Before Millwall prepares for the new season, they have already made a lot of moves in the transfer market, and it is in line with their consistent development policy, so they are prepared for a rainy day!
Unlike in the past, when players were brought back to the Leo training base, the players acquired this summer were basically purchased and then loaned out. The club has scouts tracking the players' performance throughout the process and reporting to the club regularly.{
But on home soil, Millwall still made a deal that surprised the outside world.
Bell, who just turned 16 in the summer, came to Millwall for trial training. He basically passed the assessment of the Millwall coaching staff, although now it seems that he does not appear to be particularly outstanding, only his speed is outstanding.
Millwall accepts many players from all over the world for trial training every year, so even if Bell passes the trial, he is just an inconspicuous one.
But after Aldridge returned to London, he selected players who passed the trials and signed them selectively. Bell was specially given a work order to focus on development.
Therefore, Millwall approached Southampton Club and offered a price of 3 million pounds. The deal was finally completed for 5 million pounds. With additional terms, the transfer may reach 8 million pounds.
Fleet Street's assessment of this transfer is divided into two groups. One group praises Southampton for making a good deal, netting 5 million pounds at no cost, and may earn another 3 million pounds.
The other group praised Millwall in advance and believed that Millwall had made a good deal. Bell, who did not have much dazzling aura, was labeled as a genius!
There is no way, Fleet Street has been beaten to the point of numbness in the face over the years, Millwalk spent more than 5 million to buy a 16-year-old "child". If this "child" is not a genius, no one will believe it!
Half a year later, Wenger took away another "genius" from Southampton for a similar price: young tiger Walcott.
Millwall will go to Asia for training in summer preparations. This is a tradition of Millwall. In the summer of competition years, players need to be given more time to rest, while in non-competition years they can conduct commercial promotions.
The first team assembled and left London on their exclusive plane.
All of a sudden, Leo's training base went from crowded to deserted.
In fact, there are fewer paparazzi!
The most watched first-team star players are not here, so who would come here to find news?
Bell's transfer received great attention from the outside world in the early stages of finalization.
However, when reporting the news, most of the media did not know this kid and did not understand him at all. Once they roughly learned that he played as a full-back during youth training at Southampton, they suddenly lost interest.
Because Millwall has no shortage of full-backs, the young ones include Lahm, Ramos, and Baines, and the veterans include Schneider and Neal.
No matter how much attention the outside world pays to Bell, in fact, Millwall treats young players. Apart from spending different energy on training, they can maintain equal treatment in attitude. No one is special.
This could not dampen Bell's excitement. He happily settled in London with his family and began his football career at Millwall under the supervision of his family.
Even if no one cares about him, it cannot affect his enthusiasm.
Two days after the first team went to Asia for training and commercial promotion, Bell came to the club to report.
For a 16-year-old kid, Millwall didn't even hold a transfer ceremony for him, it just released an official message. After all, he didn't have a jersey in the first team yet, and what was waiting for him was the youth team.
Bell was in high spirits, so he came early.
When he proudly told the doorman that he was a Millwall player and came to the training base to participate in training, he did not mind the doorman stopping him from asking.
After confirming his identity, the guard let him in and pointed him in the direction of the youth team.
Bell jogged and waved, "Thank you, but I know the way. I've been here before!"
It seems that in the minds of many young people with football dreams, just visiting this prestigious "cradle of superstars" is a great honor.
When he arrived at the training ground of the youth team, he realized: It was too early!
The training ground is empty.
However, there was still a figure on the sidelines that caught his eye.
Large trees will be planted on both sides of the training ground for wind protection.
There is a car tire hanging on a big tree near the training ground. At this time, a small young player is wearing training clothes. He is practicing his footwork and naturally kicks the ball from a distance of more than fifteen meters towards the center of the tire.
.
Bell trotted over, ready to say hello, but as he ran over, what surprised him was that the little player had very good footwork. He shot the ball almost ten times and was able to hit the center of the tire eight times.
You must know that the tire is suspended in the air, and the ball is placed in front of the person at different angles and directions.
Bell is excited!
This is Millwall.
Seemingly insignificant places always have a blockbuster performance.
The man started to pick up the ball, and Bell also ran closer. He waved and said, "Hi, I'm here to help you!"
