"Insane! Everyone's gone insane!"
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As Yang Yang arrived at Amsterdam Airport and had just climbed into Wei Zheng's car, which had come to pick him up, the Ajax Supervisory Board vice chairman began complaining to him about the state of the European football transfer market.
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"It's not just me, and it's not just Van der Sar. Even Van Gaal, who's been immersed in European football for decades, is completely baffled. No one knows what's going on, and no one knows what will happen next. It's as if everyone suddenly lost their minds and descended into a frenzy."
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Yang Yang smiled bitterly and nodded. As he looked at the scenery rushing past outside the window, a word came to mind.
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Tulip mania!
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It had been a frenzy that took place in the seventeenth century, and had even prompted research by many economists.
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How similar was the current state of European football to the tulip bubble back then?
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The only problem was that no one knew when this bubble had begun—or when it would end.
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Yang Yang believed many people in the football industry felt the same way. Yet no one could afford to gamble, because no one wanted to fall behind in the new season or in the battle for talent. That represented the future!
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During the two days after Yang Yang received calls from Van Gaal and Van der Sar and prepared to return to Europe, the European transfer market completed two more astonishing deals.
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One saw Mourinho's Manchester United sign Everton striker Lukaku for the astronomical fee of eighty-five million euros.
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Interestingly enough, when Mourinho had managed Chelsea, he had not thought much of Lukaku and had barely given him any opportunities. That had been one