Chapter 215 – Who Will Be the Best (2)
215
The player transfer process is complicated.
Even if the agreement between the clubs is complex, such as transfer fee coordination, payment method, options triggered under certain conditions, legal review, etc., But if this is successfully completed, individual negotiations with the player await.
Sponsors, including salary, incentives, options, portrait rights, and various personal provisions for each player.
Only when all of these processes are completed will you enter the final stage of the transfer process.
Just a medical test.
It is a procedure to check the player’s physical ability, injury history, and overall physical condition, and news is leaked through the media around this time.
This is the stage in player recruitment articles that are usually reported with expressions such as ‘only the signatures are left’ or ‘final stage of transfer’.
In fact, it is the final stage of the transfer, and if no major problems occur, the contract is finalized, but sometimes problems are found in the medical test and the contract is broken.
Of course, for a player like me who has few minor injuries, it’s just a test of physical ability.
“Nice to meet you. This is Albert, Newcastle’s medical team leader and attending physician.”
Certainly, Newcastle’s former owner, PIE, must have paid a lot of money, so the facilities are different.
Oh wow… This is the club’s medical team. It’s a state-of-the-art university hospital.
The test was conducted under the supervision of the attending physician, Albert, a doctor of medicine.
At first, from a simple condition check to a physical ability test.
“Well? Bone density is the same, and muscle density is considerable. Besides, the muscle condition is also very… Huh, the fast and slow twitch muscles are so exquisitely developed… Hmm? This elasticity is an NBA player… The flexibility of the alternative muscles… Strange. Even so, the movement and distribution of red blood cells are at an appropriate level… “
Dr. Albert’s admiration at seeing the test results table gradually turned to self-talk.
Mumbling something with wide-eyed eyes might be a bit scary.
Well, it must mean that it’s good to see the nuance… ?
“Doctor? Is there anything wrong with the test results?”
“What are the results of this?”
Dr. Albert’s madness continued until the club executives, who had been observing how much interest in my recruitment was, finally approached without waiting.
After the medical test with Dr. Albert, who exclaimed with excitement that it couldn’t be this neat and perfect, I headed to the training ground to test my physical ability, not a machine.
“I look forward to this. It’s hard to believe just by looking at the checklist, but what will it be like in real life?”
“I find it hard to believe. It’s not a mechanical failure or error… I never thought there would be such a big difference from last year’s analysis of Hong Min-jun.”
Newcastle executives squirming.
After… I’m so tired I’m tired
It’s not the first time I’ve seen people surprised by my post-human growth, but I’m sick of these reactions now.
I pretended to be indifferent and swept my hair away when I noticed two men staring at me in the corner.
‘Let’s see… Was it James and Locke?’
I remember seeing it in the Newcastle team report that Harin and Daye analyzed in detail.
Does your physique look better than it does in the picture?
“Are you ready, Minjun Hong?”
“Yes. You can start anytime.”
The test started after stretching and warming up.
“What crazy! The momentary top speed is 36.1 km/h!?”
“The acceleration doesn’t make sense.”
“The upper and lower body balance is excellent. It’s nimble and immediate there.”
“As expected, I like the technique of handling the ball. I look forward to seeing how well it will be used in the right place against EPL defenders in practice.”
“Well? His shooting power is unexpected. Was Hong Min-joon a player with good ankle strength?”
Every time I finished a test, the people watching were busy admiring it.
I have definitely improved from last season to the point where I can feel myself improving my overall physical ability.
That would be—
【Technology】
[Skill 80] [Dribble 80] [Trapping 79] [Short Pass 65] [Long Pass 65] [Shooting 85] [Free Kick 42] [Header 41] [Tackle 40]
【Mental】
[Vision 65] [Anticipation 60] [Judgment 70] [Concentration 65] [Off the Ball 65] [Space Mark 50] [Peace 65] [Leadership 43] [Teamwork 60]
【Body】
[Agility 79 ▶ 90] [Acceleration 80 ▶ 90] [Balance 79 ▶ 80] [Agility 79 ▶ 80] [Reaction Rate 80] [Power 65 ▶ 70] [Jump 51] [Endurance 66 ▶ 70] [Recovery 69 ▶ 70 ]
【Hidden】
[Genius 80] [Charisma 95] [Intelligence 70]
【Height 182.7cm｜75kg】
【Possess Points 76 ▶ 0P】
In preparation for advancing to the EPL, the points that I worked hard to collect after the World Cup were only invested in my physical abilities.
He scored a whopping 76 points solely on his physical ability.
He improved his competitive ability by raising his physical fighting ability, which was considered a weakness, and invested points in endurance and resilience in line with the tough Premier League environment, which boasts the tightest schedule.
But above all else, the biggest achievement is speed.
Main power and acceleration reached 90.
