"I guarantee Enchanting Football News is going to lose their minds. This prime piece of meat was never meant for them."
After Leo Lin was snatched away, the head executive of Enchanting Football News was grinding his teeth in frustration.
He had strong strategic vision and understood perfectly well what kind of transformation Leo Lin could bring to Football Alliance.
As a person in charge, he naturally didn't want to see a rival rise rapidly on Leo Lin's back.
But there was nothing he could do. Headquarters refused to match the massive contract Football Alliance had offered.
In other words, Enchanting Football News believed Leo Lin simply wasn't worth that much money yet.
"Damn it!"
"I said from the start we had to lock Lin down, and headquarters just wouldn't approve the budget!"
"No long-term vision at all—how are they supposed to achieve anything big like this?"
"I've had enough!"
No sooner had he finished venting than his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen—it was the chairman of the board from headquarters. He answered immediately.
"Hello?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Right, I saw it."
"Oh, there's no need for headquarters to regret this. Even if signing Lin has shifted some fans' opinions of Football Alliance, that doesn't mean they'll succeed in the long run. This will definitely turn out to be a failed signing."
"Yes, yes, I'll continue giving everything for Enchanting Football News. Please rest assured."
After hanging up, the young assistant beside him gave a thumbs-up.
"Boss, impressive."
"Knowing when to read the situation—that's real wisdom. Learned a lot."
Meanwhile, at Football Alliance headquarters—
"This is our short-term and long-term plan," McLaren explained. "We'll focus heavily on match broadcasting and do everything we can to give football fans a better viewing experience. I believe this will be the key tool for attracting users in the future."
Leo Lin couldn't hide his excitement. He knew this was only the beginning, but boosting exposure through football broadcasting was unquestionably the right path.
Although he was already one of Europe's top young stars, his global influence still had room to grow.
"Pop!"
McLaren uncorked a bottle of red wine.
"A fine '72 Lafite!"
"Tonight's on me—eat and drink to your heart's content!"
Leo Lin was still scrolling through his personal page. Fan gifts poured in nonstop, and once news of his signing with Football Alliance broke, supporters rushed to leave comments. The earlier they posted, the more likely Leo Lin would see them.
The flood of messages was full of bizarre and amusing remarks, making Leo Lin burst out laughing.
"Football Alliance has real vision. Signing Leo Lin means I'll only use Football Alliance to watch matches from now on!"
"Can Leo Lin open a livestream and watch matches with us in real time?"
"Get out of here—that's a paid feature!"
"Football Alliance took down a tough prize by signing Leo Lin. The response is explosive—well done!"
"Guys, from today on, I'm only watching matches on Football Alliance!"
The partnership between Football Alliance and Leo Lin drew massive attention. With that settled, Leo Lin could finally focus fully on football and continue preparing for the upcoming fixtures.
January's schedule began, with Liverpool facing two consecutive league matches.
In Premier League Round 19, against a newly promoted side, Liverpool rotated heavily and cruised to a 3–0 win.
On January 15, in Round 20 of the Premier League, Liverpool once again met their old rivals, Watford.
Earlier in the season, Liverpool's system had still been incomplete, and they had scraped by largely thanks to Leo Lin's sudden emergence.
But now, Liverpool had developed a fully formed tactical system.
Both in attack and defense, the team showed a mature and polished style of play.
On January 15, when Doucouré spotted Leo Lin in the players' tunnel, that familiar, slightly awkward expression surfaced again.
Leo Lin looked at the dark, muscular Doucouré—who somehow seemed oddly shy in front of him—and suddenly a song began looping in his head.
"This is the song that never ends, yes it goes on and on, my friends…"
An image immediately followed: Doucouré swaying back and forth with a rose clenched between his teeth.
Leo Lin snapped out of it and shook his head hard.
"No. Stop."
"Absolutely not."
Once the match kicked off, Watford stuck to their usual approach—physical duels through the middle, that familiar crashing rhythm.
But Doucouré, facing Leo Lin again, was completely overpowered.
Less than half a season had passed, yet Doucouré already realized he couldn't keep up with Leo Lin at all.
Whether in strength or explosiveness, he was thoroughly outmatched.
30th minute!
Leo Lin slipped a clever nutmeg through the middle, muscling past Doucouré to break free.
With a sharp touch of the outside of his foot, he sent a perfectly weighted diagonal through ball, finding the surging Mané.
Doucouré, left behind, could only chase after him, eyes full of disbelief.
"Holy—"
"So damn cool!"
The diagonal pass tore open the defense. Mané took it in stride, beat his man, cut inside, and smashed a shot home!
"Brilliant!"
"Leo Lin hasn't even gone all out in this match. He's playing at a stroll, yet still delivering an excellent performance."
Leo Lin was conserving energy—Klopp was already preparing for the upcoming EFL Cup final.
After the goal, Liverpool calmly controlled the tempo.
In the second half, Leo Lin continued to dictate play from the center, fully leveraging his ball control.
62nd minute!
Leo Lin drove into the box, burst inside on the cut, and just as he was about to shoot, Gray brought him down with a foul.
Penalty to Liverpool.
With Firmino and Salah rotated off, Klopp still entrusted the spot kick to Leo Lin.
Leo Lin stepped up and calmly rolled the ball into the net, extending the lead to 2–0.
Klopp immediately made a substitution, sending on Wijnaldum to replace Leo Lin.
"Liverpool are calling it a day—they're clearly preparing for their clash with Arsenal!"
"The much-anticipated EFL Cup final is just around the corner. Fans, who will stand atop English football? Let's wait and see!"
...
Three days later, January 18.
EFL Cup Final — pre-match coverage.
"When you talk about Wenger, you understand what true greatness as a manager means," Jon Champion said.
"He's been at Arsenal for so many years, constantly keeping them in the top four despite serious financial constraints."
"Many fans jokingly call them 'Arsenal Fourth Place,' but I think that nickname actually highlights Wenger's strength."
"Sustaining that level of consistency over such a long period is incredibly difficult."
Jon Champion spoke with deep respect for both Arsenal and Wenger.
On the other side, Jim Beglin took over with the confirmed starting lineups.
"Fans, both teams have submitted their starting elevens—strong, complete lineups on both sides!"
"For Arsenal: Petr Cech starts in goal."
"Left back Maitland-Niles, right back the young and handsome Bellerín."
"Center backs Koscielny alongside Monreal."
"A double pivot of Xhaka and Wilshere, with Ramsey as the advanced midfielder."
"On the left wing, Arsenal's current main man, Sánchez!"
"On the right, the sharp and direct Iwobi!"
"Up front, the in-form Lacazette, scoring for fun recently!"
...
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