Fox in the Penalty Area

The players of Leeds City finished the two-hour training in the morning. After bathing and changing in the locker room, they came to the restaurant to eat together. After lunch, they would go to the rest area prepared for them by the club to take a nap.

This is a new rule made after the new coach Tony Clark took office.

Before that, many players would drive home after training in the morning, go out to eat and shop with their wives, children, and girlfriends, and then drive back to the training base in the afternoon to continue training in the afternoon.

Lauren Galley doesn't care what they do in the hours between morning practice and afternoon practice.

He once publicly said that as long as his players can devote themselves to training, he doesn't mind even if they go back to have a fight with his women at noon.

Is it true that there will be players who use the little break at noon to have sex with their women?

No one knows, but at least when Lauren Galley was in charge, the atmosphere in Leeds City was indeed relatively relaxed, even a little...loose.

Of course, many fans and players of Leeds City like this relaxed atmosphere, which makes them feel as comfortable as they are in their own home.

They called Gary, who liked to smoke, "Papa," and they joked around in front of him casually, and Gary didn't care—as long as he didn't lose. He promises to slap everyone in the locker room on a loss and make them fully understand why he's the "dad" of all the players.

When Tony Clark replaced Gary, he promulgated a series of new disciplinary regulations on the team, from diet to work and rest. It is necessary to take a nap-for this reason, the club has specially opened up a space in the building and installed two rows of bunk beds to ensure that each first-team player has his own bed.

The original relaxed atmosphere disappeared, and the players were very uncomfortable. Some people secretly miss "Daddy" Gary, some people want to leave...

Under such circumstances, the team's performance can be good.

However, the club's senior management seems to be determined to stand on Tony Clark's side this time. After they dealt with the two players who openly disagreed with Tony Clark during the winter break, everyone knew about it. One point-unless you have already found a home, you can only accept the new coach's new rules in the team.

Although the current head coach has been cut a lot, in the English team, the head coach still has a lot of power. Fighting against the head coach, except for the top stars, there is no good fruit for anyone else.

like life,

If you can't resist, just "enjoy" it...

At least now, many players are used to taking a nap consciously after morning training.

After all, after a good night's sleep, many of them will indeed feel that they will be more energetic when they train in the afternoon, and the training effect will be better than before.

※※※

Pete Williams followed his teammates into the restaurant, and saw a lot of media reporters in a corner of the restaurant. They were shooting, and the cameras in their hands were all aimed at a person sitting by the window.

Then he heard his teammates whispering.

"Look, that person is the heart of our coach..."

"That Chinese player?"

"Who else could it be?"

"WOW, this scene, I thought it was an England international coming?"

"It is said that he is a genius who was favored by the King of Madrid and the Catalan United at the same time..."

"Why did such a powerful genius come to us? Leeds City is more attractive than the two giants in La Liga? When did Leeds City become so powerful?"

"No way, Mr. Hodge gave too much..."

"Ha ha……"

Pete Williams did not participate in the teasing of the new player by his teammates. He just glanced at the figure and waited in line for the meal with his head down.

A look of indifference.

Compared with his own contract renewal, a newly joined teammate did not attract his attention.

Farrek Quinn behind him has been staring at the Chinese player.

※※※

Hu Lai, who was chatting with Nevin Ball, sensed that someone was looking at him, so he looked up.

When Nevin Ball saw this, he turned his head and saw the first-team players walking in: "Ah, the team training is over, just in time, I called Lorenzo to meet you, he is the captain of the team After handing you over to him, I have nothing to do."

As he spoke, he got up and walked towards the group of players, and after a few words with a bald beard in the crowd, the bald beard followed Nevin Ball over.

Hu Lai stood up quickly.

"Hello, young man." The bald beard spoke English with a slight tongue, "I am Lorenzo Esposito, the captain of this team. Although this occasion is a bit informal, I I still want to welcome you to Leeds."

He grabbed Hu Lai's outstretched hand and shook it.

"Hello, captain, my name is Hu Lai, my surname is Hu, and my first name is Lai. You can call me Hu or Hu Lai." Hu Lai also introduced himself.

Next to them, Chinese journalists and CCTV cameras captured the entire scene.

