Super Wingstorm

John Sten Olsen was a former Denmark international who became an Ajax scout after retiring. He specialized in scouting players on the Scandinavian Peninsula, and over the years, he had brought many exceptionally talented stars from Northern Europe to the Ajax first team.

The Ibrahimovic standing before Yang Yang was one of John Sten Olsen’s masterpieces.

Due to his outstanding track record, John Sten Olsen had become something of a legend within Ajax. Many even believed that any player he strongly recommended to the club was guaranteed to be a top-tier talent.

Yang Yang had heard the legends about John Sten Olsen at De Toekomst, but he had never met the man in person.

”So who is it?” Yang Yang asked curiously.

He was dying to know who could possibly be worthy of the title ”the next Ibrahimovic.”

”I’m not sure about the specifics,” Maxwell said, shaking his head. ”But I hear the club is taking this very seriously. The player is with his national youth team in Portugal for a European tournament right now. Apparently, not only will John Sten Olsen be there, but even the club’s technical director, Louis van Gaal, will personally go to convince him to join Ajax.”

”If even our resident newshound couldn’t get any info, the club must be keeping this one tightly under wraps,” Vermaelen said, clicking his tongue.

Maxwell was the resident newshound at De Toekomst. He was sociable, and more importantly, he was always the most well-informed.

”Hmph. Sending the technical director? What’s so great about that?” Ibrahimovic said disdainfully. ”When Ajax came to recruit me, John Sten Olsen, Technical Director Leo Benhak, and the head coach at the time, Co Adriaanse, all three came together. That’s the only reason their sincerity convinced me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even wanted to join Ajax.”

The other three couldn’t help but laugh. The guy was clearly jealous.

But it was no wonder. He hadn’t even left yet, but the club was already looking for his successor.

Of course, this was understandable. It wasn’t as if Ibrahimovic’s desire to leave was a recent development. The young player Ajax wanted to sign was probably one for the future; it wouldn’t matter when the Swedish Striker eventually left, so it wouldn’t cause any issues or create a conflict for Ibrahimovic’s position.

Still, you had to admit, the seniority of the people they sent to recruit him was a clear indication of how highly they valued the player.

Although the information Maxwell shared was piecemeal, combined with his own observations over the past few days, Yang Yang felt that Van Gaal was indeed reforming Ajax—not just its internal management structure, but its entire business model.

He had promised the team’s biggest stars, including Ibrahimovic, Van der Vaart, and Talabesi, that if any club made a reasonable offer for them in the summer of 2004, Ajax would let them go. This was something Ajax would never have agreed to in the past.

And looking at the club’s transfer targets, it was clear they were planning ahead, looking to preemptively fill the gaps that would be left by the likely departure of several key players.

Yang Yang remained neutral about the reforms Van Gaal was pushing through, as he wasn’t familiar with club management. However, he disagreed with the claims made by Cruyff and many other club legends that these reforms would severely damage team morale.

He couldn’t speak for others he hadn’t seen, but as far as Ibrahimovic, Van der Vaart, and Talabesi were concerned, every single one of them was in high spirits and full of fight, chomping at the bit to prove themselves.

The reason was simple. Their performance in their final six months at Ajax wasn’t just about playing for their current club; it was about proving their work ethic and ability to potential new clubs. The better they played, the more attractive they would be and the more bargaining power they would have in a transfer.

On the other hand, if they slacked off, they could forget about finding a good new club in the summer.

As they chatted, the three continued to play cards, but before long, Sneijder arrived.

The small villas Ajax had at the resort each housed four people. Yang Yang, Ibrahimovic, and the other two happened to be in one. Sneijder and the others often came over to hang out, especially after discovering the joys of playing Fight the Landlord, but tonight, he also brought a piece of news.

”The boss wants to see you.”

...

...

He put on a jacket and, with his mind full of questions, walked over to Ronald Koeman’s villa.

Luther Carroll opened the door, but to Yang Yang’s surprise, Technical Director Van Gaal was there as well.

Judging by his travel-worn appearance, he had clearly just arrived in Portugal today. This made Yang Yang recall what Maxwell had said—that Van Gaal was going to personally scout the young striker recommended by John Sten Olsen.

”Boss, you were looking for me?” Yang Yang asked as he stepped forward, giving Van Gaal a nod.

They always kept their distance in front of others.

”Yes, Yang, come have a seat,” Ronald Koeman said, gesturing for Yang Yang to sit down.

Yang Yang had only played four matches for the team, but every single one had been crucial, and he had played a key role each time, bringing immense value to Ajax. He was now a player who had firmly registered on the radar of the club’s top management.

”Did you need me for something?” Yang Yang asked in confusion after sitting down.

But it wasn’t Ronald Koeman who answered; it was Louis van Gaal, who was sitting opposite him.

”Andrew is your agent?”

