Although he signed a contract with Ribery, Merry did not think that Ribery would have a brilliant future in the future, and he would continue to observe and observe.

Compared with Ribery, he cared more about Chu Zhongtian, because he had been in the UK before, and when he came to Metz this time, he simply asked about Chu Zhongtian's situation in the team.

"It's getting better and I'm playing in Ligue 1." Chu Zhongtian told him honestly, and told Merry about his progress in the past half a season.

"Hmm...... Don't rush, take your time. It's a good thing to get better. I'll be in Metz for a while and watch you and Frank do it. ”

On November 27, Metz hosted A.S. Saint-Etienne (A.S. Saint-Etienne), and Chu Zhongtian was once again selected in the 18-man squad. It was his first consecutive squad selection this season. It seems that his performance in the reserve team has entered the eyes of coach Fernandes, and it also shows that the training he received in the reserve team has helped him to correct many bad habits of playing amateur games.

For example, he has now learned to look up before receiving the ball, and he moves faster when passing and receiving the ball in possession, no longer slower than before, allowing opponents to break the ball easily.

In this game, Chu Zhongtian still came on as a substitute at the last moment, and even the playing time was almost the same as the previous game - 16 minutes.

Just seven minutes into the game, Mehdi's centre-back Mehdi Metz Mehdimeniri opened the scoring for the home side with his head from a corner. Six minutes later, Saint-Etienne's defender Julien Saint-Etienne. Sabler (julien_sable) also took advantage of a corner to return the colour.

At the twenty-first minute, Frank. Franck Franck Ribery broke down the left with the ball and feigned a cross as he got close to the line, only to suddenly smash the ball in a different direction and burst into the box from the outside of the Saint-Etienne defender. The Saint-Etienne defenders had no choice but to pull Ribery down directly, not only receiving a yellow card, but also giving Metz a penalty.

Merry, who was watching the game from the stands, was eye-catching. With this breakthrough alone, Merry knew that Chu Zhongtian really didn't lie to him - the Frank who was wearing the No. 10 jersey in Metz. Ribery will indeed have a lot of room for development. As long as he does it properly, he will definitely be able to play for a big club in the future, such as Paris Saint-Germain or Marseille, of course, if he does it well, maybe he will have the opportunity to play in some big clubs abroad...... It seems that Chu Zhongtian introduced him to a piece of gold.

After the penalty was awarded, Gregory Gregory, the team's top penalty taker and second captain, was the midfielder of Metz. Promans (grégory_proment) takes the penalty. He fired a powerful volley that slammed the ball into the middle of the field into the Saint-Etienne goal.

The goal sent jubilation in the stands at the Stade de la Fortion, home of Metz.

The fans seemed to see the hope of the team's victory.

Unfortunately, in the seventy-third minute of the second half, another defender of Saint-Etienne, Vincent . Hoenong (vincent_hognon) equalised with a header from a corner.

Two consecutive goals were conceded in the air defense of corner kicks, and the shortcomings of the weak air defense of the Metz team were exposed.

Merry, who had seen Chu Zhongtian defeat the other party in the battle with Leggerwood in the stands, and put the ball into the Wimbledon Gate, was thinking that if Chu Zhongtian was on the pitch at this time, Saint-Etienne might not be able to score this goal...... After Saint-Etienne equalised, Fernandes seemed to finally remember Chu Zhongtian and let him warm up.

With sixteen minutes left in the game, Chu Zhongtian went into battle, and his main task was still defense.

When he came on the pitch, there wasn't much cheering in the stands at the Holy Mountain Furien Stadium. Merry, who has experienced Chu Zhongtian's match at Wimbledon, feels that Chu is really nothing here. You must know that at Wimbledon Athletic, if Chu Zhongtian is replaced on the field, the entire Kings Ranch will resound with the cheers of the fans.

"Oops, it looks like it's really average......" James. Merry laughed.

However, Chu Zhongtian's performance after he came on the court still made him feel relieved - Chu Zhongtian was as stable and serious as ever. He did his duty in the midfield, constantly running and defending ferociously, which has not changed much from before, what has changed is that his movements are more standardized, his movement is more accurate, and his temperament has also changed a little.

"Hmm...... It looks more like a professional footballer. ”

He felt it was time to find Jean. Mr. Fernández talked about it. As Chu Zhongtian's agent, he must help Chu Zhongtian get more playing opportunities, so it is necessary for him to understand the thoughts of the head coach of this team - if he values Chu Zhongtian, why is it almost half a season, and only gives Chu Zhongtian a total of forty minutes of playing time in Ligue 1? If he didn't value Chu Zhongtian, why did he insist on signing Chu Zhongtian on loan from Chelsea in the first place?

