69novels Chapter 57 The Complete Lineup
Chapter 57 The Complete Lineup
There weren't many objections to the two player recruitment lists that Ye Xian proposed next.
The main reason is that Cristiano Ronaldo laid the groundwork beforehand.
Take Didier Drogba, the center forward from Ivory Coast, for example. Although he wasn't very famous, he had at least played a few seasons in Ligue 2.
Last season, he played 11 games in Ligue 1 and scored three goals.
Such a player clearly has practical skills, and because he is already 24 years old, he is actually much cheaper than a promising young star like Cristiano Ronaldo.
I just don't know why Ye Xian suddenly took a liking to him...
As for Cech, he's even more reliable.
Although he is only 20 years old, he has already played as a starter in the Czech First League for two seasons and has also made appearances in the Champions League.
In the U21 European Championship final, the Czech Republic also relied on its outstanding performance to defeat France U21 and win the championship.
It can be said that Cech was the main factor in the Czech U-21 team winning the championship, and was considered to be playing the U-21 competition at the level of an adult team.
Therefore, quite a few clubs have already set their sights on this Czech goalkeeper, and Everton will have to go through a lot of competition to acquire him.
"In midfield, I want to bring in Xabi Alonso from Real Sociedad. I believe he can become our midfield linchpin."
Hearing Ye Xian mention this name, everyone's spirits lifted.
These are players who have genuinely made a name for themselves in the top five European leagues.
At this time, Alonso was only 20 years old, but he had already played as a starter for Real Sociedad for two seasons and even became the captain of his hometown team!
If they can bring him in, it will undoubtedly improve Everton's midfield strength—and at the same time, it will satisfy the management's pursuit of "star players" to some extent.
Of course, the more famous they are, the more difficult it is to recruit them.
In fact, Ye Xian had also considered Kaká from Brazil for this position.
But Kaká is now a Brazilian international and participated in the recently concluded 02 World Cup, so he has long been the target of countless teams.
If he were put on the transfer market, he would be snapped up the moment he appeared.
While the price won't be extremely high, it should be around seven or eight million.
This is something Everton can no longer afford!
As for Alonso, Ye Xian estimates that the total price should not exceed five million pounds.
Although it's still relatively expensive, it's definitely worth the price!
Another consideration is the balance of the lineup.
If the signings in the forward line go smoothly, the attacking power of Ronaldo, Drogba, and Rooney will be sufficient.
Compared to Kaká, who is more attack-oriented, Alonso, who can play as a defensive midfielder, is obviously more versatile. He is a true all-around midfielder and the team's metronome.
His midfield partnership with Li Tie and Gravesen allows him to better perform interception and transition from defense to attack!
"Next up are the two full-backs."
"One of them is Grosso from Serie A Perugia."
"One of them is Alves from Brazil..."
These two names sounded unfamiliar to everyone again.
Grosso, the future "Great Left," has already played in Serie A, but he has only played one season and is not an absolute starter.
More importantly, he is already 24 years old this year!
Before being scouted by Perugia, Grosso had even played in the Italian regional league for several years.
This one clearly doesn't have much potential.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Alves was playing for a second-division team in Brazil and was virtually unknown.
"Ye, can you tell me how you got this information about Alves?" Moyes couldn't help but scratch his head.
Players from the top five European leagues are understandable, even Cristiano Ronaldo from the youth team is plausible, but what's going on with Brazil!
Even for a Premier League club like Everton, their scouting network is mostly spread across Europe, making it difficult for them to have the time or energy to watch matches in South America.
Not to mention the second-tier events...
"I usually pay close attention to the movements of various clubs," Ye Xian could only make up.
Of course, his fabrication did have some basic basis.
"Sevilla have been monitoring Alves closely, finding his attacking runs down the wing very sharp, and were planning to loan him out this summer. I watched some of his match videos and realized he fit my tactical approach perfectly, so I decided to snatch him up!"
It's a fact that Spanish and Portuguese teams prefer to acquire young talents from South America.
In the original timeline, Sevilla did indeed decide to loan Alves, which is a fact.
Therefore, there was nothing wrong with these words coming from Ye Xian's mouth.
"But..." Moyes frowned again, "Alves shouldn't have any national team record, right? How do we apply for a work permit for him?"
For foreigners who want to play in the English league system, the first hurdle they need to overcome is obtaining a work permit.
This is the challenge, but also the "satisfaction."
For English teams, nationality doesn't matter, as long as they have a work permit.
This led to Chelsea fielding a starting lineup of 11 foreigners in a Premier League match at the end of 99, none of whom were British!
This is why Ye Xian can disregard nationality and launch a global military campaign.
As for how to obtain a work permit?
EU countries have an easier time obtaining [the necessary qualifications], while non-EU countries need to have their national team ranking and number of appearances linked to their qualification.
Just like Li Tie and Li Weifeng, given China's current high ranking and their status as key players on the national team, this is naturally not a problem. (Even in the original timeline, it would have gone smoothly.)
The transfer list Ye Xian just mentioned includes Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal, Grosso from Italy, Alonso from Spain, and Drogba who plays in Ligue 1 and also holds dual French citizenship...
Applying for a work permit is relatively simple for them.
At that time, the Czech Republic was not an EU member state, but Cech had already played for the national team, and the Czech national team was ranked around 30th.
In addition, his appearances in the Champions League are a plus for his work permit application, so there shouldn't be any major problems.
Therefore, the most difficult opponent is Alves from Brazil.
How could a player from the Brazilian Serie B possibly have played for the Brazilian national team?
"Just use the talent clause." Ye Xian had already decided. "He's only 19, and he really performed well in the Brazilian Serie B last season. Even if the FA holds a hearing, I'm confident it will pass."
He paused for a moment, then added, "If we really get rejected, I'd suggest buying him first, then loaning him to another European league for some experience. It won't be expensive anyway!"
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
Although Ye Xian's series of actions were indeed quite shocking;
But it's clear that he was very well prepared.
It seems there are contingency plans for every aspect.
If everything is executed correctly, Everton will have a complete squad for the new season.
In theory, they have indeed strengthened the areas where Everton was weak last season!
What's even more surprising is Ye Xian's confidence and certainty when he said these words.
After all, the transfer market is like the stock market; the promising young star you buy might become a waste!
Even established stars might be great on other teams, but they might falter on your team.
But the feeling Ye Xian gave was that these people were definitely going to succeed and would definitely make it at Everton!
"Could it be that he... could it be that he is not only skilled in tactics and on-the-spot command, but also has a knack for judging people?" Moyes couldn't help but think.
After all, the World Cup bronze medal only proves that Ye Xian is good at his work as a "coach", but it does not mean that he will be successful in the position of "manager".
If Ye Xian truly has "eagle eyes," he can definitely navigate the transfer market, which would make him better than most professional managers.
And Kenwright and Winters, as chairpersons, couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Ye Xian mentioned that they didn't know many of the players, so how could they offer their opinions?
Moreover, they have indeed given Ye Xian the corresponding managerial authority, so now they can only let him do it.
Seeing that no one spoke, Ye Xian clapped his hands as well:
"Okay, since everyone agrees, I'll get ready to start working!"
"Tomorrow, I'll head to Portugal..."