Turbulent transfer market

The summer of 2006 in European football was destined to be anything but calm. The just-concluded World Cup and the shocking "Calciopoli" scandal had led many well-known players to embark on new career paths.

Juventus, destined for relegation, saw many key players leave. Cannavaro and Emerson headed to Real Madrid, while Thuram transferred to Barcelona for €5 million.

The iron-blooded defense of the 34-year-old veteran of the Bianconeri left a deep impression on Wang Feng. This year, he also successfully made it into FIFA's annual Best Defensive lineup.

Another Juventus midfield core, Vieira, moved to Inter Milan, currently the only top Italian club unaffected by the scandal. It seemed that the league's situation was very favorable for Inter Milan, even without Wang Feng, they remained the only candidates for the league title.

Among those making the same choice was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who transferred to Inter Milan for €24.8 million. However, as a forward, the pressure on him was much greater than on Vieira. With Wang Feng shining in the front, he needed to deliver a dominant performance to overshadow the influence of the Chinese superstar on the fans.

"Ibrahimovic is too arrogant!" Ribery said to Wang Feng over the phone, "He acts very coldly as soon as he arrives, as if he doesn't care about anyone, and even has conflicts with Adriano."

"Inter Milan has brought in too many people. The atmosphere in the locker room is far worse than when you were there."

Wang Feng comforted the Frenchman, saying, "Frank, Zlatan is not difficult to get along with. He's just a bit embarrassed now because he came to Inter Milan after being defeated, so he's pretending to be cool."

"If you want to grow into a team's core, you must adapt to the complex locker room situation. As long as you can dominate on the field, naturally you will gain fans and improve the locker room environment."

"With the current situation in Serie A and Inter Milan, I don't think it's difficult for you. Good luck in the new season!"

AC Milan's situation was slightly better than Juventus'. Most of their main players remained, especially Kaka, who, after much consideration, chose to stay with the Rossoneri.

Although according to the initial judgment, the club would not be able to participate in European competitions next season, and they started the league with a disadvantage due to point deductions, they were actively appealing, hoping to regain their Champions League qualification.

AC Milan's tactical arrangements and salary treatment satisfied Kaka very much. He wasn't sure if he could find another club as suitable as this one.

Chasing after Wang Feng seemed almost impossible now. Sometimes the Brazilian pessimistically thought that even on such a dominant stage as the World Cup, he was still defeated by the opponent. Brazil, with its luxurious lineup, only reached the quarter-finals, while the significantly weaker China, under Wang Feng's leadership, made it to the semi-finals.

However, he still had goals to strive for. Even if he couldn't catch up with Wang Feng, he at least wanted to help AC Milan rise again. He believed that this former powerhouse would not be beaten down by current setbacks.

The decline of Serie A made other major European leagues eager to compete for the top spot. Among them, La Liga and the Premier League were the most competitive.

Compared to the duel between the giants of La Liga, the competition in the Premier League was even more intense. Traditional powerhouses like Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool were already formidable, and Chelsea, who had just defended their Premier League title, were even more dominant.

Under Mourinho's guidance, this team won two league titles and a Champions League title, but Chelsea owner Abramovich was still not entirely satisfied.

He hoped the team would emulate the beautiful attacking football of Real Madrid and Barcelona, rather than the "ugly" continuous defense. Hence, he and coach Mourinho had clear differences in transfer policy.

Mourinho preferred to bring in midfield and defensive players to further stabilize the team's defense and rotation ability. However, Abramovich brought in Ballack through a free transfer, and how to integrate him into the existing lineup would be Mourinho's biggest problem.

After two years of failures, Manchester United finally addressed their defensive issues, bringing in Serbian defender Vidic from Spartak Moscow for £7 million.

Then they brought back French full-back Evra from Monaco for £5.5 million. Vidic and Ferdinand formed an ironclad central defense, and Evra was excellent at defending.

Of course, Manchester United still had the problem of crowded forwards. Van Nistelrooy had a strong conflict with coach Ferguson at the end of last season, and his playing time was completely occupied by Ronaldo!

So the Dutchman decisively sought a transfer. Real Madrid was initially the first choice, but with the Galaxy's purchase of Wang Feng, Florentino also didn't want the forward line to be overcrowded, so there were no plans to sign a forward for now.

He could only negotiate with Barcelona, the archenemy of Real Madrid. At this time, Barcelona's transfer plans included Chelsea forward Gudjohnsen. After several rounds of evaluation, Barcelona ultimately chose the more famous Van Nistelrooy, paying Manchester United a transfer fee of €15 million.

After his outstanding performance in the World Cup, Dong Fangzhuo had the opportunity to apply for a work permit. He could play for Manchester United next season. Although Ferguson said he really liked the Chinese youngster, he was not willing to promise him playing time. Combined with Van Nistelrooy's situation, Ferguson was not very optimistic about Dong Fangzhuo's development at Manchester United.

So they officially started contacting other interested teams. Premier League clubs such as Blackburn, West Ham, and Everton, as well as Ligue 1 clubs like Bordeaux and Lens, and Bundesliga clubs like Nuremberg and Mainz, all showed interest in Dong Fangzhuo.

Dong Fangzhuo himself was not very satisfied with these clubs either. At 21, he hoped to become a regular player rather than waste away on the bench. But none of these clubs were willing to promise the young player playing time.

At this time, Balmond showed his strength as an excellent negotiator. After continuous efforts and negotiations, he finally managed to get an offer of £6 million from Eredivisie's AZ Alkmaar to take Dong Fangzhuo away and was willing to stipulate his playing time in the contract.

This offer was enough to impress Manchester United. After all, when they signed Dong Fangzhuo, they only spent £3.5 million, and all his training was completed at Antwerp, so Manchester United had no losses.

"Wang, do you think it's really advantageous for me to leave the Premier League and go to the Eredivisie to play?" Dong Fangzhuo hesitantly asked Wang Feng over the phone.

"Although it may seem hard to accept, it's a great choice for you," Wang Feng said. "The Premier League's competition is too fierce, and your body needs to gradually adapt. If you sit on the bench for a long time and only get a slight chance to play, not only will you not perform or improve, but you'll also be at risk of injury."

"The Eredivisie is different. They excel in technique, and the level of competition is weaker than the Premier League. Moreover, you can take on the responsibility of being a regular player and constantly improve your skills."

"You're only 21 this year. After three or four years when your skills mature, you'll have a chance to return to the top five leagues and establish yourself. Besides, AZ Alkmaar is also a strong team in the Eredivisie, and next season they can participate in the Champions League qualification playoffs."

Hearing Wang Feng's words, Dong Fangzhuo finally let go of his hesitations and decided to join the Eredivisie team. Moreover, he frequently communicated in Dutch last season in Belgium, so there would be no language barrier for him at AZ Alkmaar.

Apart from Dong Fangzhuo, another standout player from the World Cup, Zheng Zhi, received interest from many European clubs. He ultimately joined Charlton Athletic in the Premier League for £2 million.