“Didn’t you tell me we were coming to see the spring in Prague? Why did you bring me to Teplice?” Li Jianqin grumbled incessantly along the way, holding a great deal of resentment towards Huang Hao for tricking him.
At a KFC in the city center, Huang Hao met a very green young man.
“Edin, we are the chairman and vice-chairman of Cambridge United of the English League. I am Huang Hao, and he is Li Jianqin. We are here today to invite you to join our Cambridge United team.” As soon as they sat down, Huang Hao was very straightforward.
“Where is Cambridge United? I’m sorry, I haven’t heard of it.”
“You’ve heard of Cambridge University, right? Cambridge United is the only professional team in Cambridge, currently in Football League Two,” Huang Hao explained.
“Football League Two? Although Teplice isn't very famous, it's still a First Division team, at least.” Dzeko was clearly a bit resistant.
“Although Cambridge United is in Football League Two, our reputation is not small; you can search online. Moreover, our fans are all over the world, and we have over 40,000 members in China alone.” Huang Hao had no choice but to subtly change the subject here.
“We have a professional team of analysts who will arrange his growth more reasonably based on the player’s characteristics. With all due respect, your position should not be in midfield; you should be at the very front, attacking for the team,” Huang Hao continued to persuade.
Dzeko couldn't help but nod after hearing this. He used to play midfield, and his performance was very poor, but after coming to Teplice and playing as a forward, his ball sense immediately improved.
“We will build a team around you, with you as the core. And most importantly, although we are in League Two, scouts from Premier League teams are always watching us.”
“For example, if you make a name for yourself in the next two years and Manchester United comes to invite you, do you think they would prefer Edin from Teplice or Edin from Cambridge United? If I were Ferguson, I would definitely prefer Edin from Cambridge United because he would have already adapted to England and wouldn’t suffer from culture shock.”
“If you come to our team, we can sign an agreement that if a Premier League team makes an offer at a reasonable price, Cambridge United will not stand in the way. But League One teams don't count, as we will be in League One next year anyway.”
“Moreover, Cambridge not only has football, but life there is prosperous, with Cambridge University, which can meet your needs in all aspects.”
“Alright, sir, I agree to join,” Dzeko responded.
“You won't regret today's decision,” Huang Hao quickly contacted Adams to come to Teplice to sign the contract.
“Let’s go, Feifei, let’s go see the colors of Prague.”
The two arrived in Prague, and we won't go into detail here.
After settling Dzeko, Huang Hao took Li Jianqin to various places in Eastern Europe. Following the same pattern, they secured Dusan Tadic, Marek Suchý, and Fane Pantilimon, significantly strengthening all lines of the team, from defense to midfield to attack. They also experienced different local customs.
“Haozi, you beast, you’re still so full of vigor after all these days!”
“I can’t believe it, Feifei, you call yourself the ‘Nightclub Prince,’ but you’re just average.”
“But seriously, we need to hurry with sponsorships; there’s no money left in the account.”
“Call me godfather, listen. My dad said my family’s company can sponsor the shirt front advertisement for 400,000 pounds, and we’ll also mobilize connections to invest in the billboards at the stadium,” Li Jianqin said to Huang Hao with a sly look.
“Oh, my good son, your godfather truly likes you too much,” Huang Hao lunged at Li Jianqin.
“Go to hell,” Li Jianqin said dismissively.
A few days later, Huang Hao saw the familiar number appear on his phone, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards slightly as he happily answered the call.
“Welcome, Keindara!”
Huang Hao’s voice was full of enthusiasm.
“Uh, hello sir, I want to know, is there still a place for me on the team?”
From the other end of the phone came Simmons’ somewhat cautious voice.
“Simmons, you are Cambridge United’s most important player in the future! Always have been!”
Simmons’ arrival meant that Cambridge United’s midfield and forward lineup was largely complete.
Soon, the loan extension contracts for MacKenzie and Grove were faxed to Cambridge United. Both enjoyed their time at Cambridge United so much that they had no intention of moving out even after the season ended. Huang Hao was naturally very happy to see them stay, as big clubs didn't care about this small salary, while Cambridge United maintained its strength and saved expenses.
Of course, there were times when Huang Hao hit a wall, for example, when he exhausted all his efforts and talked himself hoarse, but still failed to move Connor Johnson of Wolves.
