Greentown Coach

During halftime, head coach Zhao Qiang made virtually no tactical adjustments.

The thing he did most in the lounge was to praise Wu Bin to the skies.

Although forward Chen Long scored both goals, it's obvious to anyone with a discerning eye who Fujian Tianxin's best player was.

What pleased Zhao Qiang was that, despite this being Wu Bin's first official match, he remained completely calm.

That calm and composed demeanor was just like someone who had played in a real professional league!

When the two teams came out to play again, Zhang Lei came over and patted Wu Bin on the shoulder: "Sigh, finally someone has experienced my suffering."

Indeed, Wu Bin completely neutralized the opposing team's key striker, number 9.

He knows that feeling all too well!

Once Wu Bin sets his sights on you, you'll face an ever-present threat and a constant sense of tension.

Anyone who gets robbed by Wu Bin even once or twice will have their mentality completely shattered.

Afterwards, even just watching Wu Bin standing beside you without doing anything else can exert immense psychological pressure.

Zhang Lei turned to look at the opposite side. Zhang Shuo, who had been arrogant before the match, now looked dejected, his head hanging low and his eyes somewhat vacant.

The second half of the game completely turned into a training ground for Fujian Tianxin's offense and defense, with no suspense whatsoever.

Wu Bin remained firmly in the midfield core position, and he didn't just defend. Instead, he began to control the rhythm of the game, covering the gaps on both sides horizontally and connecting the back and front lines vertically.

He completely stifled Wuxi Jinyang's midfield, making it extremely difficult for them to even cross the halfway line.

If Fujian Tianxin's forwards hadn't squandered several chances, this game might have turned into a massacre.

In the 78th minute, Fujian Tianxin scored again, making the score 3-0.

The outcome of the match was no longer in doubt.

In a corner by the field, Xin Xiaomeng's live stream was getting increasingly popular, with the chat screen filled with dense comments:

"The level of this match was quite high, higher than I expected from the China League Three."

"It's mainly the presence of Tianxin No. 18 that raised the level of the competition, right?"

"That's right, didn't you see how awful those shots the striker took..."

"It's good enough if one or two players play well. Do you really think this is the Chinese Super League?"

"The Chinese Super League isn't necessarily playing well either..."

"I think Wu Bin's ability is a waste for playing in the third division; he should be more than capable of playing in the first division, right?"

"How old is he? Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Xiao Meng, broadcast more of Tianxin's matches from now on, and I'll definitely be watching Wu Bin's games!"

Xin Xiaomeng held up her phone, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Wu Bin on the field: "Family members, you all say Wu Bin is a 'hexagonal warrior,' although I don't quite understand what that means, but I also feel that this performance was entirely his own!"

She didn't notice at all that in the audience not far away, a middle-aged man dressed in casual sportswear with a straight posture had his eyes fixed on Wu Bin the whole time, his eyes full of appreciation and amazement.

This man is Wang Jun, currently playing for Zhejiang Greentown in China League One—he should now be the assistant coach of Hangzhou Greentown FC.

He wasn't actually originally coming to watch this game.

In another group participating in this China League Two South Division 1 competition, there is the host team, Hangzhou Wuyue Qiantang.

In order to achieve good results, they asked Hangzhou Greentown for players.

The two teams have a good relationship, so Greentown loaned over a few young players from their youth academy, since it would also allow them to test their abilities in actual matches.

Wang Jun is essentially a "supervisor," observing the performance of the young players on-site and considering whether the outstanding ones can be promoted to the first team.

The first match today was between Hangzhou Wuyue Qiantang and Nanjing Shaye, and Hangzhou Wuyue Qiantang lost 1-2.

The young players from Greentown also performed very poorly, which disappointed Wang Jun.

Just as he was packing up to leave, the second match between Fujian Tianxin and Wuxi Jinyang began.

He glanced at it a few times, then sat down again.

Because he saw Wu Bin!

Wang Jun played as a defensive midfielder during his playing career. After retiring, he devoted himself to youth training and first-team coaching, and has an extremely keen eye for talent.

So he stayed in the stands and quietly watched the entire match.

The more you watch, the more surprised you become: Wu Bin's defensive positioning, running coverage, and physical toughness are completely unlike those of a China League Two player. In particular, his ability to read the game and his calm football intelligence far surpass those of young players of the same age!

This also precisely highlights the current weakness of Greentown's lineup.

Before this year, Hangzhou Greentown was actually a Chinese Super League team.

However, after competing in the Chinese Super League for ten consecutive seasons, Greentown only managed to finish 15th last season – second to last – and was relegated.

In the post-season review, many people mentioned that Greentown's poor midfield defense, which led to a disconnect between the front and back lines, was the primary reason for their relegation.

After being relegated, the team's strong foreign players will definitely leave, and some of the key domestic players will also seek better opportunities elsewhere. Greentown's journey in the China League One this season is actually not easy.

