Early August.
Sporting Lisbon completed another heavyweight deal.
This transfer surprised many people once again.
Because after the deal was completed, what this player had done at Arsenal was exposed by The Sun.
"Wenger's invitation rejected! Swedish genius takes a one-day trip to London!"
"Arsenal Sporting Director: This is absolutely outrageous. I've never seen such an arrogant kid! He hasn't even seen the world yet. Who the hell does he think he is? God?"
Soon, Wenger, who hadn't rested at all this summer, was interviewed about the player. He said helplessly:
"I had never seen this player before. Someone told me he was very good, so I invited him to Arsenal with a responsible attitude."
"But honestly, I don't see anything special about him other than the fact that he's over 1.9 meters tall."
"He seems extremely talented, but that's only on the surface. Because when I asked him to train with our first team for a while, he directly refused."
"I forgive his recklessness. After all, he's still just a child. I don't want to ruin his future, so I won't make his exact words public before he achieves anything. Otherwise, it would be a devastating blow to him."
The reporter asked, "Then what do you think about him joining Sporting Lisbon?"
Wenger replied:
"I'm also curious, because in my opinion it's not a wise choice. Sporting Lisbon is certainly better than Malmö, where he originally was, but the current turbulent Sporting Lisbon is obviously not as good as Ajax, who were also pursuing him."
"After all, he already adapted to Dutch football. Going to Portugal means starting a completely new adventure. What if he fails to adapt?"
The same question was asked to Sporting Lisbon's Trigueira, and Mr. Trigueira responded:
"Maybe that's exactly why Sporting Lisbon got him while Arsenal didn't."
"We told him that a new adventure is waiting for him here. Repeating the same thing is meaningless for him. He can't learn much more in the Eredivisie, but he can in the Portuguese league."
"We know his favorite player is Ronaldo Nazário. Coincidentally, we also have a Ronaldo in our squad. Although he's still far from comparing to the real Ronaldo, among players his age, he is that alien!"
"Finally, we also know this player likes boxing very much, and we have many Chinese players here. Every one of them can fight on an empty stomach! That's a huge attraction for him!"
Wenger then responded remotely:
"I've heard of Trigueira. He's a very good youth-development coach. And Marquesa is a famous tactician in the Portuguese league."
"But they spoil their players too much. Players like that need discipline."
Trigueira also replied remotely:
"Professors are suitable for teaching well-behaved children because their resources are already excellent. Every child entering Arsenal has already been pruned and shaped beforehand."
"But Sporting Lisbon is better at cultivating players with personality. We firmly believe that personality is one of the manifestations of a star's technical style and on-field thinking. We hope to see more players with unique personalities join us."
Reporter: "But I heard the player hesitated for a long time before deciding?"
Trigueira said:
"Yes. After all, Ajax promised him an absolute starting position."
Reporter: "Then how did you finally convince him?"
Trigueira replied:
"My assistant called him personally and told him that if he was willing to join us, he could come directly and would never experience what happened at Arsenal."
"Because we know that Zlatan Ibrahimović never needs a trial!"
"Sporting Lisbon's second major signing of the summer window: Swedish genius Zlatan Ibrahimović signed for €3 million!"
"Trigueira steals Arsenal's target right out from under Wenger's nose!"
"Ajax sadly loses their future striker—this Ibrahimović kid is no joke!"
The official announcement immediately shook the entire Portuguese football world.
Because nobody knew what Sporting Lisbon's series of signings this season actually meant.
So there weren't many positive comments.
Most people were full of doubt.
"Barzagli? I'm fucking dying laughing. That guy came from Serie D! No, not even Serie D—an Italian regional amateur league! Sporting Lisbon expects him to defend well? Why not just hope he becomes an Italian international while they're at it?"
"Drogba? He doesn't even look smart. If you say he's a boxer, I'd believe it. But a footballer? Does he use his fists to play football? Fans at Le Mans in Ligue 2 are already complaining about his terrible scoring efficiency. Using this guy as Jardel's backup? Are they trying to work Jardel to death?"
"This John Terry kid is supposedly pretty good and captained Chelsea's youth academy. But honestly, Premier League youth players are way too rough technically. They'd be better off signing Moreirense's Kyrop!"
"Ibrahimović? Even Wenger got rejected by this guy. Honestly, he looks more like a brainless idiot. Without a trial, why should anyone want you? Do you think you're Kai? Kai has the qualifications to reject trial invitations from so many clubs. Besides height, what the hell do you have?"
"Uh… height… isn't that enough?"
"This Ibrahimović deal feels more like Sporting Lisbon competing with Ajax. Ajax stole Kyrop from Sporting Lisbon, and Sporting Lisbon stole Ibrahimović from Ajax!"
"Kepler… forget it, let's just call him Pepe like the club introduction says. I heard he was basically thrown in as a free extra. Totally worthless. The club definitely bought the wrong player!"
"Really? But honestly, after signing Matthäus, Deschamps, and Paulo Bento, Sporting Lisbon doesn't need another defensive midfielder anyway."
"Actually, Lothar Matthäus is washed already. Otherwise Bayern would've won the Champions League. Germany crashing out in the group stage of the Euros was completely his fault. He can't carry a team anymore."
"Deschamps is overrated too. He just hid behind Zidane and rode his way to a World Cup and European Championship. His actual ability is average at best. I'd even say he's weaker than Guardiola and can't be considered top-tier among defensive midfielders!"
"I admit Deschamps isn't that strong, but can we leave Guardiola out of this? He's still a great player."
"Bro upstairs, your ID is weird as hell. 'Scientist who transmits information while opening restaurants and eating melons'? What kind of shit is that?"
"Well… that's confidential."
"Hey, Sporting Lisbon has been busy all summer, and this is the result? Looking carefully, there isn't a single player among them—young or old—who can actually play."
"Yeah! Other than Jardel, they're all trash."
"What about Quaresma?"
"Haha, another overrated product. Sporting Lisbon's youth players are all fake goods. Look at how badly Simão struggled at Barcelona—they simply don't have the level! And isn't Quaresma the guy nobody wanted? Otherwise Barcelona would've bought him long ago! Sporting Lisbon just got lucky picking up leftovers!"
"Not to mention Viana, who's still a level below Quaresma. He couldn't even fully adapt to the Portuguese league last season. Even if he adapts this year, he probably still won't shine much."
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