"You speak English very fluently..." Lorenzo showed a surprised expression after hearing Hu Lai's self-introduction, "I have been here for four years to speak like this. By the way, I am Italian. An Italian I am the captain of an English team, so you don't have to worry at all, even though you are the first Chinese player in our team's history of nearly a hundred years... Our Leeds City is an inclusive group, and there are Englishmen in our team , Scots, Dutch, Spaniards, Italians, Germans, Cameroonians... Now we have one more Chinese. That's good, world peace."

Lorenzo and Hu Lai sat down to chat, while Nevin went to help the captain pick up the meal.

At the table, he was asked by the players: "Mr. Ball, is that our new teammate?"

"Of course. He just arrived in Leeds yesterday." Ball answered the players' questions while waiting for the meal.

"It's the first time I've seen a new player bring a camera crew with him..." Some players spoke a little bitterly.

Nevin Ball glanced at him: "Little Qiao, do you know how many fans Hu has in China?"

The player who spoke, Joe Taylor, asked, "How much?"

Bauer raised two fingers: "Twenty million."

Taylor opened his mouth wide, and the other Leeds City players around him also showed surprised expressions.

Mikay van der Ven exclaimed in a low voice: "My God... What is the concept of 20 million?"

Bauer said: "Fortunately, it's probably two million more than the total population of your country, the Netherlands."

Van der Ven fell silent.

Ball shrugged: "Don't look at him as a rookie here, but in his own country, he is a well-known superstar. Why are those photographers around him? Because Chinese fans can't wait to know how he is here with us." Everything. They even made a documentary on him on national television, just to document him coming to Leeds from China."

Everyone else, including Joe Taylor, had nothing to say.

After listening to the football director's words, Pete Williams looked up at the figure again.

Farrek Quinn snorted lightly.

※※※

When Lorenzo and Hu Lai were talking, the latter's attention was almost all on Lorenzo's hands, they kept waving in front of his eyes, changing various gestures, just like in "Naruto" It's hard not to pay attention to the seal.

He remembered a joke: When you tie the hands of Italians, it is equivalent to blocking their mouths.

Now he feels that this is not a joke, it is true...

To Hu Lai's surprise, the captain, who looked a bit fierce on the outside, was very talkative. He didn't know whether he was speaking so hard to prevent Hu Lai, a newcomer, from feeling nervous and embarrassed, or he just liked talking so much.

Anyway, thanks to the Italian chatter, there was no cold water between the two men until Nevin Ball returned.

"It seems that you guys had a good chat, so I'm relieved." The football director handed the plate to Lorenzo, "Lorenzo, you are the captain, I'll leave Hu to you."

"Don't worry, Mr. Ball. I was worried that Hu couldn't speak English, so it would be troublesome for him to communicate with the team, but now the biggest obstacle no longer exists. It is not too big to be able to communicate smoothly and integrate into the team The problem."

"That's good. I won't bother you, you can talk slowly." After Nevin Ball finished speaking, he patted Hu Lai's shoulder lightly, got up and left.

Lorenzo Esposito watched the director of football leave, turned to Hou Lai and said: "Come on, I will introduce you to the players now. Don't worry, the lads are great, we are a small team Well, a small team also has the advantage of a small team, that is, everyone is relatively simple. If you are a wealthy...some local gang, or some foreign team, you have to choose a side first when you join the team, otherwise you can't play well... "

"Listen to you, Captain." Hu Lai followed Lorenzo to his feet.

He has long noticed that some of those players always look this way from time to time.

The CCTV crew also wanted to keep up with the shooting, but was stopped by Lorenzo's hand. He shook his head and said, "Sorry, I'm afraid the players don't want to have a camera around, it makes them feel uncomfortable."

The photographer shot Hu Lai a look for help, and Hu Lai also shook his head: "If the captain says no, then he can't."

Lorenzo glanced at Hu Lai, as if he was satisfied with his reply.

"Then I'm going to shoot here? If I don't go there, I just take a panorama, and I can't record what you said..." The photographer fought hard for his work.

Hu Lai translated what he said to Lorenzo, who thought about it after hearing it, and then shrugged: "No problem."

