Although it was not yet time for the team to go to the Netherlands for training, the manager, Tony Twain, had already taken his assistant manager, Dunn, to the country of tulips.
It was not a vacation. If it was a vacation, Twain would not go with Dunn. It was a place full of all kinds of imagination.
※ ※ ※
Van der Vaart was at home with his beautiful wife, Sylvia, when he received a call from his agent, Søren Lerby.
Although the ringtone from the phone was van der Vaart's favorite music, it sounded particularly harsh at such an inappropriate time.
Sylvia, who was lying in bed, rolled her eyes. She could clearly feel that her husband's body had changed, which was probably not what he wanted to happen.
"Uh …" Van der Vaart was a little embarrassed. He gave his wife an apologetic look, got up from her, and picked up the phone on the bedside table.
"Søren, do you know what time it is?" He picked up the phone in a bad mood and looked up at the small alarm clock on the bedside table at the same time.
It was half past eleven in the evening.
"I'm so sorry, Rafael. But I think I should tell you this news. " His agent, Søren Lerby, certainly knew that he had disturbed van der Vaart's good time, but sex could be done every night if one wanted to. What he was going to tell van der Vaart now was not something that could happen every day.
After knowing that it was about his future, van der Vaart did not care about being angry. He lowered his head and gave Sylvia a kiss. Then he got up and left the bed, walking naked to the living room.
"All right, tell me, Søren."
"I received a call from the Nottingham Forest manager thirty minutes ago."
"Nottingham Forest?" Van der Vaart read the somewhat awkward name. "The team that was the runner-up in the UEFA Champions League?"
"Yes, they asked me something about you. I can tell they are very interested in you, Rafael."
Van der Vaart fell silent.
At this time, his wife, Sylvia, had already dressed and came out of the bedroom. She took a coat and draped it over van der Vaart.
Van der Vaart looked back at his beautiful wife and took her hand.
"Rafael, you promised Linde a season ago that you would stay at Ajax for another year. Now you have fulfilled this promise. There are many clubs out there that want you to join, and Nottingham Forest is one of them. "
"Yes, I know about those invitations, but … I don't like some of them."
"Of course I understand that. I talked to the Nottingham Forest manager on the phone for thirty minutes before I decided to call you. If it's a club that doesn't meet your requirements, it will be filtered here. "
"Thirty minutes?" Van der Vaart suddenly became interested in the Nottingham Forest manager.
Søren Lerby was a famous agent in the Netherlands. He was usually very busy. It was rare for him to be able to talk to a manager for thirty minutes on the phone for the first time.
"Yes, we talked about a lot of things, and they were all about you. He asks and I answer, or I ask and he answers. My intuition tells me that he's a very sincere person … "
"Then what do you think I should do?"
"He hopes to meet you in Amsterdam and have a good chat."
"Alright, I agree."
After ending the call with the agent, Sylvia came over and asked, "Which club is it this time?"
"England's, Nottingham Forest. They were the runner-up in last season's UEFA Champions League and lost to Barcelona in the final. "Van der Vaart explained to his wife.
"Are you going to meet their manager?"
"Yes."
"What will the outcome be?" Sylvia leaned her face on van der Vaart's shoulder.
"That's hard to say …" Van der Vaart turned his face to his wife. "Shall we continue?"
Sylvia jumped away from van der Vaart. "You're up to it again!"
Amidst his laughter, van der Vaart picked up his wife and walked into the bedroom.
※ ※ ※
While van der Vaart continued to be affectionate with his wife, Søren Lerby dialed Tony Twain's number.
"He agreed, Mr. Twain. We can meet and talk. "
"This is really the best news I've heard." Twain laughed and breathed a sigh of relief. At first, he was worried that van der Vaart would not meet with him so easily.
"You know, Mr. Twain. As Rafael's agent, I hope his future is guaranteed. At the same time, there are a lot of clubs pursuing him, including big clubs like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. "
"I understand. If he has any doubts, he can call his teammate Edwin van der Sar on the Dutch national team and listen to what he says about my team. "Twain was very confident about this.
He wanted to buy van der Vaart, of course, not because he followed the style of those powerhouses. He had his own judgment and ideas. Before he came, he had already made a tactical plan with Dunn for the team if van der Vaart successfully joined.
When he bought a player, he did not care about the player's value, nationality, character, private life, or other messy factors that had nothing to do with the game. The first thing he looked at was whether the player was needed by the team. As long as it was needed by the team, he would buy it no matter how expensive it was. If the team did not need it, he would not want it no matter how cheap it was.
