July is a critical time for European teams to start pre-season preparations and prepare for the new season.
Although the European Cup does not end until July 11, this has nothing to do with the Dutch who did not enter the finals. Ajax also has no international players participating, so the training camp started very early.
At this time, it is the best time for the players who have returned from vacation to regain some physical condition through training, and then regain their game condition through warm-up matches and run into the new lineup.
Today, their opponent is the Norwegian team Molde.
The game is not official, so it is played at the Ajax training ground and is considered a teaching match.
Since Van der Sar has said hello, the starting lineup sent by Ajax this time is basically composed of players from the reserve team + youth team, or in other words, they are all people on the list!
Molde's side is also half the main force and half the youth army.
This kind of teaching game is sometimes arranged several times in a short period of time, so players from each team will take turns to appear on the field to find their status. Generally, everyone does not attach much importance to the lineup and the results of the game.
As for why Ajax found a Norwegian team to warm up...
In addition to the fact that Norway is relatively close to the Netherlands, the main reason is that Van der Sar has a relationship with the head coach of Molde!
The current head coach of Molde is exactly the former super substitute of Manchester United and the future "Solo" - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer!
Van der Sar played for Manchester United from 2005 to 2011, while Solskjaer played for the Red Devils from 1996 until his retirement in 2007. The two were teammates at Manchester United for two years.
For this kind of friendly match, senior executives and coaches who have some friendships usually have more contact with each other, and the decision can be settled after a few words.
As for the fact that Pan Yi, the "first coach in the world," was watching the game from the stands today, Van der Sar was also tight-lipped.
Because Pan Yi said, he still hopes that players will not be affected by his own watching of the game, so that he can see his true level.
Of course, Pan Yi also made some disguise for himself, wearing a hat, big sunglasses, some fake beard, and sitting in the corner of the stands, so basically no one would notice.
Otherwise, let's not talk about Pan Yi's popularity. With such a handsome appearance, no matter where he hides, he is like a firefly in the dark, so bright and outstanding, he will definitely attract the attention of others!
After the game started, Pan Yi's eyes were of course always aimed at De Ligt.
To be honest, in such a game, it is really difficult to see De Ligt's true level.
The main reason is that this Ajax team is a bit improvised and does not have a complete ball-playing system in the backcourt, which actually cannot reflect the lively characteristics of De Ligt's feet.
Moreover, his current body is not very strong, and his ability to stay in the air and bounce seems to be average. It seems a bit difficult to guard the opponent's big center.
Also, in the early days of joining the Ajax youth training camp, De Ligt's position on the field was actually an organizing midfielder, which also made him prefer forward attacks on the field.
This is one of the outstanding characteristics of a modern centre-back, just like David Luiz at Chelsea.
However, in such an unsystematic game, De Ligt's characteristics have become his shortcomings. After pressing forward, Molde frequently counterattacked in the gaps behind him.
"It is indeed a good idea, but it still needs to be polished."
Pan Yi thought to himself, and Weiwei secretly rejoiced.
Fortunately, it took a few months for De Ligt to gradually realize that his playing style was more in line with Ajax's style. Otherwise, where would he have been able to pick up this mistake?
At this time, Van der Sar had already sat next to Pan Yi at some point: "How are you doing? Who do you like?"
Pan Yi shook his head slightly and was about to say something when he saw the Molde team made a substitution and a black boy came on as a substitute.
"Why does this kid look familiar..."
Just as he was thinking about it, this black guy took advantage of the Ajax player who had just come on the field to pass by De Ligt before he could think about it, received a through ball from his teammate, and went straight to Huanglong!
So fast!
De Ligt tried to lean on him with his body, but he still caught up with the ball without swaying at all.
What a strong body!
The Ajax goalkeeper hurriedly attacked, but the black guy didn't panic, picked up the ball and shot!
The ball just passed the goalkeeper's body and went into the net. The ball went in!
Also has good shooting skills!
But Pan Yi still didn't recognize who he was.