So the photographer can only sit in the original position and shoot from a distance.

In the camera, Hou Lai followed Lorenzo to the table of the Leeds City players. Under Lorenzo's introduction, he shook hands and high-fived his new teammates one by one.

Someone would pat him on the shoulder and say hello.

Others simply shake hands.

Of course, this does not represent the Leeds City players' preference for Hu Lai, maybe it's just that some people are more introverted.

For example, Pete Williams, who just shook hands with Hu Lai, seems to be troubled by the contract renewal negotiations with the club recently. He is in a sluggish state and his mood is not very high. When facing Hu Lai, the natural attitude is neither salty nor weak.

It's not that he doesn't like Hu Lai, and it doesn't mean that he has any conflicts with Hu Lai...

※※※

After meeting and saying hello to all the first-team teammates who did not come to training except for injuries, Hu Lai did not stay in the restaurant. He bid farewell to everyone and left the training base.

He will not officially start his training with Leeds City until tomorrow, and naturally he will not have to stay at the training base in the afternoon.

In the afternoon, he will go to see the house with Uncle Yong.

While it's not yet known what the future holds in Leeds, staying in hotels is not a long-term solution.

Find the house as soon as possible, move in, and life will be on the right track.

Sitting in the car, Yong Jun asked Hu Lai: "How do you feel about your new teammates? Do you think they are easy to get along with?"

"That's it... How can you tell if you get along well, Uncle Yong?" Hu Lai shook his head while playing with his mobile phone, "But the captain doesn't seem to be a difficult person to get along with."

"Falek Quinn, do you have any impression?" Yong Jun asked again.

At the mention of this name, Hu Lai put down his phone and nodded: "Yes, that person has been staring at me as if he was going to eat me."

"Do you know why he looks at you like that?"

Hu Lai replied casually: "I stole his girlfriend?"

Yong Jun coughed and reminded Hu Lai that there was a camera next to him.

The photographer, who seldom talks at work, quickly explained: "It's okay, it's okay. We will cut it later..."

Hu Lai suddenly said: "Ah, I almost forgot that I have a camera around me. I have to get used to what I do and what I say will be seen by others. Maybe someone is watching us at this moment." Speaking of this, Hu Lai Len turned to look at the camera lens.

This made the photographer shrink back a little. It seemed that Hu Lai's eyes could penetrate the machine and his own penetration and reach a very distant place.

"Stop talking nonsense, Hu Lai. Quinn really doesn't like you, it's because he thinks you drove away his good friend." Yong Jun explained.

Hu Lai spread his hands together: "Shut me up..."

He wanted to say "None of my business", but fortunately he remembered that there was a camera in time. If he completely let himself go and showed his "true self", it is estimated that there would be very few materials that could be used in the end.

So he quickly changed his words: "What's none of my business?"

"After the Flash Star Club increased your transfer fee, Leeds City had to sell players in order to raise transfer funds and meet UEFA's financial requirements on the one hand. So in this winter transfer window they sold the original ball The striker Lorraine Peretz was sold for 7 million pounds. Peretz is very popular in Leeds City, and Quinn has the best relationship with him. And you happen to be strikers with Peretz , so I think Quinn may think that you squeezed his good friend away..."

Yong Jun is not the kind of agent who only incites players to fight against the club, and threatens the club to raise his salary on the grounds of transfer. He still put in a lot of effort to understand the team that Hu Lai is about to play for.

After all, it is a Premier League team, and some information can be collected with dim sum.

After listening to Yong Jun's narration and speculation, Hu Lai sighed: "'Office politics' is everywhere. I just want to have a good time..."

"Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. There is no word 'jianghu' abroad, but it doesn't mean that there are no such things, it's just not called by this name."

"It's true... I think when I first went to Flash Star, it was thanks to Lao Wang who knew me and helped me a lot. He introduced me to teammates who had a good relationship with him, so that I could integrate into the team smoothly. Team. And this time in Leeds City, there will be no Laowang."

Hu Lai in the camera spoke softly, not sure if he was talking to Yong Jun or talking to himself.

Yong Jun, who was sitting in the co-pilot, looked back at Hu Lai: "What, are you scared?"

