Chapter 275: Don't Lose to Kuyt

Chapter 275: Chapter 268: Don’t Lose to Kuyt

While many club officials had their complaints about Raiola, and Van Gaal had even angrily called him a vampire, Yang Yang was quite satisfied with his agent.

A major reason was that he was diligent, responsible, and willing to put his players’ interests first—a rare quality.

Yang Yang met Raiola in the players’ cafeteria at De Toekomst.

The portly agent was wearing a plaid shirt over a white T-shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. He looked very casual, but it also made him seem even bulkier than usual.

“You should lose some weight, Mino,” Yang Yang said from across the table, chuckling.

“I’ve been exercising a lot lately, but I’m still fat. I just have the kind of body that gains weight easily, you know? I can gain weight just from drinking water.”

Yang Yang shook his head with a wry smile. For the most part, talking to a big guy about losing weight was a fruitless endeavor.

“Here’s the stuff you wanted.” Raiola pushed a large bag he had placed on the floor toward Yang Yang. Yang Yang reached out and hefted it; it was pretty heavy.

It wasn’t actually filled with anything too valuable, just about a hundred of the latest model phones: the Motorola Razr V3.

The same one endorsed by Beckham.

Yang Yang had previously called Raiola, telling him that he wanted to give a gift to everyone on the team for scoring over twenty goals. The gift couldn’t be too expensive—Yang Yang couldn’t afford that—but it couldn’t be too cheap, either. And it was best if it was something practical.

Considering all the requirements, Raiola ultimately suggested just giving them phones.

Europe had now entered the 3G era, and mobile phones were already very common; you could say everyone had one.

Yang Yang thought it was a good idea and let Raiola make the final decision.

He had won Best Player at the Toyota Cup, and the prize was traditionally a Toyota car. Yang Yang didn’t want the car and took the cash equivalent instead. He put that money, along with the bonus from his contract for scoring twenty goals, toward the gifts.

That sum of money was more than enough to buy the phones.

“To be honest, I’m really happy that you thought of this.” Raiola didn’t think Yang Yang was being extravagant at all.

With Yang Yang’s current status at Ajax, he didn’t need to please anyone or suck up to anybody; he was the team’s number one star.

This season, Yang Yang had successfully taken up the mantle from Van der Vaart and Ibrahimovic, becoming the core leader of Ajax.

But football is a team sport; you can’t win games with just one person.

If Yang Yang wanted to perform well, he needed the support of the entire team. If he wanted to score more goals, he also needed the support of the entire team.

He and Ajax had a mutually dependent relationship; neither could do without the other.

Maintaining good relationships with his teammates, coaches, and staff was undoubtedly an important part of how Yang Yang managed internal team dynamics.

Using his 20-goal milestone as an opportunity to give everyone a gift was undoubtedly the best and most open way to maintain relationships with all parties. For that reason, Raiola was extremely supportive from the start.

After spending some time together, Raiola was also beginning to realize that Yang Yang was actually completely different from Ibrahimovic.

If Ibrahimovic were in Yang Yang’s shoes right now, how could the Swedish Striker possibly think of giving gifts to everyone?

“By the way, a few teams have been contacting me recently,” Raiola said, looking at Yang Yang with a slight smile. “You know, with your breakout performance this season, scoring more and more goals and playing better and better, a lot of teams from the Four Major Leagues are interested in you, including some powerhouse clubs.”

Yang Yang nodded impassively. “What are your thoughts?”

‘He believed that no Ajax player could possibly refuse the temptation of the Four Major Leagues.’

‘To play in the Four Major Leagues and compete against the best stars in the world—that was the dream of every professional player.’

‘Yang Yang was no exception. He had never planned on staying at Ajax for long.’

‘Of course, he had deep feelings for Ajax because the club had made him who he was, and he was filled with gratitude.’

‘But for him, the best way to repay Ajax was to leave the club with a hefty transfer fee, avoiding a repeat of the tragedy of players like Cruyff.’

‘He believed this was what Ajax would want to see as well.’

“The situation isn’t very clear at the moment. Ajax has called me, hoping to discuss a contract renewal.”

“I know,” Yang Yang nodded.

‘Based on his current performance, even though he had only signed his contract a season ago, a renewal was already imperative.’

‘And this time, Raiola would definitely demand the highest salary at the club, one that reflected Yang Yang’s change in status at Ajax and in the Eredivisie.’

‘This wasn’t just for the present, but also for the future.’

‘If Yang Yang’s next step was the Four Major Leagues, his first choice would be a team in a Champions League spot, and he had to be a starter. Otherwise, what was the point of going if he had no place on the team?’

‘Among those teams, Yang Yang’s current weekly salary of 10 thousand euros was on the low side. Even if it were doubled to 20 thousand euros, it still wouldn’t be high. But if he could get a pay raise while renewing with Ajax, the subsequent negotiations would be much easier.’

