Dunn's analysis was right. The powerhouses who were rumored to be interested in van der Vaart had their own problems and could not extricate themselves to take care of him. Before Nottingham Forest joined the chase, only the German club Hamburger SV was close to van der Vaart.
In fact, Hamburger SV had wanted to bring in the Ajax captain in distress a season ago.
If Koeman had continued as the Ajax manager at that time, van der Vaart would have chosen to go to Hamburger SV. But Birlinde's arrival changed everything that Twain was familiar with. He persuaded the pillar of Ajax to stay and help him for a season. At that time, more than half of Ajax's young talents had left and the team's results were unstable. They needed an experienced person to lead the team. Van der Vaart was undoubtedly the best candidate.
As the club's gratitude for van der Vaart's choice to stay, they would not obstruct him from leaving the team after a season. As long as he reached an agreement with the other team, he could leave at a very low price.
Van der Vaart agreed to the condition. He chose to stay in exchange for leaving after a season. Birlinde also returned the captain's armband to him.
As a result, van der Vaart turned down Hamburger SV a season ago.
The German club remained infatuated and extended an invitation to van der Vaart again after a season. Van der Vaart also had a good impression of the German team that valued him so much and promised to let him play as his favorite "shadow striker." If Tony Twain had not interfered, he would have almost started to talk about a personal contract with Hamburger SV.
The addition of Nottingham Forest changed everything.
An ambitious team that was constantly strengthening its strength wanted him to join, with the goal of winning the Champions League this season.
Van der Vaart admitted that this was more attractive than simply letting him play as a "shadow striker."
As a professional player, who did not want to win the highest honor in football? The highest honor for the national team was the UEFA European Championship and the World Cup. The highest honor for a club was, of course, the UEFA Champions League.
Nottingham Forest's story of reaching the final in one go last season and narrowly losing to Barcelona in the final was impressive. Even van der Vaart, who did not know the Forest team before, remembered it deeply.
After a face-to-face conversation with Twain, he personally felt the manager's lofty ambitions. The scale in van der Vaart's heart had actually tilted at that meeting.
The agent, Søren Lerby, was a meticulous man. After that meeting, he also specially gave van der Vaart a few CDs, which recorded the Forest team's games.
Since it would be too late to observe them when they were training in the Netherlands, he might as well use the recording of the match to observe them now.
Lerby hoped that van der Vaart would understand what kind of team the Forest team was by watching the video and then consider which club he should choose.
Of course, how could those discs not contain the feature film produced by the UEFA for Nottingham Forest?
Tony Twain and the team were presented in front of van der Vaart in a three-dimensional manner.
This was a young team full of vigor, and at the same time, they did not lack experience. It felt a lot like Jax …
※ ※ ※
"Days with nothing to do are so boring …" In the hotel room, Dunn was focused on studying all the information on their opponents for the new season. Tang En, on the other hand, leaned against the window and looked at the passersby below, playing with the phone in his hand.
Two days had passed, and van der Vaart had not given them a reply. Even his agent, Søren Lerby, seemed to have disappeared and did not take the initiative to contact him.
Tang En thought that his set of words and tactics had moved the other party … No, it was not that he thought. He was sure of it. But the strange thing was, why did the other party not reply the next day? It was really uncomfortable to be left hanging in limbo like this.
"You can go alone to explore the world-famous human flesh window at night," Dunn answered without raising his head.
Tang En glared at the other party. "Sometimes I really miss the Dunn who couldn't let out a fart for three days."
"Or, you can seriously consider training here now and how to prevent those players from stirring up trouble."
The question was very serious, and Tang En fell silent. He hadn't thought of this when he chose Amsterdam. The Netherlands could probably be considered the most liberal country in the world. Here, homosexuality, drug use, prostitution, gambling, and euthanasia were legal … These were serious crimes in other countries, but in this low-lying land, they existed openly under the sun.
If he had a Dutch friend who was familiar with Amsterdam and was hospitable, Tang En would not mind going to a brothel to seek pleasure. If a person like him was like that, what about those young and vigorous players?
In the West, unlike China, it was not a big deal to openly talk about sex. Visiting prostitutes was a matter of personal freedom and private life, and others could not interfere.
