15: Chapter 15: U21 debut, came on as a substitute, left attacking midfielder!

London, Jonathan Barnett's office. It offered a view of part of the city, decorated in a modern and luxurious style. On the wall hung several photos of him with the stars he represented, with the one of Gareth Bale being the most prominent.

Wen Wan sat opposite Jonathan Barnett, trying hard to appear calm and professional, despite her palms sweating slightly. She pushed a simple file towards him.

"Mr. Barnett, I hope to find a top-tier football agent for my client, Yu Bai. He plays for Tottenham U18 and U21, and is a very promising Chinese player."

Jonathan Barnett, this super-agent of British football, leaned back into his large leather chair, fingers interlaced on the desk.

He glanced at the cover of the file without flipping it open immediately, a polite but distant smile on his face: "A Chinese player? Forgive my bluntness, Miss Linda, but according to our company's scouting network and evaluation system, there are currently no young Chinese talents emerging who are worth noting." His tone was flat, as if stating an objective fact.

Wen Wan's heart sank, but she maintained her expression: "I understand. But Yu Bai's situation is a bit special; you can take a look at his information first."

Jonathan Barnett was noncommittal, finally picking up the thin folder and browsing through it quickly.

The first part covered his Arsenal youth background, U16 data, being dropped, trialing at several clubs, and finally signing with Tottenham. In his view, this was an ordinary story that happened every day in youth academies, even carrying a hint of a "loser's drift." He was uninterested, only maintaining basic patience because of the potential influence this lady (and the Yu family she vaguely represented) might possess. For young players with such wealthy backgrounds, even if they didn't make it, maintaining a good relationship was a decent networking investment.

It wasn't until he saw the record after Yu Bai transferred to Tottenham, and the shocking data from that U18 debut—a Hat-trick of assists, winning a penalty, Man of the Match. His flipping motion paused, his brows furrowed imperceptibly, and then he picked up the internal phone on the desk and dialed a number.

"It's me, Jonathan. Help me check on a Chinese player at Tottenham U18 named Yu Bai. Yes, Yu Bai. Hmm, is there a match tonight? U21 against Everton? He made the roster? Good, I see. As a substitute? But he's confirmed to play? Alright, thanks."

He hung up the phone, and when he looked at Wen Wan again, his smile was more sincere and carried a bit more scrutiny.

"Miss Linda," Jonathan Barnett leaned forward slightly, "It seems the information I received is a bit outdated. Your client seems a bit more interesting than what the data shows."

He tapped his fingertips on the desk, "Yu Bai will come off the bench in the U21 match tonight, right? How about this, why don't we go to the venue together to watch? After the match, we can discuss the possibility of cooperation in detail, shall we?"

Wen Wan was stunned, almost thinking she had misheard. This super-agent, who possessed stars like Gareth Bale, Joe Hart, and Luke Shaw, didn't flatly refuse and even suggested going to watch a U21 match in person?

"O-of course!"

She nodded quickly, though her heart was churning with waves.

That kid Yu Bai... what exactly did he do?

...

Tottenham Training Center, match pitch. The lights illuminated the green field as if it were daytime. Quite a few people were already sitting in the stands, including a small group of family members and die-hard fans of Tottenham's youth players, among whom was The Thompson Family. Chloe even brought a loud little trumpet.

At 7 PM, the match started on time.

The tempo was more than a notch faster than the U18 level. Physical confrontations were more intense, the Passing speed was faster, and the cost of mistakes was higher. Yu Bai sat on the bench, leaning forward, eyes fixed on the field without blinking. He could clearly see every player's positioning, the intent of every pass, and could even predict some Passing lines. This feeling of "understanding" was completely different from the vague viewing experience before.

In the 19th minute, Tottenham won a Free kick in the front court. Number 10 Alex Pritchard stood before the ball. He took a run-up, struck the ball, and it arced, deflected off the Everton wall, and eerily bounced into the net! 1:0!

In the 27th minute, Alex Pritchard returned. He completed a simple wall pass with a teammate at the edge of the penalty area, found space, and fired a furious shot; the ball hung in the top corner like a cannonball out of the chamber! 2:0! A brace!

Alex Pritchard's performance could be described as dominant. Yu Bai watched his celebrating figure, but his heart sank. He had heard about this person from Dylan Duncan—an attacking genius produced by Tottenham's youth academy, who made his first-team debut in 2011, but had been loaned out for the past few years. He had decent stats in EFL League One and the EFL Championship, but had never been able to establish himself in the Tottenham first team. There were quite a few scouts sitting in the stands, likely here to see him. If such a talented player still needed to be constantly loaned out to find opportunities, and with a dim prospect of returning... what about himself?

In the 43rd minute, Everton countered. A through ball from Conor Grant pierced the Tottenham defense, forcing goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to abandon his goal, and forward Sam Byrne calmly pushed the ball into the empty net. 2:1.

But Tottenham's response came even faster. After the kickoff from the center circle, with just one pass, Nathan Oduwa poked the ball into the net during a scramble in the penalty area! 3:1! The first half ended.

Yu Bai followed the team back to the locker room, his mind still replaying Alex Pritchard's goals and Everton's counterattack. Gaps, potential, future... various thoughts flooded in.

Inside the locker room, Ugo Ehiogu quickly laid out the tactics for the second half. Then, he looked at Yu Bai.

"Yu." The coach's voice made him look up.

"You're on for the second half, replacing Shayon Harrison. Play as a left winger." Ugo Ehiogu was concise, then pointed his pen at a position closer to the center on the tactics board, "But your active zone is here. Cut inside more, and connect with Alex Pritchard. You must come back for defense, understand?"

Calling it a left winger, it was actually a left attacking midfielder.

Yu Bai nodded vigorously: "Understood, coach."

He took off his training jacket, revealing the spare jersey underneath, then took the number 21 official match jersey handed over by the assistant coach. The pristine white color, the blue number, the red "AIA" sponsor logo—the touch was slightly cool.

He quickly pulled it on, straightened it out, and tucked the hem into his shorts. The fabric clung to his body, carrying an unfamiliar weight that belonged to an official match.

The locker room was a bit noisy, but he seemed to only hear the sound of his own blood flowing, thump, thump, getting louder and louder, hitting his eardrums. The burning sensation in his chest surged again, mixed with the fatigue from staying up late, the confidence filled by theory, the longing for a higher stage, and a slight fear of unknown challenges.

He tied his shoelaces tight, was the last to walk out of the locker room tunnel, and stepped back into the dazzling lights of the pitch. In the stands, from the direction of The Thompson Family, a cheer erupted, mixed with the sharp sound of the little trumpet blown by Chloe.

The fourth official held up the electronic substitution board on the sidelines: Number 21 on, Number 10 off.

Yu Bai stepped onto the turf. The lights were scorching, and the air was filled with the scent of grass clippings and sweat. He could feel countless gazes falling on his unfamiliar number 21—some curious, some scrutinizing, some disapproving.

He slowly ran toward the left flank, adjusting his breathing while going over Ugo Ehiogu's instructions one last time in his mind, as well as the subtle habits of the opponent's right-side defense he had observed in the first half.

This world is in a hurry to hear stories of young achievers?

What a coincidence.

So am I.

...