July is a crucial time for European teams to begin their pre-season preparations for the new season.

Although the European Championship was not played until July 11, it had nothing to do with the Dutch, who did not qualify for the finals, and Ajax did not have any international players, so the training camp started early.

At this time, it is the best time to bring the players who have returned from vacation back to some physical condition through training, and then find their game form through warm-up games and run in the new lineup.

Today, their opponents are none other than Molde, a team from Norway.

The match is not official, so it is played at the training ground of Ajax, which is considered a teaching match.

Since Van der Sar said hello, the starting lineup sent by Ajax this time is basically dominated by players from the reserve team + youth team, or rather, it is all on the list!

Molde, on the other hand, is also a half-main force and half-youth army.

This kind of training match is sometimes arranged for several games in a short period of time, so the players of each team will also take turns to find their form, and everyone generally does not pay much attention to the lineup and the result of the game.

And as for why Ajax found a Norwegian team to warm up......

In addition to the fact that Norway is relatively close to the Netherlands, it is mainly because Van der Sar has a friendship with the head coach of the Molde team!

The current manager of the Molde team is the former super substitute of Manchester United, the future "Suo Hi" - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer!

Edwin van der Sar played for Manchester United from 2005 to 2011, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played for the Red Devils from 1996 until his retirement in 2007.

This kind of friendly match, generally a little bit of friendship between the senior management and the coach will have more contact, and it can be decided after a few words.

As for the fact that Pan Yi, the "world's first religion", watched this game from the stands today, Van der Sar was also tight-lipped.

Because Pan Yi said it, I still hope that the players will not be affected by their own viewing, so that they can see the real level.

Of course, Pan Yi also disguised himself a little, wore a hat, big sunglasses, and a fake beard, and sat in the corner of the stands, basically no one would notice.

Otherwise, not to mention Pan Yi's popularity, with such a handsome appearance, no matter where he hides, he is like a firefly in the dark, so distinct, so outstanding, it will definitely attract the attention of others!

After the start of the game, Pan Yi's eyes were of course always on De Ligt.

To be honest, it's really hard to see De Ligt's true level in such a game.

The main thing is that this Ajax team, which is a bit improvised and does not have a complete ball system at the back, which does not actually reflect the characteristics of De Ligt's feet.

And his body is not very strong now, and his ability to stay in the air and bounce looks relatively average, and he seems to be a little difficult to defend the opponent's big center.

In addition, in the early days of joining the Ajax Academy, De Ligt's position on the pitch was actually a playmaking midfielder, which also made him prefer to attack forward on the pitch.

It's one of the great traits of a modern centre-back, like Chelsea's David Luiz.

But in such a fragmented game, De Ligt's characteristics have become his shortcomings, and the gaps behind his pressure are frequently counterattacked by Molde.

"It's a good seedling, but it still needs to be polished."

Pan Yi thought in his heart, and he was also slightly glad to himself.

It's also thanks to De Ligt's gradual enlightenment after a few months, and the play is more in line with Ajax's style, otherwise, where would he pick up this leak?

At this time, Van der Sar had already sat next to Pan Yi at some point: "How is it, have you taken a fancy to anyone?" ”

Pan Yi shook his head lightly, and was about to say something, but saw that the Molde team made a substitution, and a black young man came on the bench.

"Why does this kid look a little familiar......"

Just thinking about it, this black guy took advantage of the fact that the Ajax players had just come on the field before they could shake their minds, and swept directly past De Ligt's side, received a through ball from his teammates, and smashed the Yellow Dragon!

It's so fast!

De Ligt tried to lean on him with his body, but he didn't shake in the slightest and still caught up with the ball.

What a strong body!

The Ajax goalkeeper hurriedly attacked, but the black guy was not in a hurry, rubbed the ball up, and picked it up!

The ball went right over the goalkeeper's body, into the net, and the ball went in!

And good shooting skills!

But Pan Yi still didn't recognize who he was.

It's weird. It stands to reason that if it is a future famous star, Pan Yi, as a senior fan, should know everything......

And when this black guy happily rushed to the coach's seat to hug Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to celebrate the victory, Pan Yi looked at his innocent smile and remembered!

This is Armand!

Thomas Armand!

If you haven't played FM games, you may not be familiar with this name.

But his name is so popular in the FM gaming world that almost every veteran gamer knows him.

It is because of his super physical fitness and enough football talent that he can kill in the major leagues with strong players!

As a result, he has become the striker of choice for many players who start their careers in small and medium-sized clubs.

Get Amand, win the world!

If someone mentions "Mangbo" in the real world, it may refer to Chelsea's Mason Mount, but when "Mangbo" is mentioned in the game, it must be referring to Armand, who has a lovely smile!

Of course, although he is not as good as in the game, he is actually very good.

At just 18 years old, he has already been eyed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to play for Molde, a powerhouse in the Norwegian Premier League, where he has played for several years.

Next year, if it weren't for Pan Yi's intervention in this life, he would have formed a forward combination with a blonde beauty from Norway.

That blonde man's name is Haaland!

That's right, the high and fast version of the Norwegian Super version is the top!