”Andrew?” Yang Yang thought for a moment. ”Oh, right. When I signed with the club, he was my agent. But I don’t know him well. I just couldn’t find anyone back then, so Henk Demyer recommended his own agent to me.”

At this, Yang Yang glanced quizzically at Van Gaal and Ronald Koeman, completely bewildered.

”What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

Van Gaal understood Yang Yang’s situation better than anyone. He knew the circumstances of Yang Yang’s signing, so he believed his side of the story.

”Your agent met with an official from Twente Club in Amsterdam this afternoon. He was careless enough to be spotted by reporters, and he mentioned your name in an interview. You know how it is, if the media wants to stir something up, they can definitely spin a story out of this.”

Yang Yang’s brow furrowed as he listened. ’Isn’t that incredibly careless?’

”I didn’t know anything about this.”

”Of course, we believe you. Fortunately, we have a good relationship with that newspaper, so we’ve managed to keep a lid on it for now. But you know, this is the winter transfer window. If a sensitive story like this gets out to the fans, the fallout could be very negative,” Van Gaal reminded him in a concerned tone.

Yang Yang knew this, of course. Many fans were only just beginning to accept him. If a story like this broke now, the impact would be devastating. In the future, some fans might even use it as an excuse to attack and resent him.

Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll exchanged a look, both looking rather helpless.

”If I remember correctly, this Andrew is from a small agency near Amsterdam, right?” Van Gaal asked.

”Yes, they represent many players from Almere.”

”The team plans to discuss a contract renewal with you soon. A small company like that can’t handle your affairs anymore. Find a chance to switch as soon as possible,” Van Gaal advised.

Yang Yang felt a sense of helplessness. He hadn’t expected to have to change agents again so soon.

But Van Gaal had a point.

Before, he could walk down the street without anyone recognizing him. The media had no interest in him. It didn’t matter who his agent was, as long as they could sign papers and negotiate on his behalf. But things were different now.

In just four matches, Yang Yang’s stock had risen rapidly among Ajax fans, and he had become a person of interest for the Dutch media. If the newspaper hadn’t had a good relationship with Ajax and tipped them off, allowing the club to handle the situation in time, the published story would have been a huge blow to him.

What this incident revealed was that his agent was no longer equipped to handle his career at its current level.

In just a few short months, Yang Yang had risen too quickly, so fast that his agent probably didn’t even understand his client’s current situation, which is why he made such a serious mistake.

”To be honest, having to switch again so suddenly... I’m a bit at a loss,” Yang Yang said, looking at Van Gaal with a wry smile.

The three men across from him could only sigh in resignation. The kid was completely devoted to football. Outside of his studies, he spent practically all his time training. With his family not around, when would he ever have the time to consider other matters?

”Find a more reputable agency, like IMG Agency or one of the other big ones. I’m sure they’d be very interested in you,” Van Gaal suggested.

The Yang Yang of today was a world away from the person he used to be. It was no exaggeration to call him a hot commodity.

Of course, he wasn’t yet so hot that big companies and big-name agents were knocking down his door. After all, he had only played four games.

European football was a melting pot for talent from all over the world. Countless new stars emerged every year, but how many of them played a few good games only to quickly fade into obscurity? And how many could truly distinguish themselves from the sea of competitors and climb all the way to the top of the pyramid?

Take Van der Vaart, for example. One injury, and he had to have his meniscus removed. For the rest of his life, he was destined never to reach the heights people had expected of him. He would never again recapture the magic he had while charging down the left wing before his injury.

...

...

Yang Yang walked back to the villa, lost in thought the whole way. Sneijder, Vermaelen, and Maxwell were playing Fight the Landlord.

Ibrahimovic was sulking on the side without a word, a look of pure frustration on his face. When asked, it turned out the Swedish Striker had lost badly but refused to accept his punishment—stripping and going for a run outside. He’d shamelessly played the sore loser and given up his seat to Sneijder instead.

As soon as they heard about Yang Yang’s problem, everyone grew concerned.

It wasn’t uncommon in the world of professional football for an agent to screw things up for a player.

Switching agents was a decision everyone unanimously agreed on. The key question was, switch to whom?

Perhaps because he didn’t see eye to eye with Van Gaal, Ibrahimovic immediately shot down the idea of IMG Agency. He thought those large corporations were too bureaucratic, their agents lacked guts, had no finesse, and were too rigid and by-the-book.

”My last agent was from IMG,” he said. ”He actually suggested I move to Southampton. I was so pissed off I’m surprised I didn’t spit in his face. With my talent, I’m only good enough for Southampton? I told him to get lost right then and there.”

Sneijder recommended a local Dutch agent. Apparently, he represented many Dutch players, was very well-connected within the Netherlands, highly capable, and known for being very reliable.

Yang Yang couldn’t make up his mind right away, so he decided to put the matter aside for the time being.

He decided he would first terminate his contract with his current agent when he got back to Amsterdam, and then figure out the rest.