While the whole world was scrambling to follow the news of Yang Yang's departure from Real Madrid and speculating about which club he would join next, nobody knew that Yang Yang had already arrived quietly at Amsterdam Airport.
During this turbulent period, he first shut himself away in his home in Madrid. Besides training behind closed doors to maintain his form, he also spent more time watching recordings of Ajax's matches that season while staying in constant contact with Van Gaal and Van der Sar in Amsterdam, keeping abreast of Ajax's every move.
In fact, they had been in contact for roughly half a year.
In the season that had just ended, Ajax had ultimately managed only second place in the Eredivisie, four points behind champions Eindhoven. That result had come only because Eindhoven had eased off after securing a lead in the final few rounds. Otherwise, the gap would have been even wider.
They had been eliminated in the Champions League qualifiers, exited the Europa League early, and played only one round in the Dutch Cup. Finishing second in the league once again, Ajax's performance was certainly unsatisfactory, and the entire club had been unsettled throughout the season.
The players were equally worried about the club's current situation, and many were already thinking about leaving.
As Yang Yang wanted to return to the National Team and prepare for the World Cup, he detoured northward, transferring in Amsterdam and spending a night at a hotel near the airport.
Van Gaal, Van der Sar, and the club's core executives secretly went to the hotel to meet him and discuss preparations for the new season.
"Last season, the team's performance wasn't ideal, so relatively speaking, we didn't attract the same attention as we did a year ago. Other teams didn't poach