Pan Yi looked at Armand, who was holding Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and had a new idea in his heart.

Since the young forwards are very expensive now, why don't you bring Armand here?

Isn't it also very hangy for him and Baker to form a high and a fast?

There is certainly no problem for Norwegian Super League players to play in League One, and the most important thing is that Armand is not very picky about the team, otherwise it would not allow FM players to recruit him in various teams.

For a player like Armand, who comes from a poor part of Cameroon, the most important thing is to be able to play football and earn money to support his family......

"Hey, why didn't this ball target the opposing striker?" Van der Sar's voice rang in my ears.

Of course he didn't know Armand, he was just unhappy with De Ligt's defence.

First of all, De Ligt just stepped forward to receive the return pass from his teammate, and did not mark Armand, who had just come on the field;

The second is that Armand did not chase back at the first time when Armand started;

When he realized that the other party was going to slash alone, he wanted to use his body to lean on, but he didn't rely on it.

In Van der Sar's view, the goal was a complete blow to De Ligt's shortcomings: aggressiveness, poor defensive positioning, lack of speed in recovery and lack of physical strength.

"How can a defender like this be worth 10 million euros?" Pan Yi snorted deliberately.

Van der Sar heard Pan Yi's "counter-words", and said with a smile: "The liquidated damages are like this, and they will be set a little higher." If you want, you can take 3 million. ”

Originally, he was a little hesitant to sell De Ligt, otherwise he would not have added his name at the last minute.

But looking at it today, it really doesn't feel good, and if you go to the first team, you will definitely be held back!

"I'll look at the others, no one's money is blown by the wind......"

Then Pan Yi pretended to continue to watch the ball seriously.

Of course, he wouldn't go up and make contact with anyone, so the purpose was too obvious.

In the end, Molde beat Ajax 1-0 thanks to Armand's only goal.

——

"Forget it, otherwise it's him, there really is no other suitable candidate. Loan Westerman, then 2.5 million euros, buy him at a fixed price! ”

In Van der Sar's office, Pan Yi made a decision "painfully" after "picking thousands of players" with a list of players.

The name he pointed to was the last on the list: De Ligt.

"Well, if we weren't really short of defenders, I wouldn't have come to you for Westerman?" Pan Yi was still shaking his head in pain:

"I wanted to find another veteran, but since you have to buy one get one free, then I can only pick another central defender."

"Forget it, let my old captain lead the new with the old and hopefully the centre-back pair can handle the fierce competition in League One."

"That's right, this 2.5 million...... Can it be staging? It can be paid in three years. ”

2.5 million to buy a youth player who hasn't played in the first team yet, if the name is not De Ligt, to be honest, is a bit high.

That is, you can take a free loan Westerman, which is equivalent to 2.5 million to get two main defenders, so it seems to be a better deal.

However, Pan Yi still had to make some gestures and bargain to avoid being thought that he had taken advantage.

Van der Sar got up suddenly: "No, it must be paid in a lump sum!" Okay, 2.5 million is 2.5 million! We're going to get a transfer contract right away! ”

Pan Yi covered his face with his hands to prevent his snickering from being seen by Van der Sar, but his voice still looked uncomfortable: "Hey...... All right. We're just a small club, and I've got to figure out how to move so much money......"

——

As for De Ligt's side, the lad was a little tangled at first.

After all, he grew up training in the Ajax academy since he was a child, and of course he hopes to play in the Ajax first team one day.

But the club is now insisting on selling him, and he is also slightly chilled.

However, this is also within his understanding.

A club like Ajax itself has to live by selling blood to make a living, even if De Ligt really enters the first team and plays a good performance, the final result may still be gone.

The only difference is that the price will be higher when the time comes......

Now the club is in a difficult moment both in terms of performance and management, which has exacerbated the process of selling blood, so De Ligt can only 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 of how many good centre-backs have quickly developed into well-known stars under him at Chelsea, such as Ake, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen...... And that's not even counting Van Dijk, who was bred before.

Although I only went to an English One club this time, I am still young, and if I hone more in such a league, maybe there will be a better development.

Besides, isn't the Ajax club also preparing to put themselves in the second team to play in the Eredivisie this season?

League One and Eredivisie B, although one is in the third division and the other is in the second division, to be honest, there is not much difference between the two.

After all, England has the best lower league in the world!

The strength of the players on both sides cannot be directly compared, but the value and salary are comparable.

In the Eredivisie, the wages of club players are about a few thousand euros less per week, which is actually lower than that of League One.

If you remove the second teams like Ajax and Eindhoven, the wages of those ordinary Dutch teams are even generally a few hundred to one or two thousand euros, and the value is even lower.

At least in League One, there are still a lot of players worth hundreds of thousands or millions.

If it is a team that is preparing to attack the Championship, the value and salary of the team's players are only high.

For example, Sheffield United, the "aircraft carrier" of League One this season, has several players in their team with a weekly salary of more than 10,000 euros, and these players are also worth more than 2 million euros.

That's because they're aiming for the Championship, and that's to build the team to the standards of the Championship, and the players are of course Championship level – and that's what York City is aiming for right now.

In short, after his own consideration and communication with his family, De Ligt agreed to play in York City!