Tang En was not one of those apologists. He felt that it was a very normal physiological need for a man to find a woman for sex. Without a girlfriend or wife, they could not always use their hands. So, visiting prostitutes was naturally one of the reasonable choices. During his days in the UK, he had experienced this a few times. However, this kind of thing was not something that was worth publicizing publicly …
During the summer vacation, Tang En could not control what the players did. Even if they beat their wives and children, it was none of Tang En's business, not to mention a small matter like finding a woman to relieve their boredom.
But the team's training period was coming up, and they had to prepare for the start of the new season. This was working time for the players. Had anyone seen a boss allow his employees to call for prostitutes at work?
Setting the training site in Amsterdam would inevitably have to face such a thorny problem. He could not ask all the players to stay in the hotel at night and not go anywhere. This was the pre-season training, not a sex camp.
"Hmm …" Tang En muttered. "Maybe I should adjust the training plan."
"Give up on the Netherlands?"
"Not to that extent. It would be embarrassing if the second best team in Europe was scared off by a bunch of prostitutes. But I have to give up on Amsterdam. This city is not a suitable place for training."
"Do you have a new place?"
Tang En smiled. "I suddenly thought of a place that might be suitable."
"Where?"
"A small town northeast of Amsterdam — Volendam."
Hearing the name, Dunn froze for a moment.
"The water is crisscrossed, and the water is beautiful. Although the place is slightly remote, it's quiet. The people there are simple and honest, and our people won't be disturbed too much. I think it's a good place for training in peace. " Tang En blinked. Of course, he would not say that he saw the name in an online football novel and remembered it deeply.
"It's indeed a good place." Dunn did not have much to say.
Just then, the phone that Tang En was playing with rang and vibrated at the same time. It scared Tang En so much that he almost threw the phone out of the window.
The phone bounced back and forth between his hands a few times before he finally held it steady.
“Hello！ Mr. Lerby! "Tang En's voice rose as he stood up from the window.
Dunn watched him stand up and did not speak again.
After about half a minute, a smile appeared on his face. "That's great! Thank you, Mr. Lerby. We'll contact the Ajax Club immediately. At the same time, I think we can start our personal negotiations tomorrow. "
Hanging up the phone, Tang En raised his fists and jumped up. "Great news! Our new teammate, van der Vaart, has joined! "
"Don't be too happy yet. Ajax hasn't said they'll definitely let him go."
"There's no problem with the club." Tang En waved his hands. "This is a good sign. A good sign for the new season. Dunn, I have the thrill of obtaining a new piece of epic equipment. Haha! We're stronger! "
"This isn't an online game. What did the agent say?"
"Rafael is very happy to accept Nottingham Forest's invitation and entrust me with full responsibility for the personal contract negotiations." Tang En imitated Sauron Lerby's tone of voice.
"Van Nistelrooy, van der Vaart, and more. I want to turn the European football world upside down in the new season! "Tang En's eyes sparkled and he grinned, revealing his big white teeth.
※ ※ ※
The personal negotiations went smoothly. All the terms of the contract were settled in one afternoon. Van der Vaart's salary in the team was in the first tier. The Forest team, which made a lot of money from the television broadcast last season, was not stingy this time and wrote a big check.
Van der Vaart was very satisfied with his personal treatment. In addition to his salary, there were also goals and assists awards. The four-year contract period was also very reasonable. He could not find any fault with it.
As for the negotiations between the clubs, as mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, van der Vaart stayed as promised to help the team through a difficult season. Now it was the club's turn to fulfill their promise. Ajax did not make things difficult for van der Vaart's whereabouts, and the two clubs quickly reached an agreement.
In the end, Nottingham Forest successfully brought in the Dutch midfield star, van der Vaart, at a "low price" of 4.5 million pounds.
When Tang En returned to England again, he brought an outstanding midfield attacker to the team, as well as the possibility of more tactical changes.