The match ended in a 2-2 draw between Metz and Saint-Etienne at home. After 16 rounds of league play, Metz has four wins, eight draws and four losses, ranking 10th with 20 points.

This result is not bad, mainly because they have lost less, only four games. It's not a good result either, because they have won a lot of draws, only four and eight draws. Sixteen goals scored and nineteen conceded, which is not too many goals conceded, and is in the middle of the league in the whole league, but there are too few goals scored to be at the bottom of the table.

※※※ The next day, the team rests.

On his rest day, Chu Zhongtian took Wang Hao, Jiang Ran and Lin Beiyao out to climb the hill as a celebration of his opportunity to play in two consecutive games.

Merry made a phone call to Jean. Fernandez, the two of them will meet in the afternoon.

'I'm going to talk to your manager, I want to know what he thinks of you.'

"Uh......" Chu Zhongtian was a little worried about whether it would stiffen the relationship. It is said that the head coach is not very fond of agents.

"Rest assured, just a calm conversation, nothing was a problem. I'm going to give my opinion, and he says what he thinks. Nothing will happen, so you can play in peace, Chu. ”

Merry said goodbye to Chu Zhongtian and called a taxi to the Metz club, where Fernandez said he would be waiting for him there.

After arriving at the club, Merry went straight to the manager's office, where Fernandes was already waiting for him.

"The weather was nice today. I know you Brits have to talk about the weather before you start talking, right? Fernández walked out from behind his desk and kissed Merry with open arms.

"Yes, that's because there are so few good weather like this in London." Because he promised Chu Zhongtian not to have a stalemate with Fernandez, Merry's tone was also very calm.

"Is Chu okay?"

"He went hiking with two of your junior players to celebrate his appearance in two consecutive games." Merry took the opportunity to get to the point, "To be honest, I came to you this time just for Chu's business. ”

Fernandez motioned for him to sit down and speak.

Merry sat down in his chair, and Fernandez himself went to make him coffee. "Most of the people in the club are on vacation today, and there is only instant coffee for the time being."

"It's okay, I don't care what I drink."

Fernández brought the coffee to Mene, then pulled up a chair and sat down across from him. "Well, now let's talk about Chu. I think you're wondering why he's only played 40 minutes on loan for almost half a season, right? ”

Merry nodded: "I have doubts, I don't know what you think of him. Are you optimistic about him, or not? If so, why only give him so little playing time, and if not, why do you want to send him on loan from Chelsea? Before you joined, Chelsea FC had intended to send him on loan to Westero in the Belgian league, and they promised Chelsea that they would give Chu more chances to play......

The latter sentence is completely made up by Merry. Westero didn't make that promise at all, and Chelsea didn't ask for how many games they had to play at Westeros, and they didn't really care what the future holds. But in order to elevate the ability and status of their own players, such lies are necessary.

"Hmm......" Fernández muttered for a moment after patiently listening to Merry's words. How can I explain that to you, Mr. Merry? Of course, I am optimistic about Chu's potential and future, otherwise I would not have asked the club to sign him on loan, and I would even like to buy Chu out after a season on loan. ”

Merry was taken aback, he didn't expect this old man to plan like this.

'I know Chelsea have a very rich owner who is interested in spending a lot of money on the stars who have made a name for themselves and not in the hopefuls. To be honest, I don't think Chu has a future at Chelsea. But not in Metz, he has a good future - provided that ......," said Fernandeston, "...... The premise is his gradual adaptation to Ligue 1 and professional football. He used to be an amateur, and I've heard that he hadn't touched a football for three years. If I want me to say that he can still have such a level, it is already considered a very talented. ”

'He needs to be retrained, the level of training he received in England during those two seasons was very low and it was not systematic. When he first arrived in Metz, we found that he was not physically fit for the game - not because he was not good on his own, but because of the low level of training he received. Fernandez patiently explained to Merry why he was in no hurry to send Chu Zhongtian on the field.

'He's never played at a high level and if he was in too much of a hurry to get him on the pitch he would have been confused and there would have been a lot of criticism and maybe he would have lost confidence and morale because of that, which is not what I wanted to see.

"But, Mr. Fernandez. Allow me to interject -- Frank. Ribery's experience is very similar to Chu's, he played in Metz when he arrived, and no matter how much the outside media criticized him, you insisted on putting him in the main position, and never wavered. Why can't Chu? Hearing this, Merry finally couldn't help but ask.