As a result, Pan Yi spent 2.5 million euros to take away De Ligt and Westerman, an old and a young defender, from Ajax! ——

Of course, that's not all.

Pan Yi also quickly contacted 18-year-old Thomas Armand of Molde FC, and the lobbying of the young black player and his family has progressed to the final stage.

As for Molde's coach and management, it's easy to handle.

Because Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn't have a lot of affection for this strong and fast striker, the main thing is that Armand highlights the word "reckless" on the field.

He often runs around like a headless fly up front, falling into the opposition's offside trap from time to time.

Moreover, the accuracy of his shots is also a major weakness, and he can often squeeze a chance through his strong body, but it is often a wave of shots.

For Molde and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, what they need more is a goalscorer who can hit the nail on the batter.

Because of this, during the half season that Armand joined Molde, he played most of the time as a substitute, and he could only be regarded as a fringe rotation player at best.

More importantly, Molde was given Armand for free, and now York City are willing to pay €200,000 for him, which is undoubtedly a good deal.

Earn 200,000 for nothing!

For a Norwegian team, they basically rely on loans and visas to buy people, and if they want to spend money, they rarely exceed a million.

For example, in a normal timeline they would buy young centre-forward Erling Haaland from Blaney next year for £100,000......

And if you talk about the players in Moldri now, the highest value is Sigurdasson from Iceland, that is, 700,000 euros, and the second value Gabrielsen and Olsnes are only 400,000 euros.

In other words, being able to sell the free Armand for 200,000 euros is really a high price.

Therefore, Pan Yi's main job is to convince Thomas Armand and his family to let him join York City.

The obstacle here is family, as Armand is originally from Cameroon and moved his family to Norway when he signed a professional contract with Molde.

In this way, they have to think about whether to move.

So Armand's father and mother were a little hesitant at first.

It is indeed a great thing to be able to join a League One team, especially a club under Pan Yi's name.

However, Armand is going to play in England, and they certainly don't want their son to go alone.

If you want them to go with them, you are reluctant to give up the job you just found in Norway, after all, you still have to work to support your family.

The salary in the Norwegian Premier League is not high, especially for players like Armand, who have only signed his first professional contract and have not yet performed well in the league, and the current salary is 650 euros a week.

Well, even if it is the maximum salary of the Molde team, that is, more than 3,000 euros, in fact, the "big team" from the Norwegian Premier League to the English League is basically an increase.

And in order to attract Armand to join, Pan Yi will naturally not be too stingy in terms of salary.

"If Thomas had come to Yorktown, his weekly salary would have risen to 1,000 ...... No, 2000 euros! Pan Yi was clever in his words, "Mr. Armand, imagine that Armand will become a player in the Championship or even the Premier League in the future, and his salary in one week may be worth the ...... of a few years of your work."

Mr. Armand waved his hand, "Hold it back!" Go to the UK! you, let's go to England with our son! ”

Not to mention future Championship and Premier League level wages.

Now 2,000 euros a week is enough to make a heart's desire.

After all, Armand's weekly salary in Molde is only 650 yuan......

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 average Englishman is about 3,000 euros.

Even if the tax is deducted, it is enough for the Armand family to live in the UK, of course, they can't be extravagant.

And Pan Yi also said that after their family went, they could also book accommodation, and they could save a lot of money here.

"Then ......" Pan Yi directly took out the contract and showed a charming smile.

"Sign!" Mr. Armand nodded, and then gave his son a brain, "Son, remember, go to the UK to play football well, we will take care of you, don't worry about the rest." Don't let me down! ”

Thomas Armand gritted his teeth, nodded vigorously, and then showed his big smile!

——

Shortly after signing Thomas Armand, Pan Yi received a call from Scaloni and heard good news.

That is, the transfer of Declan Rice is also done.

First of all, Rice himself is willing to go, after all, he has not been well received in the Chelsea Academy;

Secondly, I heard that Pan Yi entrusted Scaloni to ask for someone, and of course Chelsea had a green light all the way, and there was no obstacle at all.

And the price paid by York City is only to give Rice a weekly salary of 1,000 euros......

As a result, Pan Yi's main squad for York City in the new season has almost surfaced.

Playing a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 is mainly based on the opponent's situation.

There will be no change to goalkeeper Isaksen.

There are four people in the back line, from left to right, Alphonso Davies, Westerman, De Ligt, and Tomiyasu Kenhiro, which basically will not change.

The three men in midfield at 4-3-3 were Declan Rice in a back-to-back midfield, with Karlsström and Kulusevski in front of him in an inverted triangle position.

There are three forwards, Lin Liangming on the left, Armand on the right, and Baker in the center.

If you play 4-4-2, then you can pull Lin Liangming to the left midfield, let Kulusevski play right midfield, Karlstrom and Rice play double midfield, and the forward line is Baker + Armand's one high and one fast!

Of course, there are a lot of variables here, such as Westermann or De Ligt being able to play in a back three, or Alphonso Davies up front for a left winger, including Kulusevski on the right wing.

This specific tactical change will be discussed and confirmed with Scaloni when Pan Yi returns to the UK!