This time, the history that Cruyff, the "Godfather of Barcelona," called "I don't know what to say or what van der Vaart will do in Hamburg" was finally strangled in its cradle by Tang En. Europe's golden boy back then was known as the "new Cruyff," but later gradually declined and became a member of the Red Forest team. In this team, he would continue to wear his favorite number 23 jersey (Cruyff's number 14 + Van Basten's number 9). At the press conference to welcome him, Tang En said to the reporters who questioned van der Vaart's level and state:
"I know the situation in his last moments at Ajax, and we've had a very honest conversation. I firmly believe in my choice. Rafael is a player worthy of my trust and is also a player that the Forest team needs. My player does not need to be responsible for the media's doubts about him. He only needs to be responsible to me and the team. "
Tang En's future, Nottingham Forest's future, the English Premier League's future, the future of the various forces in European football … all became full of expectations.
※ ※ ※
After acquiring the former number 10 player of the Dutch national team, Tang En did not retract his hand from the transfer market.
Three days later, Nottingham Forest's official website prominently updated the transfer information they had just updated three days ago.
Ever since Tang En came to Nottingham Forest's official website, he had a habit. Before the transfer negotiations with a player were finally successful, he would never reveal any information on his website, even if the rumors were already flying all over the place, or if newspapers like The Sun were swearing that there was a deal. The news they released were all successful transfers, whether it was a player leaving or bringing in. Therefore, the Forest fans and some of the media that followed the Forest team all knew that to confirm whether a transfer was successful or not, they only needed to keep an eye on their official website.
This time, the photo that appeared on the front page of the website was of an Eastern European player.
"… We are pleased to announce that the club has reached an agreement with the La Liga team Atlético Madrid to purchase the Bulgarian international, left winger Martin Petrov, for a price of five million pounds. This player, known for his speed and ability to assist, is very happy to join the team. In an interview, he claimed that it was the name of the manager, Tony Twain, that attracted him to make this decision. In this transfer, we have defeated the North London team, Tottenham Hotspur … "
By the way, the last sentence of this news was also one of the characteristics of the official website after Tang En's arrival. This method of publicly announcing who they had defeated was very hated by the opposing clubs, but the Forest team was never tired of it and had no intention of changing it.
This kind of arrogant and conceited style was very much in line with the impression that Tony Twain gave people.
After bringing in a large number of offensive players, Tang En finally thought of bringing a little competitiveness to the rear defensive line.
A day later, a transfer confirmation news was added to the official website's home page.
"Nottingham Forest and Belgium's Anderlecht have reached an agreement on the transfer of young center back, Vincent Kompany. Manager Tang En claims that Kompany, worth four million pounds, is the future of the team. He will compete with Piqué and Pepe for the main center back position in the new season. Kompany is happy to join Nottingham Forest and has rejected Hamburg's invitation for this.
At the same time, Manager Tony Twain has agreed to Matthew Epson's transfer to West Ham United. The conditions between the two clubs, as well as West Ham United and the individual player, have long been settled. Manager Tang En has finally given his approval after successfully bringing in Kompany. We thank Epson for everything he has contributed to the team over the past two seasons and wish him the best of luck … "
Matthew Epson's departure brought in an income of 4.2 million pounds for the Forest team. As the team's backup center back, aside from the English Premier League's usual style of hyping up prices, the duo act between Allan Adams and Tang En was also instrumental in selling him for such a price.
On the one hand, Allan was dealing with his opponents on the negotiating table. On the other hand, Tang En's stubbornness and insistence that he would not sell a single player also put a lot of pressure on West Ham United. Finally, the center back, who had not been in Tang En's plans, was successfully sold for 4.2 million pounds. After offsetting Kompany's transfer expenses, there was still a net profit of 200,000 pounds.
After a series of transfer moves, the Forest team's lineup for the new season was basically complete. If there was still a worry in the hearts of Tang En and Allan, it could only be the uncertain factor of Anelka.
However, Tang En could not be bothered with Anelka's matters. Whether he wanted to stay in the team or leave, he had no time to care. With so many new players joining the team, he needed to bring them together before the start of the season, deal with the relationship between the players, and guide the new players to adapt to the team and life in England as soon as possible.
"My team doesn't have a distinction between main players and substitutes. There's only a difference between good form and bad attitude. If you want to play in more matches, work hard to conquer me with your performance in training and matches! " That was what Tang En said to his 25 First Team players during the first training session where all the members gathered.
Nottingham Forest's comprehensive preparations for the new season officially kicked off. (To be continued, if you wish to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. QIDIAN. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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