I myself wondered how much faster it had become, but the moment the top speed came up to 36.1 km/h.
“Amazing. This is a very surprising result. Hong Min-Jun’s physical ability has improved overall. This… This is an unbelievable level of improvement compared to Min-jun Hong’s physical ability we analyzed last season.”
“Why? Physical ability can’t soar in such a short period of time….”
“Well… Looking at your career… “
“Perhaps the accumulated fatigue from running full-time for the first time as a pro was relieved and the balance that was subtly out of balance was settled.”
“Does that make sense?”
“Looking at this data, Hong Min-joon has grown rapidly the year before last. Since the body balance is so delicate, it may have been zero now… “
“I was adapting to my body little by little, but I was tired of running my first full-time pro?”
“You see—”
The coaching staff, who were watching the test, open a field of discussion, and the executive team laughs at the ability that exceeds expectations.
I took a look at it and pretended to wipe my sweat leisurely and searched for it on my smartphone.
‘Maximum speed 36.1… 36.1… How much is this… ‘
Data that comes up when you search for the top speed of soccer players who are famous for their speed.
The top speed of Elling Holland is 35.9 km/h.
Wesling Command is 35.92 km/h
Senior Son Heung-min is 35.3 km/h
And Kylian Mbappe, who boasted crazy speed…
‘This crazy. 38.0 km/h recorded in Monaco? But at PSG, he’s as human as he was in his early 36s.’
* * *
When Hong Min-joon was struggling at the World Cup, the pre-season was already in full swing in the European leagues.
Regular European league teams usually end their season at the end of May.
It’s just that some intercontinental competitions, teams that have made it to the Europa or Champions League finals, or teams whose schedules have been postponed due to unavoidable events continue until the beginning and middle of June.
Therefore, July is the month of new beginnings in European football.
Whether in the transfer market or pre-season.
The opening game to announce the start of this year’s Premier League is on August 15, famous as Liberation Day in Korea.
In line with this, Newcastle also entered the pre-season schedule from July 11 and was sweating in preparation for the opening match.
And on August 10th, 5 days before the opening game.
Official notices were posted on Newcastle’s ardent supporters and on public websites.
[Welcome!]
An Asian player wearing a Newcastle uniform under the big letters “Welcome”.
[Newcastle’s new player to become the world’s best!
Welcome Back Number 7 Minjun Hong!]
『(Official) Hong Min-Jun into the arms of Newcastle!』
“On August 10, local time in the UK, a photo with Hong Min-joon’s uniform number was uploaded on Newcastle’s official website.
Hong Min-joon, who was taking a break in Korea after the World Cup, was initially expected to join the Frankfurt team during the pre-season when the vacation in Korea was over.
This is because there are many clubs aiming for the huge ransom of 100 million euros, and transfer negotiations were postponed as Korea advanced to the semifinals of the World Cup.
However, contrary to public concerns, the transfer process proceeded quickly, and Hong Min-jun’s choice was Newcastle.
At one time, Saudi Arabia’s state-run fund raised expectations, but after the sudden death of Crown Prince bin Salman, Newcastle, which was in decline, was sold to the UAE’s Dubai Development and Investment Corporation.
Newcastle, who succeeded in advancing to the Champions League by ranking fourth in the league last season with a young squad led by the club’s youth, was expected to focus on protecting the squad rather than recruiting in this transfer market.
In fact, even after the transfer market opened on July 1, Newcastle, which had only been informed of the renewal of the contract for a while, paid a whopping 100 million euros and succeeded in signing Hong Min-jun by surprise.
Officials explained that active efforts to explain the club’s vision to Hong Min-joon, including the president and manager, visited Korea and explained the club’s vision to Hong Min-joon’s decision to choose Newcastle after rejecting the courtship of countless big clubs.
In particular, it is said that choosing Hong Min-joon as the center of a project in progress at the club was a decisive opportunity for the player’s heart to move.
Fans are full of anticipation for the recruitment of Hong Min-joon, who is considered the best prospect, but there are also concerns.
Joining too late.
Hong Min-jun, who joined the team just five days before the opening game, was in a situation where he had to work with a completely different league, team, and teammates.
While interest is gathering whether Hong Min-joon will be able to start as a starter in the opening match—”
—Fuck, we recruited Minjun Hong? Really?
—I thought they were going to hold on as little kids this time, but Hong Min-joon!! Done!! It’s done!!
—Calm down, friends. This Asian is still unverified
— Our board has bought another kid! He’s 22. Is this okay?
—We need veterans to keep us in the mood for the big game… Trying to hold out with only young players in the Champions League?
— What the fuck! Hong is here, what bullshit are you talking about! It’s Hong! The very player big big big clubs coveted!!
-Well… Talent sure, but did he have to spend 100 million euros on this player? 100 million euros could have brought in two veterans with Champions League experience.