"Genius Player Fan Tao: 1 Goal, 1 Assist, Crushing the Arch-Rivals!"
"Round Moon Scimitar Reappears in Derby, the Next Beckham is About to Emerge!"
"Arrogant or Ignorant? Young Player Fan Tao Publicly Insults Reporter."
"Lack of Discipline, Fan Tao's Future is Concerning!"
After the Derby, various news stories emerged endlessly; lower-tier League had not been this lively in a long time.
The head coach blasted the referee, an 18-year-old player traded barbs with a reporter, and a 3-1 comeback in the Derby—each was an excellent topic.
This also led to Fan Tao's name reaching the ears of Hamburg's front office.
Hamburg First Team, Head Coach's Office.
"Tietz, you really should consider it carefully."
At the desk, chief performance analyst Hu Ruian handed over a report, and First Team head coach Tietz took it with a frown.
The operations of Hamburg First Team's transfer window were largely satisfactory, but there was a lack of substitutes on both wings. Tietz had been asking management for a left-back who could defend.
The current starter was Douglas, a Brazil attacking demon, but he was a defensive sieve. Tietz hoped to get a rotation player, but management had not yet fulfilled his request.
Perhaps it was because he was the culprit for Hamburg's relegation, but he was not convinced. Last season, the team was plagued by injuries, and by the end of the season, there was once no one available. If management had been willing to bring in two more substitutes, they would never have fallen to this point.
Tietz turned his gaze to the scout report, hoping it was a guy who could defend.
He didn't know until he looked, and when he looked, he was shocked. How could it be a Second Team player, and a young kid who had just been promoted from the youth team?
Tietz looked at Hu Ruian: "I hope you're not joking with me. I need players who can provide immediate combat effectiveness right now. You know our goal this season is the championship, to be promoted to the Bundesliga! I don't have time to develop young players."
"Woah! Woah!" Hu Ruian pressed his palms down, signaling Tietz not to get agitated. "My dear coach, you know the current situation. Management clearly doesn't want to increase the transfer budget, and besides, we've already signed three people this window. Next, we can only prospect in the Second Team and youth team. This young man named Fan Tao is very good. I've sent you the video; you can watch it in your email."
Tietz sighed. Being relegated meant no human rights. Management only made the minimum necessary reinforcements; it was already good enough if they filled the roster.
Alright, he would take a look. Tietz still trusted Hu Ruian, after all, they had worked together for several years.
He opened Fan Tao's match video.
Oh, it was a city Derby. He knew St. Pauli, after all, they were arch-rivals. The Second Team also had a few good players.
As he watched, he frowned and muttered, "Why doesn't he defend? Why doesn't he defend? Huh? Why did he start defending again?"
The more he watched, the more something felt off. Tietz had never seen this kind of player. Lazy players were common; they just needed a scolding.
But Fan Tao was different. He was indeed strolling, but his head was constantly moving back and forth, as if observing the situation. And his positioning seemed very sharp; he could always appear in the correct position.
Until the second half.
Tietz's pupils suddenly constricted: "How did he know the opponent was going to pass back? He made a steal just like that, interesting. This kid's passing is really good, it's just that the ball speed is too slow. It would be mercilessly intercepted in the Bundesliga, but it's barely enough for the 2. Bundesliga."
As the match came to an close, Tietz saw that final volley.
That figure with his shirt torn, running resolutely into the penalty area, that kid who shot without hesitation, indeed had a bit of a superstar aura.
Not bad, this kid was indeed quite good. He was enough to be a substitute. It was just that his midfield was a bit crowded. If possible, he hoped for a defensive midfielder or a full-back.
"How is he? This kid is good, right!" Hu Ruian looked at Tietz as if seeking praise.
"He certainly has a lot of potential, but he doesn't defend, which doesn't fit my tactical system." Tietz sharply raised the most critical issue.
Tietz's tactical style was dominated by possession and passing, requiring players to actively move and make dynamic connections. This tactic placed very high demands on players, requiring an excellent technical midfielder to orchestrate the entire game.
Fan Tao indeed belonged to this type of midfielder, but he was just a rookie freshly promoted from the youth team. The current core of the First Team was Holtby, a 26-year-old technical midfielder who played as an attacking midfielder, strong in creativity, sharp with through balls, and defensively competent, belonging to the all-around warrior type.
