On July 9th, the annual Unselected Draft Match was about to begin again, and Evans had already finalized the roster, allowing Huang Hao to decide whether to watch the match himself.
English Football Association annually arranges two exhibition matches for unemployed players, which are also considered the best opportunities for these young players to find new jobs.
Those selected for the training camp are often promising stars with some potential.
Since finished products couldn't be bought, Huang Hao naturally had to 'dig for treasure' here.
Because the match was held in London, Huang Hao and Evans went together to Ashford Stadium to watch.
The stadium could only accommodate over 700 spectators, but at this time, there were only a handful of people on the sidelines, mostly scouts sent by various clubs.
Huang Hao seemed to be the only first-team Head Coach present.
The targets Evans had finalized were mostly in Team 1.
English Football Association also thoughtfully selected Teams 1-4 based on the levels of various Leagues, with the EFL Championship being the ceiling for these players.
Ultimately, Team 1 and Team 2 each scored two goals, shaking hands and settling for a draw.
The match wasn't particularly exciting, as all the players were temporarily assembled, lacking chemistry and coordination.
Most players, in their limited 45 minutes of playing time, tried their best to showcase their talents so that the scouts on the sidelines would pay more attention to them.
Evans had good judgment; the target players, winger Paul Smith and defender Josh Pasque, both performed well in their limited time and received Huang Hao's approval.
The subsequent work could be handed over to Adams; after all, it wasn't three years ago when Huang Hao had to personally handle every player.
However, seeing these unselected players, Huang Hao also thought of certain individuals who, despite being from prestigious clubs, had been constantly on loan.
Such people, having been tempered by society, had little of their arrogance left, and Huang Hao felt it was the right time to strike while the iron was hot.
Huang Hao instructed Evans to look for players in various prestigious clubs; a boss could be that unrestrained.
August 5th was the deadline for summer transfers, and as time dwindled day by day, Cambridge United's recruitment also needed to accelerate again.
Currently, Cambridge United had brought in five players: Paul Smith, Josh Pasque, Mario Gotze, Andre Ayew, and Jordan Ayew.
Following Huang Hao's suggestion, Evans also found Harry Kane among a large number of youth players.
After promising not to loan him out again and to register him for the first team, the wandering Harry Kane signed the transfer contract without hesitation, joining Cambridge United.
Dzeko and Bennett of Cambridge United also received some temptations this summer.
Fortunately, Huang Hao timely raised everyone's salaries, and coupled with everyone's gratitude for Huang Hao's recognition, the team atmosphere at Cambridge United, along with its booming prospects, meant that no prestigious clubs made a move, so Simmons's 'forcing the palace' incident did not reoccur at Cambridge United.
Thus, Huang Hao's gaze locked onto a 20-year-old French youngster.
Enzo Robise, a youth academy player from Ligue 1's Reims, was brought to England by Southampton in his second year of professional career.
After two years of hard work in the reserve team, he did not get the first-team opportunity he desired.
Helpless, Enzo accepted the team's arrangement for a loan.
He continued the pattern of one team per year, spending over two years at Auxerre and Troyes in the French Football League Two.
During his loan spells, Robise did not have an overly outstanding performance and ultimately failed to earn a contract extension from Southampton.
Southampton, known for its excellent youth academy system, very decisively shifted its focus to the next promising star.
Robise, with his excellent explosiveness and speed, also faced the same dilemma as Aaron Cole; at only 171cm tall, he was at a disadvantage in physical confrontations, and therefore did not receive much attention.
So, upon receiving Adams's call, Robise was very surprised and readily accepted Cambridge United's trial invitation.
Robise, who greatly cherished this trial opportunity, performed excellently during the trial and received unanimous praise from the coaching staff.
Although he was lacking in direct confrontations, Robise cleverly tried to avoid them, relying more on speed and dribbling to shake off his opponents.
What impressed Huang Hao the most was Robise's precise crosses, like guided missiles, accurately landing on the heads of the forwards.
As a substitute surprise weapon, Huang Hao felt it was enough.
Thus, Enzo Robise, through his own efforts, earned a two-year contract with Cambridge United, with a weekly salary of £2,300.
Huang Hao also found a good substitute for Tadić and Bennett.
Moreover, Enzo was only 20 years old, with ample room for improvement.
Among the Premier League's youth academies, besides Arsenal, the Saints' Southampton youth academy is one of the most acclaimed.