"That's not true." Hu Lai chuckled, "Uncle Yong, football is very simple. If you perform well, people will like you and support you. If you perform poorly, what's the use of being popular? For example, you The attitude of the Leeds City fans who analyzed me before, they may not like me very much because they don’t understand or for other reasons, so what? Can they not cheer for me when I score a goal for the team? ?”

Yong Jun gave him a thumbs up: "I'm relieved if you think so, Hu Lai."

On the plane to England, Yong Jun used the time on the trip to give Hu Lai a good analysis of the problems he would face when joining Leeds City. The point is that he and head coach Tony Clark are tied together, and the two of them have both flourished and lost. Therefore, the fans of Leeds City may not like him very much. Let Hu Lai have to be mentally prepared. The outside world is far from being as good as the media and fans expected. There may be a turbulent undercurrent hidden under the sunny surface , The pressure he endured was far greater than when he was playing football in Xingxing... It can even be said that he was actually well protected in Xingxing, and he has not seen much of the cruel side of this society.

"Hey, Uncle Yong, you underestimate me. I used to be in a more difficult situation than I am now..." Hu Lai pouted. "In the last game, no one in the team passed the ball to me, but didn't I score in the end? I thought about it when I came out. If I didn't get along well, I really wouldn't go back. Even if Uncle Dong said that Flash Star would always welcome me, I would not going back."

After finishing speaking, he turned to the camera and said, "This is really not an advertisement."

Seeing that Hu Lai was thinking so thoroughly, Yong Jun had nothing to say.

The car suddenly became quiet, and Hu Lai's mobile phone's WeChat new message notification sound was highlighted.

He lowered his head and turned on his phone. It was everyone in the "Friends" group @ him.

"Hu Lai, what's the situation with you? I saw someone on the Internet saying that you have already met with the players from Leeds City?"

"How is it? Is the new team friendly?"

"Did they racially discriminate against you?"

With a smile on Hu Lai's face, he bowed his head and typed on his mobile phone: "I am so popular that everyone loves flowers and sees flowers in cars. Of course, it is very popular! Let me tell you, they are all impressed by my personality charm ! If I hadn't kept myself clean, they would have even taken me to drink flower wine..."

Chen Xingyi: "Damn it, Hu Lai, just brag about it! Do foreigners know what 'flower wine' is?"

"Why don't you know? Isn't the pool party just about flower wine? I just translated it into a language you can understand. Little Xingxing, you've been learning from Brother Huan all day long, and you don't even know this?"

Zhang Qinghuan: "Hu Lai, what are you... What's wrong with me?"

"Oh, I haven't heard this sentence for a long time. When I think that I am in the UK and can't hear Brother Huan's classic lines, I feel a little lost..."

Chen Xingyi: "Wow, I didn't expect Hu Lai to be M!"

Wang Guangwei: "What does M mean?"

Chen Xingyi: "Old Wang, don't pretend!"

"Old Wang, you can ask Morikawa, he must have done some research."

Junpei Morikawa sent an emoji: I don't, I'm not, don't talk nonsense.

Zhang Qinghuan: "Hu Lai, next time you want to be scolded, just say it directly, don't beat around the bush like this! If you want, I can record ten minutes of foul language characteristic of our capital, and make it your cell phone ringtone and alarm clock ringtone. Then I will listen to you every day. Brother Huan, who misses you, wakes up with swear words, and I promise you will be full of energy throughout the day..."

After speaking, he really recorded a voice and sent it over.

As soon as Hu Lai opened it, he heard Brother Huan's familiar voice: "Hu Lai, what the hell..."

He slapped his thigh in the car and laughed.

Yong Jun, who was sitting in the front co-pilot, couldn't help shaking his head and laughing when he heard Qing Huan's familiar voice.

Then he turned his head and looked out the car window. The sky outside was still gloomy, but it was just an ordinary cloudy sky without any metaphor.

Oh, by the way.

Later, in the aired documentary, this segment turned into concern for friends. Hu Lai replied on WeChat: "Thank you brothers for your concern. Everything is fine here. You also have to work hard in China. Let's work together." effort!"

After Hu Lai put down his phone in the picture, he turned his head and looked out the car window with a confident smile on his face.