This had something to do with his personal consumption concept. He was such a person in life, whether it was before or after he transmigrated. He would find a dollar too expensive for something he did not like. He would be willing to fork out more money for something he liked.
"I hope it's really as you say, Mr. Twain. We'll contact again tomorrow. It's getting late, and you've just arrived in the Netherlands. "
"Aha, isn't the nightlife in the Netherlands just starting now?" Twain asked.
On the other end of the phone, Lerby laughed. "The red-light district is not as beautiful as it's rumored to be. If you want to go, Mr. Twain, you have to be careful. "
"Uh … I'm just asking." Twain also knew that now was not the time to seek pleasure.
Amsterdam's red-light district was a world-famous gathering place for prostitutes. But at the same time, behind those sexy and seductive "window girls," there was also a lot of crime. It was a gray area secretly controlled by the underworld forces. Drug trafficking and human smuggling were rampant, and petty theft and the like were commonplace.
After hanging up, Twain clapped his hands and said to Dunn, "Good news. Van der Vaart has agreed to meet with us."
"The bad news is, you can't go to the red-light district that you've long admired?" Dunn continued.
Twain coughed twice. "I'm not interested in performing sex on the street."
"It doesn't matter. There's a curtain to cover it."
"You're very familiar with it." Twain glared at Dunn.
He did not expect him to shrug. "Google is very powerful. On a serious note, you have to be careful of the hot-blooded lads in the team when you set up the training ground here. "
It turned out that it was from this perspective that he had gone online to search for information about Amsterdam's red-light district. This attention to detail was the main reason why Twain valued him so highly.
Twain pondered for a moment and then said, "Hmm … I'll introduce the relevant rules. But for now, let's think about van der Vaart. Come on, let's sort out our persuasion strategy after we meet. "
※ ※ ※
"Do you want me to introduce you to the team you're about to meet?" On the way from the training ground to the place where Twain was staying, the agent, Søren Lerby, sat in the passenger seat and spoke to van der Vaart, who was driving.
"I know they made it to the Champions League final this season. It was a little unexpected. Do they have any other stories? "
Not everyone knew about the Red Forest team that had once dominated the European football scene. Van der Vaart did not care about the development of English football before, so it was normal that he did not know about Nottingham Forest's history.
"Hmm … Yes, and it's a glorious past that will surprise you." Lerby looked down at the information on his lap. "Two consecutive UEFA Champions League winners. That's their peak."
Van der Vaart, who was driving, turned his head to look at his agent. He was indeed a little surprised.
"78-79, 79-80, two consecutive seasons. In addition, before Arsenal in 2004, they held the record for the longest unbeaten streak in England's top domestic league. It was also set in those two seasons — forty-two games. "
"But I've never heard of their name before …"
"It's normal. After the English Premier League started, they quickly fell and were relegated to England's second-tier league. It wasn't until the last four years that they came back. After that, as a newly promoted team, they took fourth place in the 04-05 English Premier League and qualified for the 05-06 Champions League qualifying round. Then, as you can see, they broke into last season's Champions League final and almost beat Barcelona. " The agent, Lerby, flipped through the information. "I don't think it's useful to say this. The past is the past, and no one knows the future. I'd better introduce you to this young manager who almost replicated the legend of the greatest manager in their club's history, Brian Clough. "
Van der Vaart did a quick search in his mind, and soon an image popped up. "The manager who gave the silver medal he had just received to the ball boy on the sidelines at the award ceremony?"
Lerby laughed when he heard the description. "That's right. It looks like his image is deeply rooted in people's hearts. "
"I'm impressed. He's the first person I've ever seen to do that."
"What do you think of him doing that?"
"It's hard to say …" Van der Vaart was silent for a moment. "I don't know how to evaluate it."
"He's such a person." Lerby continued. "Some people like him, some hate him, and they're all extreme. He's known in England as a manager on an equal footing with Mourinho. Of course, I'm referring to his temper. " Having said that, Lerby picked up a thick stack of information on his lap and shook it at van der Vaart.
"Listen, it's so thick that you can't even make a rustling sound."
"What's this?" Van der Vaart glanced at it as he drove.