The man turned his head and looked at Bell, looking thoughtful, as if he felt that the Bell in front of him looked familiar.
Bell was also stunned and shouted: "I know you! We fought against each other a few months ago."
The person training alone here is Aguero.
He didn't make it to the first team, so he didn't go to Asia with the first team. He had nothing to do today, so he came to the training base early and started training alone.
He has been feeling a little depressed recently.
Aguero stood there and thought hard for a long time. The reason why Bale looked familiar to him was simple.
Bell's appearance is easy to remember.
That is definitely not a public face.
Aguero confirmed that he had seen this face somewhere, and more than once.
When Bale said that they had played against each other before, Aguero became even more confused and couldn't remember it.
"Hello, my name is Gareth Bale."
Bale reached out first, and he was more impressed than Aguero because he came here to play a few months ago. Aguero is the brightest star on the court and seems to be the same age as him.
Aguero stretched out his hand and asked doubtfully: "Gareth? Gareth Southgate's Gareth?"
Bell was stunned for a moment, not expecting that the other party would say such a thing. After thinking about it for a while, he replied: "Well, that should be true."
"Oh, hello, my name is Sergio Aguero, and my friends will call me Nanny. Well, I remembered, Gareth Bale, you just joined Millwall, right?
What position do you play?"
Aguero's mood is not high. One of the reasons is that he has been in London for many years. From the moment he came here, he was branded as Millwall. In the era when he grew up, he was the hero of the club.
They are naturally the ones they admire the most and long to fight alongside.
However, before he could enter the first team, some seniors had already begun to retire. This made him feel very regretful.
Also, asking Bale what position he plays is probably instinctive.
Even if Aguero knows in his heart that the opponents he wants to compete with are Henry, Villa, or even Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, when new players come, he just needs to feel out and see if the other person is in the same position as him.
There is a competitive relationship.
Bell scratched his hair and said with some embarrassment: "Uh, full-back. You should know."
He felt embarrassed because the other party's words obviously did not remember the last game between the two sides.
They had a head-to-head confrontation, uh, and Bell was completely defeated.
Aguero calmed down, smiled at Bale and said: "Welcome to Millwall."
After that, he continued to pick up the ball, intending to continue training on his footwork.
Bell really helped him pick up the ball, but he talked a lot. He is a curious person who is interested in everything.
"Coach Najib informed me to come to the youth team for training. What about you? Are you also in the youth team?"
"I was in the youth team last season. In the new season, I should be promoted to the reserve team. After all, there seems to be no challenge in the Youth League, UEFA Youth League, and FA Youth Cup."
"Uh...can I also go to the reserve team? I want to play with you."
"Probably not. There are rules here. If you come to the team under the age of 18, no matter what your ability is, you must stay in the youth team for at least half a season. This is at least."
"Why?"
"Millwall's tradition is that you must first learn everything here. In addition, no one knows you. If you enter the reserve team, you may be transferred to the first team at any time. You have to let everyone know you at least.
Only then will the coaches allow you to enter the reserve team."
Bale fell into a trance while holding two footballs.
It seems that when I really came to Millwall, I found that what I imagined was different from reality.
Aguero set up the ball again and was about to continue training, but when he saw Bale in a daze, he shouted: "Gareth, come here and try."
Bell was a little embarrassed, so he walked over and tried to shoot twice, but failed to hit the target. He said sheepishly: "Well, I rarely train like this before."
Aguero shrugged and said: "I have seen many English players. They rarely practice skills. If the full-back can play like you, it is not bad."
The gap between Millwall and England's traditional training system has become obvious in recent years, and even the quality of training in other countries has declined.
Because there is an obvious trend in football training, that is, industrialization, as if football players are beginning to be produced on an assembly line.
So much so that German football emperor Beckenbauer now claims to promote street football, and Dutch star Cruyff is also attaching importance to street football and adding it to traditional training programs.
European football itself lacks aura and freedom compared to South America, but in terms of technical training, this can be improved.
For many years, Millwall has insisted that its players strengthen technical training and regularly participate in street football matches every week in order to improve their skills and prevent their thinking of playing football from becoming rigid. Unfortunately, compared to the entire English football, Millwall is still
It is very small, and technical training is closed. Street football is also considered an amateur activity, and it is difficult to attract the attention of the outside world. (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!
