"
Wenger then responded from a distance, "I’ve heard of Trigella, he is an excellent youth coach. There’s also Maxa, a renowned tactician in the Primeira Liga."
"But they spoil players too much. Such players need to be disciplined."
Trigella also replied from a distance, "The Professor suits well-behaved kids because the resources they have are already good, and all the kids have been pruned before joining Arsenal."
"But Lisbon Athletic excels at nurturing players with individuality. We believe that personality is one facet of a football star’s technical style and on-pitch thought process, and we look forward to seeing more players with diverse personalities join."
Journalist: "But I heard that the player had hesitated for a long time?"
Trigella said, "Yes, after all, Ajax had promised him a guaranteed starting spot."
Journalist: "So how did you finally convince him?"
Trigella: "My assistant made a call to him, telling him that if he was willing to join us, then just come, and he wouldn’t encounter anything like he did at Arsenal. Because we know that Zlatan doesn’t need any tryouts!"
"Lisbon Athletic’s second blockbuster signing of the summer window, signing Swedish giant talent Zlatan Ibrahimovic for three million euros!"
"Trigella snatches the gunners’ coveted talent right from their jaws!"
"Ajax in pain for losing their future strike force, this Ibrahimovic is no ordinary player!"
Announcement after announcement set off a firestorm throughout the entire Portugal football league.
Because no one knew what this series of signings by Lisbon Athletic meant for this season.
So there wasn’t much praise to be found, and even more skepticism.
"Barzagli, I really laughed, they picked up garbage from Serie D in Italy! No, no, no, it’s the Italian regional leagues, not even professional! Lisbon Athletic expecting this guy to shore up the defense is like hoping he’ll become an Italian national player!"
"Drogba? He doesn’t look too smart, to be honest. If you told me he’s a boxer, I’d believe you, but a football player... playing football with his fists? Le Mans fans in France’s Ligue 2 are all complaining about his low goal-scoring efficiency! Getting this guy as a backup for Jia De’er, are they planning to work Jia De’er to death?"
"This John Terry is said to be not bad, the captain of Chelsea’s youth team. But honestly, players coming out of the Premier League, their skills are too rough. They should have bought Kilop from Moreirense instead!"
"Ibrahimovic, a man even the Professor dared to reject, but he looks more like a complete idiot. Without a trial, why would we want you? Do you think you’re Deng Kai? Able to refuse so many clubs’ trial invitations? Kai has the capital to do so, what do you have apart from height?"
"Um... isn’t being tall enough?"
"Ibrahimovic’s trade looks more like Lisbon Athletic’s rivalry with Ajax. Ajax took away Kilop, whom Lisbon Athletic wanted, so Lisbon Athletic snatched Ibrahimovic, whom Ajax had set their sights on!"
"Kepler... oh well, let’s stick to calling him Pepe as suggested, I heard he was sent over by someone, not worth a dime, the team bought the wrong guy!"
"Really? But it’s true, with Matthaus, Deschamps, and Paolo Bento on the team, they don’t need any more defensive midfielders."
"Matthaus is no good either. Otherwise, Bayern would have won the Champions League long ago. And Germany was eliminated in the group stages, all thanks to Matthaus. He just can’t shoulder the responsibility of being the core player!"
"Deschamps is a dud, too, hiding behind Zidane and managing to get the World Cup and the European Championship under his belt, but his real strength is just so-so. I bet he’s even weaker than Guardiola, not even making the cut as a defensive midfielder!"
"I admit Deschamps is weak, but can we not drag Guardiola into this? He’s a good player."
"The person above, what’s with your strange ID? A tiki-taka scientist who runs a restaurant and eats melons?"
"Uh, that... I’m out."
"Hey, Lisbon Athletic has been busy all summer, and this is it? Old and young, if you look closely, there’s actually none who can really play."
"Yeah! Apart from Jia De’er, they’re all trash."
"What about Quaresma?"
"Heh, he’s a dud, too. All of Lisbon Athletic’s youth are duds, you see how Simon struggles at Barca, he just doesn’t have what it takes! Isn’t Quaresma just someone nobody wants? Otherwise, Lisbon Athletic would have bought him long ago! Just no suckers willing to pay!"
"Let’s not even talk about Viana, he’s a level below Quaresma. He couldn’t even fully adapt to the Portuguese league last season, and even if he adapts this season, it doesn’t mean he’ll shine."