"Some information about this temperamental manager, and it's just a part of it … His character, his opinions, his coaching results, his tactical style, his personal preferences, and some interesting gossip and anecdotes — thanks to the developed British media, this is just something I casually gathered. I think it's more difficult to describe him to you on the road now, so I'll pick out some of the key points. First of all, most people believe that this manager is extremely good at regulating the atmosphere in the locker room and is good at getting along with his players. Under his management, there have been no confirmed scandals in Nottingham Forest's locker room. Secondly, most people think that Tony Twain is a manager who focuses more on defense. "
Van der Vaart frowned when he heard that.
Lerby saw it. "What I'm saying is people's opinion. It doesn't represent me or you. You need to observe for yourself what kind of person and manager he is. We're here. "He pointed to the corner of the street ahead, where there was a small hotel.
※ ※ ※
The meeting between the two sides was not held in a restaurant, coffee shop, or bar, but in the hotel where Tang En was staying. Before the matter was settled, Tang En wanted to keep a low profile. After all, there were many clubs in Europe that wanted this midfielder.
The agent, Lerby, acted as a translator between the two sides.
When van der Vaart saw Dunn standing beside Tang En, he was a little surprised. He had an Asian face.
Tang En clearly knew what the other man was surprised about. He generously introduced the two men. "This is my assistant manager, a Chinese man, Dunn. He's a very good coach. "
Regardless of whether Dunn was as good as Tang En said, there was probably no other person in Europe who would use a Chinese man as an assistant manager. Before the formal talks had even begun, van der Vaart had already deeply experienced the manager's unusualness.
In order not to let the atmosphere of the meeting be too dull, the agent, Søren Lerby, joked. "Mr. Tang En, did you go to the red light district in the canal yesterday?"
Tang En chuckled in a hoarse voice. "I listened to your suggestion, Mr. Lerby. Dunn and I were well-behaved like good children in the hotel yesterday. And … Raphael is the reason we came to the Netherlands. He's more important than anything else. "The conversation naturally shifted to the main topic.
Tang En was very grateful to the agent, who had the highest evaluation among the many agents he had come into contact with.
So everyone looked at van der Vaart.
"I also listened to Søren's introduction. He said you're a very sincere person, so I decided to meet you."
"Ha, that's what he said. What do you think of me?"
"Hmm … Very young. A little younger than the one in the Champions League final. "
"Let's not talk about the past anymore." Tang En winked at van der Vaart. "You mentioned the Champions League. That's our goal for the new season."
"To fight our way into the final again?" van der Vaart asked curiously.
"No. This time, we want to take the championship trophy." Tang En answered with confidence.
Van der Vaart looked into his eyes. His gaze was firm and did not seem to be joking at all.
"A very impressive goal." For a moment, he did not know what to say in the face of such a confident manager.
"Nottingham Forest is not a team that is satisfied with just being able to participate in the Champions League every season. I'm not talking big. My players all have that ability. I have no doubt. Edwin van der Sar and you are teammates on the national team. Didn't you hear him talk about us during the World Cup? "
During the World Cup, there were indeed teammates who were interested in Edwin van der Sar being able to participate in the Champions League final again, so they asked about some things about the team. However, the person who inquired about this was not van der Vaart, so he did not pay attention at the time. He did not expect to have an intersection with this team now.
The meeting fell into a brief silence. Tang En signaled to Dunn, who took out a stack of paper from his briefcase and handed it to the two men opposite him.
"I've studied your professional experience and playing style in depth, Rafael. This is a tactic I've formulated about you in conjunction with the current situation of the team. I don't like to talk big, empty words, and conventional words. Concrete things are fundamental. I admire your ability and am very eager for you to join us. But I believe that I'm not the only one who has said these things to you. So, I also want you to understand our sincerity. "He pointed to the stack of paper.
Van der Vaart picked it up and found that it was written in Dutch. It was a detail, but it spoke volumes. He looked up at the smiling Tang En, then lowered his head to continue reading.
It was indeed a very detailed tactical instruction manual. It was tailored to van der Vaart's personal characteristics and preferences, combined with Nottingham Forest's personnel configuration, and listed a variety of tactical combinations for him. In general, in Tang En's plan, van der Vaart was a player who played in the midfield, but he was closer to the penalty area. Unlike the parallel 4-4-2 formation, his role was between the attacking midfielder and the shadow striker.
In the tactics, Tang En gave van der Vaart full freedom. He could organize the attack in the midfield, and he could also plug in and score from a long shot. At the same time, he did not require van der Vaart to put his energy into defense like Koeman did.