Strange. It stands to reason that if he is a famous star in the future, Pan Yi, as a senior fan, should know him...
And when the black guy happily rushed to the coaching bench to hug Solskjaer to celebrate the victory, Pan Yi looked at his innocent smile and remembered!
This is Amon!
Thomas Armand!
If you have never played FM games, you may not be familiar with this name.
But his name is well-known in the FM game industry, and almost every senior player knows him.
It is because of his super physical fitness and sufficient football talent that he can kill in all the major leagues with strong opponents!
This has also led to him becoming the first choice striker for many players who start their careers with small and medium-sized clubs.
If you win Amang, you win the world!
If someone mentions "Mang Bao" in the real world, it may be referring to Chelsea's Mount, but if "Mang Bao" is mentioned in the game, it must be referring to A Mang with a cute smile!
Of course, although he is not as awesome in reality as he is in the game, he is actually pretty good.
Only 18 years old this year, he has been spotted by Solskjaer and can play for Molde, a strong team in the Norwegian Super League, and has played here for several years.
Next year, if Pan Yi hadn't intervened in this life, he would have formed a striker combination with a handsome blond man from Norway.
The name of that blond handsome man is-Harland!
That's right, the Norwegian Super League version has one high and one fast, it's top!
Pan Yi looked at Aman, who was hugging Solskjaer, and had a new idea in his mind.
Since today's young forwards are very expensive, how about recruiting Amon?
He and Baker formed a team that was high and fast, wouldn't it be cool?
There is definitely no problem for a Norwegian Premier League player to play in the English League. The most important thing is that Amon is not very picky about the team, otherwise FM players would not be able to recruit him in various teams.
For players like Amang who come from a poor place in Cameroon, being able to play football and earn money to support their families is the most important thing...
"Hey, why didn't this ball target the opponent's forward?" Van der Sar's voice came to his ears.
Of course he didn't know Amon, he was just unhappy with De Ligt's defense just now.
First of all, De Ligt had just moved forward to receive the back pass from his teammate, and did not mark Amon who had just come on;
Secondly, De Ligt did not catch up immediately when Amon started;
When he realized that the opponent was about to strike alone, he wanted to use his body to lean on him, but he didn't.
In Van der Sar's view, this conceded goal completely exposed De Ligt's shortcomings: aggressive advances, poor defensive position, insufficient tracking speed, and not strong enough.
"A defender like this must be worth 10 million euros, right?" Pan Yi snorted deliberately.
Van der Sar heard Pan Yi's "ironic words" and laughed along with him: "The liquidated damages are like this, they will be set higher. If you want it, you can take it away with 3 million."
Originally, he was a little hesitant about selling De Ligt, otherwise he wouldn't have added his name at the last minute.
But looking at it today, I feel that it is indeed not possible. If I go to the first team, it will definitely be delayed!
"Let me look at other people. No one's money comes from the strong wind..."
Then Pan Yi pretended to continue watching the ball seriously.
Of course he wouldn't go up there and have any contact with anyone, the purpose would be too obvious.
In the end, Molde defeated Ajax 1:0 with Amon's only goal in this game.
——
"Forget it, otherwise it will be him, there is really no other suitable candidate. Rent Westmann, and then buy him for 2.5 million euros at a fixed price!"
In Van der Sar's office, Pan Yi made the decision with "extreme pain" after "selecting from thousands of players" with the player list.
The name pointed at his fingertips was the last one on the list: De Ligt.
"Hey, if we weren't really short of defenders, I wouldn't have come to your place to ask for Westermann?" Pan Yi was still shaking his head in pain:
"I originally wanted to look for another veteran, but since you have to buy one, get one free, I can only choose another central defender."
"Forget it, let my old captain lead the new with the old. I hope this pair of central defenders can cope with the fierce competition in English League One."
"By the way, can this 2.5 million... be paid in installments? Just pay it off in three years."
2.5 million to buy a youth team player who has not yet played in the first team, if the name is not De Ligt, is a bit high to be honest.