Huang Hao confidently told Adams that this player would definitely be a cornerstone of Cambridge United’s future defense, but facing a weekly salary of 3,600 pounds and the agent’s extremely dismissive look towards Cambridge United, Huang Hao knew that this deal was off.
Adams eventually brought back 27-year-old defender Songo'o from League One team Millwall. At this age, he immediately became the team’s veteran leader at Cambridge United.
Previously, the oldest player in the Cambridge United squad was only 26-year-old right-winger Willett. However, Huang Hao did not insist this time, as a defense full of young kids still needed an experienced leader to guide them.
Even without spending a single penny on transfer fees, player signing bonuses, and agent commissions, the total still amounted to a considerable expense. Ouyang Bing, who had not understood team operations before, finally realized after this summer that even free agents are not truly obtained without spending any money.
Thus, after Adams used his connections to secure a free loan for Portsmouth’s young midfielder Adam May, Huang Hao kept his promise and did not continue to recruit players in the transfer market.
Although there were occasional setbacks, Cambridge United still completed its Football League Two squad adjustments as Huang Hao had anticipated.
Cambridge United’s 23-man first-team squad for the new season:
Goalkeepers: Fane Pantilimon (19), Jack Stevens (20), Ayi Melson (17)
Defenders: Dwight Pasquel (18), Ricardo Longolo (24), Songo'o (27), Tutanda (23), Nikola Hood (18), Marek Suchý (18), Jamie Sterri (23, loan), Jack Taylor (21)
Midfielders: Willett (26), Sager (24), Aaron Cole (23), MacKenzie (20, loan), Grove (19, loan), Adam May (21, loan), Dusan Tadic (18), Jack Diamond (19, loan)
Forwards: Jamie Vardy (19), Simmons (18), Edin Dzeko (20), Mason Clark (19)
After three years of bitter waiting, Cambridge United finally welcomed its first opponent in League Two, Stockport County.
Although Cambridge United had to travel to Edgeley Park for the away game, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Cambridge United fans.
Mikel, along with several hundred Cambridge United loyalists, appeared in the away section of the stadium, becoming the greatest motivation for the Cambridge United players during the match. Cambridge United’s first goal upon returning to League Two did not make everyone wait too long.
Just 8 minutes into the game, Cambridge United captain Sager capitalized on a mistake by Stockport’s defense, easily poking the ball into the opponent’s goal from inside the box.
In the 20th minute of the match, Vardy received a header from Dzeko and swept the ball into the net.
In the 80th minute of the match, Dzeko, on a counter-attack, displayed both a rare speed for a tall striker and a technique beyond what is expected of a League Two player, dribbling past three defenders consecutively and calmly slotting the ball into the far corner past the goalkeeper. This allowed Cambridge United to easily defeat their opponent 3-0 away from home, securing a winning start.
Four days later, Cambridge United finally had its debut at Abbey Stadium.
Amidst the shouts of over 6,000 fans, Keindara Simmons also successfully scored his first goal in an official match.
Although there were only a few thousand fans, the feeling of the entire stadium loudly chanting his name made Simmons glad he chose Cambridge United this summer.
Chester was clearly not very familiar with Cambridge United. Under the opponent’s constant pressure and high pressing, Chester’s goalkeeper actually kicked the ball directly to Vardy, who was roaming outside the box!
Vardy naturally wouldn't miss such a gift, and so, a minute later, Chester once again earned the chance to kick off from the center circle.
Finally, as Sager easily converted the penalty given by Chester, Cambridge United cleanly defeated their opponent 3-0 at home, securing two consecutive victories and leaving all media personnel who had underestimated Cambridge United utterly stunned.
Fortunately, in the subsequent away match against Lincoln City, Cambridge United eventually lost 1-2.
This defeat also allowed the various experts who had dismissed Cambridge United before the season to breathe a sigh of relief. Two consecutive wins were just a fluke; this was the expected outcome for a promoted team. If Cambridge United had achieved three consecutive victories, these people would probably have been thoroughly embarrassed.
However, Huang Hao was not overly concerned about this defeat.
After all, the team had integrated many new players before the start of the season. Their coordination was not yet smooth.
Moreover, Cambridge United was not at a disadvantage in terms of play, which further strengthened Huang Hao’s determination to have the team execute a high-pressing tactic. He believed that after the initial period of adjustment in the season, the tactically simple and direct Cambridge United would surely take off.
After three rounds, Cambridge United stood in fourth place in the League table with two wins and one loss.
After all, there were still a long 43 rounds of matches, so the ranking did not hold much significance.