Thomas Essien let out a wry smile as well. "Thatâs just how it is for small clubs. If you donât get results, you can probably scrape by. But once you start doing well, things can actually become even more dire!"
"Tell me about it," Kramny added with a wry smile of his own.
...
The process of signing the youth contract was very simple.
It was mostly a standard contract.
After Wang Shuo signed, Thomas Essien accompanied him to the Mainz office to process some documents and get them stamped.
These were all documents needed for his upcoming visa application.
Meanwhile, Wang Shuo chatted with Kramny for a while.
The U19 head coach had a high opinion of Wang Shuo and wanted him to be prepared.
"This weekend, weâre traveling to Offenburg for an away game. Your transfer paperwork should be processed by then, so youâll be traveling with the team."
Although it wasnât the transfer period, Wang Shuo was a free agent, so he wasnât affected by the transfer window.
Once signed, Mainz had to promptly submit the paperwork to the German Football Association.
Since it was an international transfer, it also had to be submitted to UEFA and FIFA.
But as for Wang Shuoâs paperwork back in China, Gao Huairen would help get everything in order, so there shouldnât be any major issues.
About a week should be enough time.
On the way back to the hotel from Bruch Road Stadium, Thomas Essien urged Wang Shuo to continue working hard.
"You heard what Kramny said. The Mainz first team is hit by a wave of injuries right now. If they fail to get promoted to the Bundesliga this season, Klopp will very likely choose to leave. When that happens, the deck will be completely reshuffled."
"Given Mainzâs current situation, both Peter Neustadter from the second team and Kramny from the U19s are potential candidates to succeed Klopp with the first team. You have to seize this opportunity!"
Wang Shuo nodded solemnly.
Even without Thomas Essienâs urging, he would have pushed himself to the limit regardless.
After all, it hadnât been easy. He had fought tooth and nail for this contract and the chance to stay on the team.
"By the way, Thomas, why is it that when a team starts doing well, things can actually get more dire?"
Wang Shuo asked, full of curiosity.
Thomas Essien, who was driving, turned to glance at Wang Shuo and chuckled.
To be honest, he had grown quite fond of this hardworking and endlessly curious young man from China.
He was also more than happy to teach him a thing or two.
"Fans always want the team to perform well, but if the teamâs performance exceeds expectations and doesnât align with the clubâs financial reality, that can be absolutely dire."
"Right now, Mainz under Klopp is in exactly that situation."
"The reason is actually quite simple. After consistently performing well and finishing in the top half of the Bundesliga table, the teamâs once-unknown players started making names for themselves and attracting interest from bigger clubs."
"This has put Mainz in a difficult bind: they canât hold on to their players, but they also canât sell them for a good price."
In the summer of â06, Mainz sold their key midfielder, Antonio Da Silva.
Their top scorer, Benjamin Oer, refused to renew his contract with the team and left for Bochum on a free transfer.
According to the original plan, the team also had a Belgian striker named Turk. But unexpectedly, just before the season began, Frankfurt poached him with a lucrative contract offer.
Mainz couldnât keep Turk, and the situation turned very ugly, causing widespread anxiety in the locker room.
And the Belgian center-forward Marius Niculae, who was a panic buy, only lasted half a year before leaving the team in frustration.
This directly led to Mainz being at the bottom of the Bundesliga table after the first half of the season.
During the winter break, they signed the Egyptian player Zidane from Werder Bremen and brought in Danish midfielder Leon Andreasen on loan, which greatly boosted the teamâs competitiveness. Their performance in the second half of the season saw a major turnaround.
But it was too late.
They had dropped too many points in the first half of the season, and it was impossible to catch up.
After relegation, it became even harder to hold on to their players.
Andreasen, whom Klopp wanted to sign, was unwilling to join, and Zidane left for Hamburg.
Even the teamâs Direct Lineage player, captain Manuel Friedrich, transferred to Bayer Leverkusen.
This further weakened Mainzâs competitiveness in the 2nd Bundesliga.
Interestingly, Mainz has actually performed very well in the 2nd Bundesliga this season.
In 24 matches, theyâve only conceded 23 goals, giving them the best defense in the 2nd Bundesliga.
Theyâve scored 39 goals, giving them the fourth-most potent attack.
But from matchday 17 until now, over a span of eight league games, their record is two wins, four draws, and two losses.
This wave of injuries has abruptly halted Mainzâs powerful momentum in their push for promotion to the Bundesliga.
The worst part is, itâs still running rampant through the Mainz first team.
Wang Shuo listened to Thomas Essienâs explanation on the drive, completely stunned.
He had truly never imagined that performing well could actually be a curse.
It completely upended his understanding of things!
...
Back in his hotel room, Wang Shuo immediately entered the [Ball God System].
He had received a notification from the system back when he was in Kramnyâs office.
"Reward Package Received: One Passive Skill Card. Enter the system to draw?"
Wang Shuo chose [Yes] without hesitation.
The Passive Skill, Breathing, had been a huge help to Wang Shuo, and the improvement in his abilities was extremely noticeable.
Now, he was filled with anticipation. What new Passive Skill would he draw this time?
The massive football suspended in mid-air began to spin again.
Under Wang Shuoâs gaze, the giant football went from stationary to spinning at high speed, then gradually slowed down.
Finally, Wang Shuo drew his second Passive Skill.
"Insight: Enhances the ability to read the game and discern opponentsâ intentions."
Wang Shuo was astonished.
âThis is insane!â
If [Breathing] improved his stamina, then [Insight] improved his game awareness.
Based on his experience with [Breathing], Wang Shuo was almost certain that the boost from [Insight] would be no less significant, even though both were currently only at the Professional Level.
âIâve really hit the jackpot!â
In his excitement, Wang Shuo soon noticed some changes to the football suspended in mid-air.
Where only one pentagonal panel had been lit up before, now there were two.
Between the two glowing pentagons, a thread that had once been barely visible now seemed to have solidified, radiating a golden light.
When Wang Shuo focused on the thread, he was surprised to discover that with both [Breathing] and [Insight] active simultaneously, aspects like his off-the-ball movement and defensive positioning had also improved.
It was a synergistic boost where one plus one was greater than two!
âThis is unbelievable!â
Wang Shuo looked at the massive football before him and couldnât help but wonder, âIf I manage to light up every pentagonal panel and connect all the threads, just how strong will I become?â
âEven if theyâre all just at the Professional Level, establishing a firm foothold in the Bundesliga should be no problem, right?â
The mere thought of it made Wang Shuo tremble with excitement.
Especially when he thought of the away game in Offenburg in a weekâs time, he could hardly contain his elation and passion. He grabbed a football and rushed out the door.
"Thomas, Iâm going out to train!"
Hearing Wang Shuo knock on his door from the hallway and call out, Thomas Essien was a bit baffled inside his own room.
âHe just got back from training, and now heâs going out for an extra session?â
But a moment later, he broke into a smile.
âAnd to think I was worried heâd slack off after signing the contract.â
âLooks like I was worried for nothing.â