Southampton is the biggest star factory in the Premier League, having nurtured countless excellent players.
Alan Shearer, Gareth Bale, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and many others—Southampton became a renowned 'Arsenal' across Europe.
Similarly, even players eliminated by Southampton each year became hot commodities in the market.
For Huang Hao, who was also keen on young players, his primary task each year was to 'dig for treasure' from Southampton.
After signing Robise, Huang Hao set his sights on another player, 23-year-old Irish player Thomas O'Connor.
O'Connor played as a midfielder, excelling in both offense and defense, with relatively balanced abilities.
However, sometimes balance also meant mediocrity, especially for Southampton, which was rich in talent.
In the most recent season, O'Connor was loaned to the Bulgarian Super League, joining Slavia Sofia.
During his loan spell, he made 22 appearances and contributed 2 assists.
Such statistics were clearly not enough to impress Southampton, and this 'lottery ticket' was also decisively discarded by Southampton's sporting director.
This time, Cambridge United's team director Adams achieved a remarkable feat; after more than a month of persistent effort, he finally defeated other competitors and successfully persuaded O'Connor.
Ultimately, O'Connor signed a four-year contract with Cambridge United, with a weekly salary of £1,600.
Huang Hao, addicted to 'treasure hunting,' was no longer satisfied with domestic players; he set his sights on the Netherlands.
Van Dijk joined the Willem II youth academy in 2001 but never got a first-team opportunity, always on an apprentice contract.
So, to support himself, Van Dijk also had to wash dishes at a restaurant after training.
Adams, sent to the Netherlands, rarely complained for once; in high spirits, he brought Van Dijk back without spending a dime.
Finally, Van Dijk signed a three-year contract with Cambridge United, with a weekly salary of £1,500, with annual increments.
Soon after, the EFL Championship's new season team report was released as scheduled.
It meticulously recorded the history, player rosters, and new season expectations of each participating team.
Cambridge United was given odds of 1:1001 to win the championship, meaning that if one bet £10,000, believing Cambridge United would become the EFL Championship champion this season, they would receive a prize of £10.01 million at the end of the season!
Facing these odds, Huang Hao swallowed hard, but did not place a bet.
Wouldn't it be better to save this money for food? Why go against money!
As for the relegation odds, Cambridge United was the undisputed first choice at 1:2!
Even Cambridge United's cleaning lady thought these odds were very reasonable! She even wanted to place a bet!
With the report's release, the complete schedule for the EFL Championship season was also published.
Cambridge United's first opponent was Charlton.
This team, which finished eleventh in the EFL Championship last season, was not an easy opponent to crack.
Charlton was still in the Premier League two seasons ago, but unfortunately, after the departure of their meritorious Head Coach Alan Curbishley, due to coaching and financial reasons, they kept changing Head Coaches and selling players, leading to low team morale and relegation to the EFL Championship.
Last season, they continued to sell players, resulting in a final ranking of only 11th.
With the release of the new season's schedule, Cambridge United's transfer work was also nearing completion.
Although there was a feeling of not being fully satisfied, facing transfers that often cost tens of millions of pounds, Cambridge United's ability to largely retain its core players and add some immediate combat power was considered satisfactory.
Cambridge United's 31-man roster for this EFL Championship season was then announced:
Goalkeepers: Fane Pantilimon (21), Jonny Heffernan (Youth Academy, 18), Jan Oblak (15)
Defenders: Mark Bola (23), Marek Suchý (20), Dejan Lovren (21), Sterri (25), Longolo (24), Domagoj Vida (21), Josh Pasque (23), Virgil Van Dijk (19), Sun Jihai (31)
Midfielders: Dwight Pasquel (20), Ginnelly Bennett (20), Enzo Robise (20), Paul Smith (23), Adam May (23), Thomas O'Connor (23), (23), Aaron Cole (25), Dusan Tadic (19), Riyad Mahrez (17), N'Golo Kante (17), Mario Gotze (16), Andre Ayew (19)
Forwards: Sager Colchester (Captain, 26), Jordan Ayew (17), Edin Dzeko (22), Jamie Vardy (21), Ashley Hill (22), Robert Lewandowski (20), Harry Kane (15)
Outgoings:
Stevens, £115,000, Swindon (League One)
Warren Clark, £95,000, Luton (League Two)
Hawkins, £200,000, Southend United (League One)