Mr. Fernandez smiled and shook his head: "Because Chu and Ribery are completely different players and people. Frank's personality is more cheerful, sharp, and full of momentum. What he needs is not repression, but release. So I started him back-to-back games and let him unleash his energy. Chu is different, Chu is more calm, he has the demeanor of a general, I'm not joking, I'm telling the truth, Chu is more like a leader than Ribery, if Chu can kick out in the future, he will definitely be a leader. It's just that now he needs to undergo some grinding, and he needs patience to slowly hone his skills and mentality. What makes me happy is that apart from some initial impatience and apprehension on his part, he did well. ”

Mr. Fernandez's evaluation of Chu Zhongtian was so high that Merry didn't expect it, and he even thought that he had heard it wrong-Chu Zhongtian could become a leader? It's simply ...... It's incredible. Although he thought that Chu Zhongtian would have a good future, he didn't dare to think about it.

"I'm very optimistic about Chu's talent, but he hasn't received high-level training before, so I don't dare to be too impatient, I have to be cautious and take my time. His position is completely different from Frank's, and the qualities he needs to possess are also different, and Frank's example cannot be applied to Chu's body. If cultivated well, Chu's future will not be lower than Frank's. ”

Merry felt like a ton of gold bar mongrels falling from the sky, and almost fainted with happiness - Ribery was a player for a coach like Fernandes, who even went so far as to confront the media. Now he even said that Chu's future is no less than Ribery's? What kind of luck is it that two of the most promising players in the Metz squad are under his name...... Wait, James, can't be too happy, there are still questions...... "Since Mr. Fernandez is so optimistic about Chu, then I would like to ask, are you optimistic about his ability in defense or ...... Offensive talent? "Three appearances, Chu Zhongtian played center back once, and played back twice, anyway, they are inseparable from defense, but Merry always insists that Chu Zhongtian is more talented in attack.

"Of course, I am more optimistic about his offensive potential, but I think it is better to start with him in a position that he is familiar with, and when he gets used to the rhythm of the game, I will think about asking him more in attack."

Fernandez's explanation Merry nodded repeatedly, and that was true. Start in a familiar position, slowly get into the game, gain experience, and then complete a gorgeous turn...... The two of them later talked about some specific things, such as when will Chu Zhongtian get a stable chance to play? Fernandez replied that it depended on Chu's own form and performance.

It was only at the end that Merry said to Fernández, as if suddenly remembered, "Oh, yes, Mr. Fernández. Today by the way is also to inform you and the Metz club that I have become Frank. Ribery's agent, the official documents will be handed over to the club tomorrow. ”

For the first time in this conversation this afternoon, Fernandez was taken aback.

Merry laughed, today's conversation made him more confident, it seems that Chu Zhongtian and Ribery have developed well, and the future prospects are limitless, and he can be regarded as a treasure.

"I just signed a contract with Frank the other day, and I'll be his agent for the next two years." He extended his hand to Fernandez, "Hopefully we will have the opportunity to work together in the future." ”

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing...... Fernández shook his head.

"I hope it's a good thing."

"I want to, too."

Sent James away. Merry, Jean. Fernandez didn't stay in his office either, he tidied up a bit, locked the door, and walked along the artificial river towards the Holy Mountain Furien Stadium opposite.

After talking to the British agent for an hour and a half today, he suddenly wanted to go to the stadium. The stadium is actually on the opposite side, separated by an artificial river less than 10 meters wide. However, you have to take a detour to cross the bridge.

He walked all the way, thinking about the current situation of the team.

Metz is not a strong team, although the youth training is excellent, but there is no strong enough first team to support, and the excellent young players who have been cultivated cannot escape the fate of leaving Metz to pursue the big stage in other teams.

The Cannes club where he started his coaching career was a former youth powerhouse. Together, Lacomb has built the club's academy and made it work well. So which team came out of Zidane, Vieira, Miku, Frei...... and a large number of excellent players. However, Cannes' first-team results were so poor that his old friend Lacombe was sacked by the club in 1997, and a year later in 1998 and again in 2001. This summer, Cannes was relegated to semi-professional football after being disqualified from being a French professional football club. Only the "Cannes Youth Training Center" is still proudly retained.

It's really distressing that such a team that has produced so many stars has fallen here, but if the first team can do better and play in Ligue 1 every year, it shouldn't be like this.

Lyon and AJ Auxerre are also youth powerhouses, but their first-team results mean that the youngsters always have better opportunities to develop. When these youngsters have played in their own first-team squads and excelled and attracted the attention of Europe's big clubs, those clubs are willing to pay huge transfer fees for them to take them. Lyon and Auxerre can also use the transfer fee to build their squad and continue to develop new talents. Thus creating a virtuous circle.

Metz does not have such conditions. He didn't know how long Ribery would be able to stay here, and he didn't know how long Chu would be able to stay here. He now hopes that Chelsea will not look down on Chu Zhongtian, so he can persuade the club to buy Chu Zhongtian at a very low price, and then slowly cultivate, one day, he is confident that he will cultivate a first-class star.

Standing outside the Stadio Fortion, home of Metz, the warm sun shining on Fernandez, he felt a sense of hope.

(To be continued)