In two years, Ajax, who reached the top of Europe in 95, was unrecognizable.

Most of the main lineup of the team that swept Europe has gone, this summer, Kluivert confirmed not to renew his contract, Peter Pan Ovemas is doubtful, Bogard and AC Milan are in love, and the most important thing is that the meritorious coach Van Gaal is also upset, and his eyebrow with Barcelona is no secret.

Over the past two decades, Ajax has sent close to 50 players to Europe's top five leagues, most of whom are well-known stars, and in the eyes of Europe's first-tier clubs, Ajax is not only a Dutch giant, but also a boutique for football talent.

In the past ten years of transfer transactions, Ajax has earned more than $100 million, a figure that other teams simply can't imagine at the moment.

Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven, these three Dutch giants support Dutch football, and the youth training force is indescribably strong.

Just like Real Madrid and Barcelona's contribution to La Liga, perhaps in the general public's consciousness, Barcelona's La Masia is a youth training signboard, Real Madrid is not famous for youth training, but in fact, Real Madrid has not been able to draw first-team talents from its own youth training system, Real Madrid's youth training has contributed very much to the entire Spanish football, because the players who have not come out in Real Madrid have gone to other teams, counting the second division, On average, Real Madrid sends about 10 professional players to clubs at two levels every season, which has accumulated over the years, and there are not a few local players in La Liga who come from Real Madrid's academy.

All three have their own characteristics, with Ajax not being able to retain talent, coupled with a Jewish background business philosophy. Selling people to make money is their purpose. After all, the Dutch league's influence and status in football have its limits. If you don't sell it, you can't keep it!

Barcelona began to enter the construction of the Dutch gang this summer, but in the long run, even if Van Gaal took over, he still promoted future team core players such as Xavi from the youth academy, and the tactical concept of the youth team and the first team made the youth team and the first team seamlessly integrated, so that the first team can continue to get talent from the youth team.

Real Madrid's approach to survival of the fittest, coupled with the club's "aristocratic" background, has given too little patience to young players in the first team. There aren't many opportunities, unless it's a talent like Raul or Casillas who has made a splash and established himself in the first team, and the club doesn't have the patience to wait for you to mature and take charge of your own game, even if the young players are good, but it's also a big benefit for the club to make the club's influence and status transcendent by sending talent to other clubs throughout La Liga.

Aldridge's founding philosophy is that Millwall must combine the youth characteristics of these three clubs in order to be strong. Learn from each other's strengths and replicate the tactically consistent training model of Barcelona's first team youth team. Learn from Ajax's approach to nurturing new talent across the network, while also giving the youth team the same competitive environment as Real Madrid.

A genius and a hundred mediocre talents train together, and most of them reach the end of the day, and this genius will be assimilated by mediocrity.

But if 50 geniuses and 50 mediocre talents train together, the effect is completely different, and the talents compete with each other, stimulating the enterprising spirit of the mediocre talents, which will accelerate the growth of the players and stimulate their potential.

Aldridge will not only strengthen the first team this summer, but also make the youth team have more potential new stars, so as to stimulate them to grow faster.

Because he found a very bad phenomenon.

Joe Cole, Ronaldinho, Ashley Cole and Villa were the brightest hopefuls in Millwall's youth team last season, and the year before, when they were all 14 or 15 years old, they looked outstanding in the youth team, but in last season's youth team, the gap between them and their peers grew wider and wider, forming a polarisation in the youth team.

This has taken them out of the 11-man group and into a small group, not because they are in the youth team, but because the quality they show on the pitch is the most intuitive because the other team-mates can't keep up with their speed, their mindset and their reflexes.

And they can't slow down their kicking speed to wait for those teammates who are obviously a few beats slower, so they only have two options, Ronaldinho and Joe Cole, Villa in the front three of the three, when there is no space to cooperate, they become very selfish and will not pass the ball to other teammates, because they think that the passing option is not as good as trying to break through or shoot themselves, anyway, the effect is definitely much better than handing the ball to those teammates who are obviously different from them.

That's why Nagy approached Aldridge and gave him advice: either take the four players out on loan and go to work, or transfer them to the first team, train with them and play in the reserves.

In short, they can't stay in the youth team anymore, otherwise, it will only delay their growth.

Aldridge's solution was to find them teammates to match.

However, he has no intention of poaching Ajax's under-16 players when he comes to the Netherlands today, despite the fact that the Ajax academy has a lot of future high-profile stars, such as Donny van der Vaart.

He's here for Ajax's next wingman: Andy van der Meyde.

It's not that Aldridge can't afford the now famous Dutch Peter Pan, but after buying Overmars, Aldridge can go on vacation and then return to the team at the end of July to prepare for next season.