In other words, you can get a free loan of Westerman, which is equivalent to getting two main defenders for 2.5 million, so this seems to be a good deal.
However, Pan Yi still had to make some gestures and counteroffer to avoid being thought that he was taking advantage.
Van der Sar stood up suddenly: "No, it must be paid in one lump sum! As agreed, 2.5 million is 2.5 million! We will draw up a transfer contract immediately!"
Pan Yi covered his face with his hands to prevent his snickering from being seen by Van der Sar, but his voice still sounded uncomfortable: "Hey... okay. We are just a small club, I have to think about how to move out. So much money..."
——
As for De Ligt, the young man was still a little confused at first.
After all, he has been training in the Ajax youth academy since he was a child. Of course, he hopes to one day enter the Ajax first team.
But now the club is determined to sell him, and he feels slightly chilled.
However, this is within his understanding.
A club like Ajax relies on making and selling blood to make a living. Even if De Ligt really joins the first team and performs well, the final result may still be that he will leave.
The only difference is that the price will be higher when the time comes...
Now that the club is in a difficult moment in terms of performance and management, this process of selling blood has been intensified, so De Ligt has no choice but to leave.
Of course, what made him happy was that it was Pan Yi who took a fancy to him!
The ultimate dream for young players!
Think about how many good central defenders who were at Chelsea quickly grew into well-known stars under his hands, including Ake, Zouma, Christensen... This does not include Van Dijk who was trained before.
Although I am only going to a League One club this time, I am still young. If I practice more in such a league, I might have better development.
Besides, isn't Ajax planning to put itself in the second team to play in the Dutch second division this season?
Although one is the third level and the other is the second level, there is not much difference between the two.
After all, England has the most awesome lower-level league in the world!
The strength of the players on both sides cannot be directly compared, but their worth and wages are comparable.
In the Dutch second division, the salary of club players is probably a few thousand euros less per week, which is actually lower than that in the English league.
If you exclude second teams like Ajax and Eindhoven, the wages of ordinary Eredivisie teams are generally between a few hundred to one or two thousand euros, and their worth is even pitifully low.
At least in League One, there are still plenty of players worth hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.
If it is a team that is preparing to hit the English Championship, then the value and salary of the team's players will be higher rather than lower.
For example, Sheffield United, the "aircraft carrier" in English League One this season, has several players in their team with a weekly salary of more than 10,000 euros, and the transfer value of these players has also reached more than 2 million euros.
This is because their goal is the English Championship, which is to build the team according to the standards of the English Championship. Of course, the players are also at the English Championship level - and this is now York City's goal.
In short, after deliberation and communication with his family, De Ligt agreed to play football in York City!
Therefore, Pan Yi spent 2.5 million euros to take away two defense generals, De Ligt and Westerman, from Ajax! ——
Of course, this is not over yet.
Pan Yi also quickly contacted the 18-year-old Thomas Amang of Molde Club, and the lobbying for the young black player and his family has reached the final stage.
As for Molde's coach and management, it's easier to handle.
Because Solskjaer actually doesn't have a good impression of this strong and fast forward. The main reason is that Amon highlights the word "reckless" on the court.
He often runs around like a headless fly on the front line, falling into the opponent's offside trap from time to time.
Moreover, the accuracy of shooting is also a major weakness of his. He can often squeeze out an opportunity through his strong body, but it is often a waste of shots.
For Molde and Solskjaer, what they need more is a shooter who can make the final decision.
Because of this, during the half season when Amon joined Molde, he played as a substitute most of the time, and could only be regarded as a marginal rotation player at best.
Of course, more importantly, Molde got Aman for free, but now York City is willing to pay 200,000 euros to buy him. This is undoubtedly a good deal.
Earn 200,000 for nothing!
For a Norwegian team, they basically rely on rental and visa-free purchases. If they have to spend money, it rarely exceeds one million.
For example, in a normal time line, they will purchase young center Haaland from Blaney next year for a price of 100,000 pounds...
