As the days passed, Ye Chen's stats showed slight improvements.
Thanks to half a month of strength training, his strength attribute increased from 64 to 66âan impressive result!
In addition, his attacking ability, ball control, and dribbling each increased by one point. Ground passing saw a three-point improvement! His defensive skills jumped from 37 to 43...
De Bruyne gave Ye Chen quite a tough time during one-on-one drills. In response, Ye Chen not only improved his defensive abilities but also made sure to return the favor!
After more than ten days of training, Ye Chen's overall rating rose from 83 to 84!
With this rating, he could rank in the top tenâno, maybe the top twentyâin the Bundesliga. After all, Bayern alone had three players rated above 90...
However, what excited Ye Chen the most was the progress made by Wang Chu and Mane.
Despite a long break from matches, Wang Chu's talent remained intact. Now fully recovered from his injury, his training intensity was steadily increasing. By the start of the season, he would likely begin in the second team to adjust to the rhythm of the games.
As for Mane, he was ready to join the first team.
De Bruyne didn't need much discussionâthough he was only 20 and hadn't proven himself in the top five leagues yet, Ye Chen believed he was on par with Gundogan.
Gundogan was already a regular rotational player for the first team, so De Bruyne should have no trouble fitting into the rotation.
Ultimately, the final decisions would be up to Klopp.
The team's forward, Barrios, had reached an agreement with Guangzhou Evergrande, transferring for â¬8.5 million. The club also published a farewell announcement for Barrios.
Back home, the news caused an uproar.
Who was Barrios? A player in his prime from one of Europe's top five leagues!
His arrival demonstrated the growing influence of the Chinese Super League (CSL).
Evergrande had paid a hefty price for thisâhis annual salary was â¬8.5 million...
Even Ye Chen could only look up to such earnings.
It was no wonder many players wanted to play in the CSL.
Despite dominating in the Bundesliga and collecting various bonuses, Ye Chen's total income was around â¬4 million. Meanwhile, Barrios was earning â¬8.5 million!
Adding goal bonuses and championship bonuses, the numbers skyrocketed.
Unlike the original timeline, Barrios joined Evergrande six months earlier. Whether he would eventually leave China the same way remained uncertain.
Nevertheless, his arrival was thrilling.
Barrios was the first world-class player in his prime to join the CSL directly from a top-five European league.
He was also a key player for a European champion team.
Moreover, Barrios had been a starting player for a World Cup quarterfinal team.
These titles made Barrios the most talked-about player in Guangzhou.
Even if coach Lee Jang-soo wasn't particularly impressed by him, that didn't matter.
At Barrios' first press conference, over 100 reporters from across the country attended.
When asked why he chose to join the CSL at 27, Barrios smiled. "Ye's words inspired me. I know what lies ahead, so I will work as hard as Ye Chen to earn my place in the starting lineup."
The reason Barrios left Dortmund was simpleâhe was suffocated by competition from Ye Chen and Lewandowski.
Ye Chen's relentless drive even cut Lewandowski's vacation short, bringing him back to the club earlier.
The first team players were originally scheduled to return on January 9, but by January 3, everyone was already back!
No one could slack off with Ye Chen setting the pace.
With â¬10 million left to spend, Klopp wanted to buy a center-back for the squad. But the problem was that good defenders weren't for sale, and the club didn't want mediocre ones.
After all, they were competing on three fronts in the second half of the season, including the Champions League.
The center-back needed to be solid...
So, Klopp approached Ye Chen again. "Ye, we need a center-back who can play the ball out from the back. Any recommendations?"
A ball-playing center-back?
Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "How much is the club willing to spend?"
"Anything under â¬10 million."
Ye Chen wasn't familiar with the transfer market, but he knew which players would shine in the future.
The issue was that players who become great aren't always great now.
Take Rüdiger, for example. At 18, his potential was limited.
But Ye Chen wasn't thinking about Rüdigerâhe was thinking about Virgil van Dijk!
If Mane and Salah were Klopp's attacking forces, van Dijk was the shield protecting the defense.
Since they already poached Mane, why not go for van Dijk too?
Ye Chen hesitated briefly. "Boss, I'm not too sure about center-backs, but I've heard of someone named Virgil van Dijk. You could check him out. He's Dutchâthat's about all I know."
"Van Dijk?" Klopp frowned slightly. "Alright, leave the rest to me."
Dortmund's scouts soon found the player Ye Chen mentioned.
But when Klopp saw van Dijk's report, he hesitated.
"These stats?"
Forget it.
At 21, van Dijk was just a young player breaking into the first team with inconsistent performances.
The scouts even discovered he had started his youth career at 19, previously working as a dishwasher at a restaurant...
Dortmund's Dutch scout concluded that van Dijk could potentially play in the 2. Bundesliga, with a chance to become a backup in the Bundesliga.
Signing him wasn't recommended.
Eventually, Klopp dropped the idea and looked elsewhere.
Ye Chen wasn't fazed by Klopp's decision.
After all, his role was merely to suggest. If they didn't want the future best center-back in the world, that was their choice!
Meanwhile, Adidas delivered Ye Chen's custom Loong-No.1 sneakers and shot several promotional photos.
The word "dragon" translates to "loong" to avoid the connotations of evil associated with "dragon."
Explaining "loong" as "Chinese seraphim" made the most sense.
Ye Chen emphasized this distinction. The sneakers were primarily yellow, matching Dortmund's kit, with a soaring dragon design on the frontâpowerful and majestic.
Most importantly... these shoes, customized through Ye Chen's system, boosted his attributes!
Adidas, of course, knew nothing about that.
The system had truly thought of everything.