Chapter 148: Exquisite cooperation
Hert said, "With Ribéry's level, he should have more than enough ability to be a starter in Ligue 1. It's just unfortunate he didn't get the chance. But there are quite a few scouts watching him, I even saw people from Bayern."
Moratti frowned and asked, "Hector, what do you think? Ribéry's position is also on the wing, right? Won't there be an overlap with Wang Feng's role?"
Cooper carefully examined the scout report and said, "That shouldn't be an issue. However, if he joins, we'll need to adjust our tactics a bit. Wang Feng has strong finishing abilities, so there should be some collaboration between him and Ribéry."
Moratti responded, "Then let's get him! Whether it's useful or not, has Ales made an offer for him?"
Hert said, "I haven't contacted that club yet, but based on their historical experience, the transfer fee won't exceed 100,000 euros."
Moratti chuckled, "I've never bought a player with such a low price before. Contact them and try to catch the winter transfer window."
Hert nodded and immediately headed to France to start the transfer negotiations.
The negotiations went smoothly. Udinese, which was already on the brink of bankruptcy, was delighted that a top club like Inter Milan was interested. In the end, they sold Ribéry for 80,000 euros. On the player's side, Ribéry chose Wang Feng's agent as his new representative. Under the operation of Balmond, he would officially join Inter Milan when the winter transfer window opened.
For Ribéry, everything seemed unbelievable. He was playing in the third division just a while ago, and now he was about to land in Serie A?
"It's nothing," Wang Feng said over the phone. "I remember when I joined Genk in the winter window and then made a breakthrough. It's a good sign."
Later on, after hearing this news, Marco Hax, a scout from Bayern Munich, called the club's technical director, Jean-Morganfield, and said, "The Ribéry we were eyeing has been taken to Inter Milan."
Morganfield was surprised, "Didn't they say nobody was paying attention to this player? Can we just let him develop in France for a few more years?"
"Inter Milan, their vision is really vicious. A player like Wang Feng is already the most valuable signing. In less than two years, his value has multiplied several times."
Morganfield asked, "Do you want to contact Inter Milan and discuss the issue of acquiring Ribéry? If he performs well at Inter, buying him later will cost a lot more."
Hax thought for a moment and rejected the proposal, "We're just gambling as well. If we propose a trade now, Inter Milan will definitely ask for a high price. The uncertainty is too great. Let's wait and see."
Hax nodded with regret. In his heart, Ribéry was absolutely more suitable for Bayern Munich. He could even become the core of Bayern Munich's future attack! But he couldn't say such things directly. As a scout, he could only collect information for the club, and the decision-making still had to be made by the higher-ups.
On the evening of November 11, 2002, in the 9th round of Serie A, Inter Milan finally faced a tough opponent at home, Udinese, from the northeast of Italy.
This team, which was on the brink of relegation just last year, unexpectedly became a dark horse, currently occupying fifth place in the league standings, and striving for a spot in the Champions League, thanks to the decline of traditional powerhouses and scientific reinforcement this summer.
At the beginning of the match, Udinese gave Inter Milan a tough challenge. In the 11th minute of the first half, J?rgensen assisted Yankel to score the opening goal for the away team.
After that, they retreated to defend en masse, determined to maintain this one-goal lead until the end of the game. Under Wang Feng's organization, Inter Milan launched wave after wave of attacks against Udinese's defense, but they always came up empty-handed.
The best opportunity in the first half came in the 41st minute. After receiving the ball on the left, Di Biagio first attempted to dribble past the defender without success, then reversed direction with the ball, and despite the interference from Manfredini, managed to deliver the ball into the penalty area.
The ball reached the near post, and Wang Feng suddenly made a diagonal run, leaping ahead of the defenders to head the ball from close range. At that moment, Udinese defender Santini swooped in like a savior, rushing over to block, and in the last moment, he managed to head the ball out of the goal frame, colliding heavily with the goalpost himself.
Then, Manfredini kicked the ball out of bounds. Because Santini was unable to get up, the referee stopped the game. After a period of treatment, he was able to return to the field.
Thanks to this miraculous save, Udinese maintained their one-goal lead and went into halftime.
The atmosphere in Inter Milan's locker room was very tense. Coach Cooper was scratching his head, feeling quite troubled by Udinese's defensive setup, while Wang Feng was contemplating strategies to break through.
Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration and came up with a good idea. He leaned over to Carlon and whispered something to him. Carlon's eyes gradually lit up at the words, but he asked in a worried tone, "Will this work?"
Wang Feng replied, "Since the conventional attacks haven't been effective, let's give it a try. There's nothing to lose."
"Alright, I'm mainly worried that I won't be able to complete this move," Carlon said anxiously.
"Wake up, buddy. Trust yourself. We've practiced this move on the training ground before," Wang Feng patted him on the shoulder. Carlon nodded. If it worked, it would definitely be a shining moment in his career!
At the start of the second half, in the 70th minute, Wang Feng's awaited opportunity finally arrived. He received the ball on the right, and Udinese's defense was still very solid. Santini moved forward to intercept, while Martinelli was not far behind to support.
As Wang Feng dribbled the ball, he suddenly shifted it to the left, lowering his left shoulder aggressively as if to cut inside, prompting Santini to press closer. However, he used the tip of his left foot to hook the ball to the right, then with a light touch, the ball evaded Santini's challenge, and at the same time, Wang Feng passed by him, successfully breaking into the penalty area.
Martinelli hurriedly followed to block, but instead of shooting or crossing, Wang Feng turned around and dribbled back. Martinelli had to keep up with him, while the other two defenders in the penalty area and the two central defenders outside the penalty area were all drawn in by Wang Feng's threat, converging around him.
Unable to blame them for being cautious, Wang Feng's intimidation was too strong!
For a moment, Wang Feng was surrounded by five opponents. Just at this critical moment, he remained calm and controlled the ball, then suddenly chipped it to the far post.
Carlon was already in position near the edge of the small penalty area. He couldn't afford any hesitation or stopping motion, otherwise, the defense Wang Feng had pulled apart would instantly regroup. He raised his right foot and volleyed the ball directly into the net.
"Goooooooooooooooooooal!! What a goal! A fantastic volley from Carlon!"
"Exquisite collaboration, spectacular goal, a link-up between Wang Feng and Carlon! Wang Feng used his unique attacking threat to attract the majority of the defense, creating a shooting opportunity for Carlon."
"Carlon didn't disappoint the trust, delivering an amazing volley."
With this goal, Inter Milan drew 1-1 with Udinese, ending their winning streak but still leading the league standings with a considerable advantage.
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