Yang Yang left these matters for Raiola to handle; he only needed to receive regular reports from him.

“Many teams from the Champions League spots in the Four Major Leagues are interested in you. For instance, Ferguson at Manchester United, and Mourinho at Chelsea is still very keen on you. Wenger at Arsenal is interested too, but the Gunners don’t have much money right now. Benitez at Liverpool is also scouting you closely.”

“Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Bayern Munich… practically all of Europe’s top clubs are watching your every move. There are also some other upper-mid table teams, like Valencia and Everton, and so on.”

“It’s only early March right now. Many teams have just started formulating their summer transfer plans and haven’t really decided on firm targets, so the situation is still unclear. But I think the Champions League-level teams will probably be more cautious.”

“How so?” Yang Yang asked with concern.

‘This concerned his future development and plans; he couldn’t help but be concerned.’

“What Champions League-level teams value most is performance in the UEFA Champions League itself. You know that last season, for that Champions League run, you were just a substitute. You’ve played a few games in the Champions League this season and performed well, but you didn’t have a great showing against Juventus. In that regard, your case isn’t compelling enough.”

Yang Yang understood. It was just like Raiola had said before about Ibrahimovic needing to pad his stats to prove his scoring ability as a striker; he needed to prove his strength on the Champions League stage.

Not as a substitute, but the ability to start and play a full match.

Ajax being eliminated in the group stage this season was his biggest weakness.

As for the UEFA Cup, in the eyes of the Champions League-level teams, it’s a second-rate competition that almost no team takes seriously.

Even within Ajax, the UEFA Cup was ranked lower in importance than the Eredivisie. The team’s primary task was to secure a Champions League spot for next season, even if it meant sacrificing the UEFA Cup.

Evidently, while this European competition had some weight, it wasn’t significant.

If Yang Yang didn’t demand to be a starter, he wouldn’t have to worry about teams wanting to sign him. But if he did, it would be more difficult, since he was targeting strong teams in the Champions League spots.

“In recent years, players who have left the Eredivisie have generally been underwhelming. For example, Robben and Kezman, who went from Eindhoven to Chelsea last season. Robben has the skill, but he’s too injury-prone. Kezman just couldn’t adapt at all. And Van der Vaart, who left Ajax, also got lost in Real Madrid’s star-studded lineup.”

“Ibrahimovic is indeed getting significant playing time at Juventus, but his performance isn’t entirely convincing either. His scoring efficiency is on the low side, which is certainly a disadvantage for a striker of his type.”

Raiola was analyzing the current perception and attitude of the Four Major Leagues toward players coming from the Eredivisie.

Ultimately, the gap in quality between the Eredivisie and the Four Major Leagues was becoming more and more obvious.

That’s why a scorer like Kezman, who could dominate and be unstoppable in the Eredivisie, immediately flopped when he went to the Premier League.

“It’s not just you. Kuyt from Feyenoord isn’t in high demand either, and he’s already scored over twenty goals for three consecutive seasons, making him a very mature and consistent player.”

Yang Yang understood what Raiola meant.

The portly Italian wasn’t trying to crush his confidence, but rather wanted him to have a calm and rational analysis of the current situation to avoid any unnecessary misjudgments.

“In short, it’s like I always say: you focus on playing football, and I’ll do my best to fight for you. Your performance on the pitch is the most powerful bargaining chip I have in negotiations,” Raiola said with genuine sincerity.

Yang Yang nodded firmly. “Okay, I’ll give it my all.”

“I’ve never worried about you, really.” Raiola smiled, the fat on his face jiggling.

But to Yang Yang, it only made him seem more approachable.

……

……

Carrying the large bag of phones, Yang Yang went from the first-team players’ lounge to the coaches’ offices, then to the staff, followed by the equipment room, the gym, the medical room…

He made a round of all the departments at De Toekomst, and the phone boxes in his bag dwindled.

Aside from the youth teams, Yang Yang gave a phone to almost everyone at De Toekomst, including head coach Ronald Koeman.

As for the youth teams, there was simply no way; there were just too many people. If Yang Yang were to give them gifts too, it would cost him a fortune.

Yang Yang fulfilled his promise, making everyone at De Toekomst grin from ear to ear.

Who doesn’t like receiving gifts these days?

Moreover, the gift from Yang Yang was the latest model, the just-released Motorola V3, the phone endorsed by Real Madrid superstar Beckham. It wasn’t cheap at all.

Yang Yang’s grand gesture naturally earned him the gratitude of his teammates, the staff, and the coaches. At the same time, his status within the team rose accordingly, and everyone encouraged him to keep up the good work.

“Don’t lose to Kuyt! Keep it up!” head coach Ronald Koeman encouraged.