Why would Tietz abandon such a useful immediate combat force and instead develop an 18-year-old Fan Tao?
Hu Ruian fell silent. Indeed, he had been a bit too excited after seeing Fan Tao's potential and had not considered the team's current situation.
Tietz was under great pressure. If the new season started poorly, Tietz would be fired immediately and replaced with a new head coach. After relegation, Tietz being able to continue leading the team was already the management's greatest tolerance.
In the world of football, results speak.
"How about promoting him to the First Team for training, but still having him play with the Second Team?" Hu Ruian asked tentatively.
"That's fine. I'll also give this young man some advice when I have time, but you know, my energy can only be focused on the main players right now." Tietz leaned back, sighing, "The new season, it's going to be tough!"
Meanwhile, Fan Tao was on the training ground.
His attributes had slightly improved, basically by 1-2 points, but this was already very fast, as only 4 days had passed since the last match.
Fan Tao discovered that participating in more matches would make his attributes improve faster.
Most importantly, his skill bar had been updated.
【Round Moon Scimitar (Proficiency: 40%)】
【Eagle Eye (Proficiency: 50%)】
The new skill had higher proficiency than the old skill.
Fan Tao boldly guessed that skill proficiency was related to his attributes and practice volume. Fan Tao's vision had already reached 87, so the initial proficiency of 【Eagle Eye】 was high.
As for 【Round Moon Scimitar】, it was related to passing power and accuracy. His current level was only 3. Liga. To play in the 2. Bundesliga with the First Team, he would need to practice it to at least over 60.
Fan Tao had also tested the 40% proficiency. On the training ground, he could occasionally deliver exquisite long passes, but most of them lacked accuracy, either too far or too short. Without the system's accuracy bonus, such long passes were too risky.
But Fan Tao's teammates didn't think so. They were more inclined to believe that Fan Tao was out of form, after all, in the previous two matches, he had accurately passed the ball to his teammates' feet.
From time to time, one could hear on the training ground:
"What a pity!"
"Almost!"
"Oh, I ran too slowly!"
"My bad, my bad!"
Ever since Fan Tao became the tactical core of the Second Team, several forwards would occasionally gather around Fan Tao, and during every attacking drill, they would actively take the blame.
Especially Bollas, that honest kid, what he said most often now was "I ran too slowly," "I ran too fast," "My bad."
Fan Tao looked at the Round Moon Scimitar that flew into the corner flag area. He really wanted to tell Bollas, "You're not Rooney. That ball was clearly overhit by me."
The afternoon training session ended.
Schweinsteiger called Fan Tao over: "You don't need to play in the next friendly match. Get some good rest."
Fan Tao frowned, realizing that things were not simple: "I don't need to rest. I rested very well on the field."
Schweinsteiger recalled Fan Tao's running distance of less than 6km in the previous match, "..."
"You're 18, right?"
"Yes, I officially turned 18 last month."
"Did you pass the skills certificate exam?"
"I passed."
"Good. Go handle your graduation in the next two days. Then, the First Team head coach Tietz wants to see you. I've scheduled it for the day after tomorrow at 10 AM."
Fan Tao said in surprise: "Mr. Tietz wants to see me? What for?"
Schweinsteiger said seriously: "It's very likely to promote you to the First Team. Be polite and positive when you go."
"That's not right." Fan Tao tilted his head, looking at Schweinsteiger with a surprised expression, "Boss, you just said at the press conference that it wasn't time for me to go to the First Team yet?"
Schweinsteiger shook his head helplessly: "I'm just the Second Team head coach. This kind of thing isn't up to me."
He suddenly became serious: "But I still believe this now, Fan. You are a very promising player. You need more match experience. Going to the First Team so early to sit on the bench is not a good thing. I hope Mr. Tietz will let you come to the Second Team to participate in matches."
To be honest, Fan Tao didn't want to leave the Second Team so early either. He had just gotten familiar with his teammates here, and the head coach also valued him greatly. He wasn't truly 18 years old and impetuously eager to fight for a spot in the First Team.
Schweinsteiger saw Fan Tao's reluctance and comforted him: "No matter what, training with the First Team will benefit you. The new pitch there is very comfortable to run on." He looked at the sky, seemingly lost in thought, "Fan, run more. Perhaps those extra few hundred kilometers will determine whether you can reach a bigger stage."
