Chapter 9: Teach That Brat a Lesson!

FC Utrecht: Sofyan Amrabat from the second team (number 16) and Ye Tang (number 99) have been promoted to the first team and have officially completed their registration for the Eredivisie.

"Meng Ge Promoted to FC Utrecht First Team, Joins Zhang Yuning to Start His Eredivisie Career!"

News from official Utrecht sources and the Dongqiudi app went viral among Chinese fans in a short time.

"So awesome, Meng Ge! Two outside-of-the-boot passes and he's sent straight to the first team!"
"Even if it was just luck, honestly, little Tang's playing style is an art form. He just walks around and somehow gets an assist."
"Other athletes rely on positioning to find opportunities on the pitch, but not Meng Ge. Meng Ge relies on his 'walking' to find opportunities!"
"Sixteen years old playing in the Eredivisie? Holy cow, will Utrecht actually let Tang Ye play in a match?"
"Fun fact: In the Netherlands, you can't sign a professional contract until you're 18. Little Tang can only play for the first team on a youth contract..."
"A youth contract is still a youth contract! Joining an Eredivisie first team at 16, and a top-half club like Utrecht at that—I'm just going to hype this up to the max!"

The day after the news broke, fans saw Tang Ye's name on the squad list on Utrecht's official website:
99 Ye Tang (U17)

Still wearing the number 99 jersey, it was clear from the "U17" suffix that he was indeed signed to a youth contract. However, unlike his previous deal with the second team, this contract came with a weekly wage of 1,000 Euros—nearly double his previous salary. Of course, it also included a release clause; if any other club wanted to sign Tang Ye, they would have to pay a buyout fee of 35,000 Euros.

Not that any club would be willing to spend that kind of money, though!

...

July 28th, Amsterdam time. This was Tang Ye's first day with the first team. After waking up in the second-team dormitory, he hurried to the first-team training ground.

[Random Daily Task: 25 reps of 40kg bench press]
[Reward: Counterattack Points *3]

The familiar voice rang out, but Tang Ye, as always, ignored it.

He arrived at the training ground at 8:55 AM, nearly half an hour past the 8:30 AM assembly time. Upon walking in, Tang Ye didn't hear the voice of Merent, as this was not the second-team pitch. Instead, first-team head coach Erik ten Hag was staring at him with an expression that looked like he had just lost his mother.

If Ten Hag had scolded him like Merent used to, Tang Ye might have felt better. But Ten Hag said nothing, just staring straight at him with a chilling gaze that made Tang Ye's skin crawl.

"Go... good morning, Mr. Erik."

"You're late for your first training session." Ten Hag glanced at his watch. "Did you go to a bar last night?"

"No, how could I? I'm only 16; I can't even get through the door of a bar. I went straight to sleep after getting back to the dormitory last night."

Tang Ye spoke the truth, but Ten Hag wasn't entirely convinced. "Are you saying you slept from 9:00 PM to 8:30 AM? You slept for 11 and a half hours, and then you were still late?"

"Well, you could say that. But I was only late by ten minutes. Does that even count as being late?"

Tang Ye looked into Ten Hag's eyes. In the second team, he was used to being half an hour late. Today was his first day with the first team, and out of respect for the job, he had actually set his alarm 20 minutes earlier than usual.

"Fine. This is your first time, and it will be your last. Do you understand?" Ten Hag pointed at Tang Ye's nose. "If you are late again, I will not allow you to eat in the first-team canteen! Now, go warm up. Today's training session is heavy; be prepared."

As soon as Ten Hag finished speaking, Tang Ye ran to the side to put on his boots. The first team was not only better than the second, but the coaches were also much fiercer!

"Whistle!"

Assistant coach Van der Gaag blew his whistle to gather the players. With only 10 days left until Utrecht's first Eredivisie match of the new season, Van der Gaag announced that the focus of their training would be on tactical coordination.

Under his direction, the first-team players formed several circles, with one player in a yellow vest inside each circle. This training drill, known as "rondo," required the players forming the circle to pass the ball to each other while the player in the middle tried to intercept it. It was a drill designed to improve close-quarters passing and movement—one of Tang Ye's favorites, simply because it wasn't as physically exhausting as actual match play.

"Hey, Tang!" Center-forward Haller reached out his right hand. "Sorry about that one-on-one the other day. I couldn't keep my balance."

"Oh, no worries at all," Tang Ye said, shaking his hand. "It was just a training match, it's fine."

"Still..." Tang Ye tilted his head up. "Sebastian, how tall are you?"

"Me? Hahaha! 1.91 meters!"

Tang Ye took a deep breath. As expected of the first team—a 1.91-meter striker. If only he could grow that tall too!

"Stop chatting, Tang! Receive the ball!"

Defender Kum's voice came from behind. Tang Ye turned around to see the ball rolling toward him, along with Ramselaar sprinting in his direction. According to the rules of the drill, Tang Ye had to pass the ball to a teammate while ensuring Ramselaar couldn't touch it.

His brain worked quickly, and among all his options, he found the one that required the least amount of effort. Tang Ye simply let the ball pass through his legs, sending it directly to Haller. Haller reacted instantly; taking the ball, he immediately distributed it to Van der Maarel, who was rushing up on the left flank before Ramselaar could recover.

"Quite creative." Van der Gaag crossed his arms, expressing his approval of Tang Ye's move.

Ramselaar had been less than a meter away from Tang Ye, meaning any pass would have carried a risk of interception. The fact that Tang Ye thought to let the ball through showed that Ten Hag's assessment was correct. He was indeed a player with high creativity.

"Do you know why he let the ball go through?" Ten Hag smiled, asking Van der Gaag in return.

"Why?"

"Because it was the easiest way to handle the ball. This guy only wants to use his brain; he just refuses to move his body!"

With that, Ten Hag called over Ramselaar, Kum, and the others who were in the rondo. Pointing toward Tang Ye in the distance, he whispered, "Keep an eye on that Chinese kid. If necessary... give him a taste of the hard stuff."

Three minutes later.

"Holy shit!" Tang Ye blurted out in his native language, throwing his hands up at Ramselaar. "Bro, can you stop sliding into me? I'm begging you!"