Especially in the defensive midfield position, the original main player Zhao Yuhao has transferred to Hebei, and the remaining players still do not meet the requirements of head coach Hong Myung-bo.

Finding a strong, immediately impactful player in the transfer market, and someone willing to come to the China League One, is no easy feat!

Wang Jun unexpectedly gained something today.

Watching Wu Bin calmly direct the defense and completely dominate the opponent on the field...

Isn't this the perfect candidate that Greentown has been searching for?

The match had already ended.

Fujian Tianxin defeated Wuxi Jinyang 3-0, securing their first victory in the South Division 1 competition.

His teammates swarmed around him, hugged Wu Bin tightly, and patted him excitedly on the shoulder.

There are only six teams in the entire South Division 1, with three teams in each group.

The top team from each group advances to the next round, where they compete for the championship and runner-up titles.

Since the top two teams from each region can advance to the national finals, advancing from the group stage means advancing to the next stage of the competition.

Therefore, winning this match would greatly increase the chances of advancing!

Everyone was naturally happy.

The players gradually headed to the bench to replenish their water and rest. Xin Xiaomeng also approached the fence with her phone, wanting to greet Wu Bin up close.

But Wang Jun took the lead and walked straight toward the coaching bench of Fujian Tianxin.

Zhao Qiang was holding a tactics board, reviewing the game with his assistant coach, when he looked up and saw Wang Jun approaching. He was taken aback at first, then quickly stood up and extended his hand, his tone full of respect: "Coach Wang? What are you doing here?"

Wang Jun has served as the coach of many domestic teams and has extensive experience in Chinese football.

Moreover, the two teams already have a lot of cooperative relationships, and many players in Tianxinli have Greentown backgrounds, so Zhao Qiang naturally respects him a lot.

Wang Jun reached out and shook hands with Zhao Qiang, his gaze still fixed on Wu Bin, who was still organizing his equipment on the field. He said directly, "Coach Zhao, I won't beat around the bush. I came here today specifically to ask about the situation of your team's number 18 defensive midfielder, Wu Bin."

Zhao Qiang's heart skipped a beat, but he still replied, "Wu Bin has improved a lot recently. From a fringe substitute, he's worked his way up to a starting defensive midfielder, and he was the Man of the Match in this game. Why are you suddenly paying attention to him?"

Wang Jun nodded, making no attempt to hide his appreciation, and said sincerely, "To be honest, our Greentown team is currently lacking a tough defensive midfielder like your Wu Bin. He's defensively strong, covers a large area, has high football intelligence, is young, has great potential, and is a perfect fit for our team's tactical system. He's exactly the kind of player we urgently need."

He paused, then added, "I observed him throughout the entire match. His physical strength, anticipation, and positioning are all solid, and he has a stable mentality. He's perfectly capable of playing in the China League One! With a little refinement, he could even have the potential to reach a higher level in the future. I'd like to know about Wu Bin's contract situation and whether he himself has the desire to move up a level?"

Zhao Qiang felt a mix of emotions.

The reason he was able to decisively refuse Nantong Zhiyun's poaching attempt last time was because Nantong Zhiyun was just a China League Two team, and also a small team that had only been established two years ago.

Wu Bin's move to Zhiyun in Nantong might not be as good as staying at Tianxin in Fujian.

He is confident that he can lead Fujian Tianxin to promotion to China League Two this year, which would put them on the same level as Nantong Zhiyun.

But Hangzhou Greentown is different.

A long-established team that has dominated the Chinese Super League for many years, and has also played in the AFC Champions League.

More importantly, they possess one of the best youth training systems and facilities in China, which should be very attractive to Wu Bin.

Moreover, being noticed by Greentown is a rare opportunity for Wu Bin, and it is far more promising than staying in the China League Two.

Even if we take a step back and say it's purely for money, the salary in the China League One is much higher than that in the China League Three, which is a semi-professional league!

Therefore, Zhao Qiang knew very well that if Greentown wanted to poach Wu Bin, his small company would never be able to retain him.

Zhao Qiang sighed and said truthfully, "Wu Bin is now an absolute key player for our team. As for his contract... well, there's really no formal contract. This kid came up through the amateur leagues..."

Wang Jun was surprised: "Huh? You're an amateur player? I really didn't realize. Your positioning and defensive awareness are like you've had very professional training."

"It must be from his recent hard training," Zhao Qiang said. "He has always had a professional dream and wants to play in a higher-level league. He is particularly hardworking and never slacks off in training."

"Good, he can endure hardship and has dreams, that's enough." Wang Jun smiled with satisfaction and patted Zhao Qiang's arm.

"I'll keep an eye on your upcoming matches. If he continues to perform this consistently, I'll make a suggestion to the club."

"Of course, don't worry, we won't treat you unfairly! Our club has many excellent young players; take your pick!"

Zhao Qiang could only force a smile.

Can any outstanding young player compare to Wu Bin?

If you're as good as Wu Bin, would you need to poach my talent?