And if we talk about the players currently in Moldrie, the most valuable player is Sigurdsson from Iceland, which is 700,000 euros, and the second most valuable players, Gabrielsson and Olsnes, are only 400,000 euros. .
In other words, being able to sell free Amang for 200,000 euros is really a high price.
Therefore, Pan Yi’s main job is to convince Thomas Amon and his family to let him join York City.
The resistance here is still family, because Aman is from Cameroon. When he signed a professional contract with Molde, his family came to Norway.
As a result, they have to consider whether to move again.
So Amang's father and mother were a little hesitant at first.
Being able to join a League One team, especially a club owned by Pan Yi, is indeed a great thing.
However, Baby Amon is going to play football in the UK, and they are definitely worried about their son going alone.
If they were to follow him, they would be reluctant to give up the job they had just found in Norway. After all, they still had to work to support their families.
The salary in the Norwegian Super League is not high, especially for a player like Amon who has just signed his first professional contract and has not yet performed well in the league. The current salary is only 650 euros per week.
Well, even if the Molde team's maximum salary is more than 3,000 euros, in fact, going from the Norwegian Super League to the "big team" in English League One is basically an increase.
In order to attract Amang to join, Pan Yi will naturally not be too stingy on salary.
"If Thomas comes to York City, his weekly salary will increase to one thousand... no, 2,000 euros!" Pan Yi said eloquently, "Mr. Amon, imagine that Amon will become a player in the British Championship or even the Premier League in the future. His salary in one week may be equivalent to what you have worked for for several years..."
Mr. Aman waved his hand, "Stop talking! Go to England! Damn it, let's go to England with our son!"
Not to mention future wages at the English Championship and Premier League levels.
Right now, 2,000 euros a week is exciting enough.
After all, Amon's weekly salary in Molde is only 650 yuan now...
And he can get 8,000 euros a month in York City, which is a high salary even in the UK.
After all, the average monthly salary of an ordinary British person is about three thousand euros.
Even after deducting taxes, it is enough for the Amon family to live in the UK. Of course, they cannot be lavish.
Moreover, Pan Yi also said that their family can also book accommodation after they go there, and they can save a lot of money here.
"Then..." Pan Yi took out the contract directly and showed a charming smile.
"Sign!" Mr. Aman nodded, and then gave his son a clue. "Son, remember, go to England and play football well. We will take good care of you. Don't worry about anything else. Don't let me disappointment!"
Thomas Amang gritted his teeth, nodded vigorously, and then showed his bright smile!
——
Shortly after signing Thomas Amon, Pan Yi received a call from Scaloni and heard good news.
That is, the transfer of Declan Rice has also been completed.
First of all, Rice himself is willing to leave. After all, he has never been popular in the Chelsea youth academy;
Secondly, I heard that Pan Yi entrusted Scaloni to recruit people. Of course Chelsea gave the green light all the way, and there were no obstacles at all.
The price paid by York City was only a weekly salary of 1,000 euros for Rice...
As a result, Pan Yi's new season's English League One lineup for York City has almost emerged.
Mainly play a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, mainly depending on the opponent's situation.
There will be no changes to goalkeeper Isaacson.
The four people on the back line, from left to right, are Alphonso Davis, Westerman, De Ligt, and Takeyo Tomiyasu. This will basically not change.
When playing 4-3-3, the three players in the midfield are Rice playing as a holding midfielder, and in front of him are Karlström and Kulusevski in an inverted triangle position.
There are three strikers, Lin Liangming on the left, Amang on the right, and Baker in the center.
If you play 4-4-2, you can move Lin Liangming to the left midfielder position, let Kulusevski play the right midfielder, Karlstrom and Rice play as double midfielders, and the forward line is Baker + Ah The awns are high and fast!
Of course, there are many variables here. For example, you can put Westerman or De Ligt in the defensive midfielder position to play a back three, or you can put Alphonso Davies in front and play as a left winger, including using Kuluse. It is also possible for Fitzgerald to play as a right winger.
This specific tactical change will wait until Pan Yi returns to the UK to discuss and confirm it with Scaloni!