Under Andrew's arrangement, Aldridge met Andy van der Meyde, who was about to turn 18, in an ordinary hotel in Amsterdam.

There are no language communication problems between the two, and almost everyone in the Netherlands speaks English.

Andy van der Meyde was dressed and his hair was deliberately tidied up, and the young and handsome young man was a little nervous when he saw Aldrich, and Aldridge could see that he was a little excited, which made Aldridge feel fresh.

Because when he introduced players in the past, regardless of the age of the players, they were famous, and when they first met him, they were either suspicious or expressionless. It doesn't seem to be a good sight to see the young marshal from London.

He has led Millwall to meteoric prominence over the past three years. Aldrich also has the aura of a famous handsome on his head. This makes him even more sincere when he now recruits players in person.

"Hi Andy, I can call you that, right? Okay, let's sit down and talk. ”

Aldridge graciously invited Van der Meyde to sit down on the couch and then went straight to the point with a blueprint he had sketched for him.

Come to Millwall and you'll be part of the first team for the new season, coming off the bench. Integrate into the team first, as short as one season, as long as two years, and if all goes well, he should be able to challenge for the main position at the age of 20.

As for how to train him, Aldridge did not elaborate, and if the other party asked, he was willing to spend more time explaining to him.

Van der Meyde suppressed the excitement in his heart, and his enthusiasm cooled down a lot.

He heard Aldrich, the young marshal, want to see him. I thought that I was valued by the other party, so I went directly to Millwall to play the main force.

Now I understand. It's not like that at all.

But at least, his potential was affirmed, which made him a little happier after calming down.

Thinking about the treatment he received at Ajax, Van der Meyde asked: "Can you talk about my contract?" ”

Aldrich smiled, knowing that the other party agreed, and said to Andrew, "You can talk to him." ”

Andrew, as an agent, has done a few votes in the Netherlands, Stam, Larsson, Vanney and other players are all handled by him, in the Dutch football circle, he also has a certain reputation, because he plays a role in these transfers, but also for the player to win a lucrative contract, plus he is Aldridge's brother, want to play for Aldridge dream of a goal to become famous young players naturally have a certain understanding of him.

Van der Meyde was originally going to sign a professional contract with Ajax this summer, but Ajax is now worried about internal and external troubles, the 95 golden generation is being poached every year, and this summer the club is in turmoil of manager change, Van Gaal's departure will be announced in a few days, the club is trying to retain the main players of the first team, and for a while and a half can not take care of youth players like Van der Meyde.

Although it is difficult for English clubs to sign non-European hopefuls because of labor certificates, however, because they can sign professional contracts with 16-year-old players, this also benefits English clubs in disguise, and the football associations of mainstream leagues such as Spain and Germany stipulate that the signing of professional contracts must be after the player is 18 years old, which is such a loophole, so that English clubs have the convenience of poaching, but too many clubs in this era have not realized that poaching should be done as soon as possible, not only as soon as possible, but also as soon as the whole family is poached!

Van der Meyde does not have an agent at this time, and Andrew has no problem getting him, because Andrew promised to help him get a contract with a salary of 3,000 a week.

This is simply unbelievable to Van der Meyde.

What can't the Dutch league do to keep talent?

In addition to the influence of the league, the most important reason is the cost of the club, the salary offered to the players is not to mention compared with the top giants, even the middle and lower reaches of the Premier League teams are not comparable, because the club basically makes money by selling people and European competitions, relying on the Dutch league's own earning ability, the Dutch three giants have long been bankrupt, so there is a limit to the salary they give to players, players like Van der Meyde, the weekly salary can be a few hundred pounds, even if it is ten years later, It's basically just a few thousand pounds.

The weekly salary of 3,000 pounds is certainly the lowest in the first team salary level of Millwall, and even the contract signed by Ronaldinho of the youth team at the age of 16 is 5,000 pounds a week, but after all, he is the absolute main player that Aldridge regards as the team's future main player, and it is understandable to give it higher.

After reaching an agreement with Van der Meyde, Aldridge said goodbye to him first, and Andrew also called back to the company to ask an assistant to send someone to Amsterdam to accompany Van der Meyde to leave Ajax.

He has an apprenticeship contract with Ajax that expires in the summer, and Ajax originally planned to sign him on a professional contract, but as long as Van der Meyde refuses, he can leave as a free agent.

Before the new FIFA transfer rules are introduced this fall, Millwall could acquire a talented player like Donny van der Meyde for nothing.

After negotiating Van der Meyde's appointment, Aldridge and Andrew spent the night at the hotel, and the next morning, the two walked out of the hotel with travel bags and sunglasses.

"Next stop, where to go?"

Andrew looked up at the sky, looked at the weather today, and asked casually.

Aldridge opened the back door of the taxi and turned back and said, "PSV Eindhoven." (To be continued......)