Four New Signings Debut, All-Out Push for Champions League Qualification!

It was early January 2015.

Tang Long finished the final set of his prescribed bench presses in the gym and collapsed onto the bench, exhausted. Sweat poured off him like rain, splashing onto the floor with a rhythmic patter!

"Ah... I really can't go on..." Tang Long groaned.

Chivu stood to the side, writing [85KG] on the bench press results sheet.

He wrote the numbers with such force that the pen tore through the paper, leaving deep indentations on the page.

"Excellent! Today is the last day of the winter break, so let's review our progress and see the results of this past month."

For the past twenty-plus days, Tang Long had been undergoing physical training in the real world with Chivu during the day, while maintaining a strictly controlled diet.

At night, he would head straight into the Cloud Training field to put in extra work.

The results were remarkable!

His stamina had risen to 80, strength to 78, and jumping to 77.

Correspondingly, his passing had also improved to 78!

"This is truly astonishing, Tang. Your 12-minute run has reached 3,400 meters, which is already at the average level for a Serie A player. If you improve your physical strength just a little more, I believe that from a purely physical standpoint, you are already capable of playing a full 90-minute match!"

The transformation had completely exceeded Chivu's expectations.

Within the scope of Chivu's understanding, he couldn't explain the whole situation.

Perhaps, this was just talent!

Talent was the only explanation Chivu could come up with to justify Tang Long's miraculous progress.

Tang Long stood up from the bench and wiped the hot, cascading sweat from his forehead.

"That's great, Mr. Chivu, I can finally start!"

"Don't get too happy too soon," Chivu said, fearing Tang Long might become arrogant. "The 12-minute run only tests your basic stamina. Once you're on the pitch, knowing when to jog and when to sprint is an art in itself."

Chivu was blunt, and Tang Long understood that this was really a matter of how to manage one's energy.

Every opponent was different, and the situation on the pitch changed in the blink of an eye.

As a starting player, how to reasonably distribute stamina over 90 minutes was less about physical fitness and more about football intelligence; it required a sharp mind to anticipate and analyze the game.

However, this was not something Tang Long needed to worry about!

He possessed the smartest football AI brain in the world, capable of anticipation that surpassed everyone else!

The only thing he needed to strive for was to ensure his body and technique kept pace with his foresight, ultimately achieving a unity of mind and movement.

If he could think it, he could do it!

Chivu carefully scrutinized Tang Long's physique.

Especially when he saw the clearly defined biceps, pectorals, and abdominals beneath Tang Long's sweat-soaked shirt, Chivu couldn't help but click his tongue in secret admiration.

"Tang, take off all your clothes, just like last time!"

Having had the "previous experience," Tang Long didn't hesitate this time.

He nimbly stripped off all his clothes, leaving only a pair of red briefs.

As for Chivu, he stripped down as well.

Inside the gym, two strong men stood facing each other.

Standing beside Chivu now, Tang Long no longer felt the sense of inferiority he had felt a month ago.

He could clearly feel that his body had better definition than the Romanian's.

"Your muscles have come along, the lines are beautiful. My body fat percentage is higher than yours; I can't compare to you!"

Just like last time, Chivu reached out to pinch the muscles on Tang Long's major body parts.

For a moment, he felt a sense of daze.

A brand-new Tang Long had been forged!

Looking at the 18-year-old torso before him, the vitality of youth was impossible to hide; beneath the taut skin lay bulging muscle fibers.

In the eyes of the 34-year-old Chivu, he saw the shadow of himself playing for Ajax 15 years ago.

Back then, he was just as young as Tang Long, with a fierce style of play, a newborn calf unafraid of the tiger, and a career filled with infinite possibilities and boundless longing for the future.

Although he had won everything at Inter Milan, with enviable honors and a high salary, which professional player could pat their chest after retirement and say their career had no regrets?

If not for his skull injury, which caused his form to plummet in 2011, perhaps at his current age of 34, he could still be like his old teammates Eto'o, Maicon, Cesar, and Cambiasso, continuing to gallop on the top European professional pitches, enjoying the cheers and applause from the fans!

"15 years, time has passed faster than I imagined. It's all gone in the blink of an eye..."

Tang Long noticed that the look Chivu was giving him was a bit strange.

At that moment, the gym door was pushed open with a click.

The female staff member responsible for managing the gym had returned from her holiday.

She was startled to suddenly see Tang Long and Chivu in the gym!

"Ah! How is there someone here?"

Seeing the two of them stark naked and gazing affectionately at each other, she couldn't help but feel a jolt in her heart—

"Sorry, sorry, excuse me, please continue!"

Bang! She giggled as she closed the door and ran off.

Inter Milan had achieved remarkable results during the winter transfer window!

Although the sporting director Ausilio had long been teased by fans for using his business trips as a guise for vacations.

The professional capabilities of this veteran director were still beyond doubt.

Especially after the 10 million euros in cash he held was ruthlessly slashed in half.

Ausilio still proudly managed to loan players from all over Europe with just 5 million euros!

[Four new signings unveiled, fans, are you ready?]

This was the headline hanging high on the front page of the official Inter Milan website.

In the photo, the four new signings were wearing Inter Milan jerseys, posing for a group picture in the club's trophy room around the 2010 Champions League trophy.

Nervous, proud, high-spirited, green and uneasy...

A variety of expressions were displayed on the faces of the four men.

The biggest name was undoubtedly the 30-year-old German forward from Arsenal, Podolski!

After scoring 12 goals for the Gunners last season, Podolski had lost his spot in the team during the first half of this season due to tactical reasons.

Ausilio decisively brought him in on loan for 600,000 euros.

"At a very small cost, we have acquired a big-game player who has appeared for the German national team over 100 times. His tournament experience is a precious asset, and I believe his arrival will help us push with all our might for Champions League qualification!"

The sporting director was extremely smug when facing media interviews.

(Inter Milan officially announces the signing of Podolski)

The second new signing was the 21-year-old versatile midfielder Brozovic.

As Inter Milan's most expensive signing of the winter window, the Croatian cost Ausilio a full 3 million euros in loan fees, wiping out the majority of the 5 million he had on hand. This made Ausilio ache for a long time, and it was only after repeated discussions with Mancini that the transfer was confirmed.

The return of full-back Santon also made Inter Milan fans rejoice!

As an important rotation player during the treble-winning era, Santon was good friends with Balotelli and was also known as the Prince of Meazza.

The return of the Prince was an important reinforcement for Inter Milan's injury-riddled defensive line.

However, having had his meniscus removed, his performance at Newcastle had been quite average, and his future at Inter Milan remained to be seen.

The last new signing was the Swiss midfielder from Bayern, Shaqiri!

He possessed the dribbling and speed that Inter Milan desperately needed and was an important tactical addition.

In short, the four new signings cost a total of 4 million euros.

Ausilio submitted an invoice for 5 million, pocketed a 1 million euro kickback, and was feeling quite pleased~

In his own words, "This winter, the boss is doing well, and I'm well-fed too; none of my hard work went to waste!"