"Most of my players are multi-skilled, so our tactics are more flexible. I believe you must have heard some comments about me. Among them, it must be mentioned that I'm a coach who pays a lot of attention to defense." As van der Vaart looked down, Tang En continued. "I admit this. I care a lot about defense because that's the foundation of all victories. But I don't think you need to do the work of defense. We have the best defensive midfielder in Europe. With him around, the offensive players can break the goal and score without any worries. "
Tang En was talking about George Wood. He was confident that Wood was the best, now and in the future.
To be honest, there were two points in this detailed tactical manual that moved van der Vaart. One was the "shadow striker." When van der Vaart debuted, he was a striker. Later, with the team's needs, his position slowly retreated. At one point, he was even placed in the position of defensive midfielder by Koeman, letting him bear the responsibility of defense. These were not what van der Vaart liked. Even though he was now basically fixed in the midfield, he still liked the feeling of shooting and scoring. He had a very good long shot ability, and his set pieces were also good. He did not want to waste such talent.
The other point was that he did not need to think about defense. He could put his heart and soul into the offense. He also liked this point. Most talented offensive players would not like the manager to let them defend. They would think that they were being overused, or that they were being used in the wrong way. After wasting all their energy on retreating to defend, how could they step forward when the team needed to attack? If someone specialized in defense, and they could attack unscrupulously, it was a very tempting prospect.
Seeing van der Vaart staring at the thing in his hands, his agent, Søren Lerby, leaned over and asked in Dutch, "Is there a problem, Rafael?"
"Well … This is the first time I've seen such a detailed tactical commitment come out in a face-to-face meeting with me. I'm a little skeptical."
Seeing the two men chatting in Dutch, Tang En knew they must be discussing this, so he did not speak anymore. Dunn got up and poured out the two glasses of cold water in front of Lerby and van der Vaart, replacing them with two glasses of hot water.
"I didn't expect them to be so well prepared. No, I should have thought of it earlier. After talking to me on the phone for thirty minutes. You see, I was right. This manager is very special. "
Van der Vaart nodded. "It's indeed very special. A team that has just been promoted to the Premier League for two seasons wants to win the Champions League title this season. Søren, do you think he's making empty promises, or is he an egomaniac? "
Lerby shook his head. "I can't say for sure. At least they reached the Champions League final last season. That's not fake."
"Nottingham Forest …" Van der Vaart murmured the slightly awkward name. "This is the most substantial invitation I've ever seen. He's right. It really is something real. But I think I still need to think about it. "
"Of course, this is a decision that concerns your future. I don't want you to make a decision carelessly."
The two men discussed and told Tang En the result. Nottingham Forest was very sincere and the conditions were very tempting. However, van der Vaart still needed to seriously consider the matter, so he could not give Tang En any answer now.
Tang En expressed his understanding. Haste makes waste. He did not expect van der Vaart to agree immediately. After all, there were other clubs' invitations waiting for the Ajax captain.
Anyway, he had expressed enough sincerity and laid out all the conditions. As the saying went, do one's best and leave it to fate. He had done his best. Now all he had to do was to wait for fate with peace of mind.
The right to choose was in van der Vaart's hands and not on his side.
※ ※ ※
On the way back, Søren Lerby told van der Vaart that in July, the Forest team would be invited to the Netherlands to participate in the Amsterdam Tournament. At that time, he might be able to observe the team up close.
Van der Vaart's answer was, "If you want to leave Ajax and go to a new team, it'll be a little too late to make a decision then …"
※ ※ ※
Upstairs in the hotel, watching van der Vaart's car drive away through the window of the room, Tang En tilted his head and said, "We've done everything we can. There's nothing we can do about the rest. I hope it's not a wasted trip … "
"The good news is …" Dunn held the book in his hand. "Bayern Munich's offer is bound to be rejected because they used to look down on van der Vaart. The Dutchman keeps that in mind. Juventus, a former suitor, has gone to Serie B and is not attractive to van der Vaart. Real Madrid's real target is Kaka. The interest in van der Vaart is self-hyped by the Spanish media. Arsenal bought Rosicky and won't buy van der Vaart. The other suitor, Hamburger SV, I believe is not as competitive as us. "
After listening to Dunn's analysis, Tang En stood at the door and did not speak as he watched the car disappear around the corner. (To be continued, if you want to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. QIDIAN. COM. More chapters. Support the author. Support genuine reading!)
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