Chapter 7: The Answer on the Frontline

Chapter 7: The Answer on the Frontline

“Holy crap!!”

“Two goals in one match?!”

“Amazing!”

“What a debut!”

“Looks like we’ll definitely see Limo in the new season!”

“Is this the unexpected surprise of Dragon Nation football?”

“Stop calling it Dragon Nation football; he’s half Italian. Anyone with a normal mind would choose Italy.”

“Italy is so strong, though. He might not even make the squad there, right?”

The Dragon fans were ecstatic.

The television screen replayed Limo’s goals over and over.

First, he moved laterally, then forward, before suddenly retreating and turning with a hooked run.

At the same time, a pass came from the back.

The defender in that area, Julu, couldn’t keep up with Limo’s rhythm.

After completing an offside trap, Limo’s actions were swift and decisive.

Eyeing the charging goalkeeper, he made a slight movement with his calf and poked the ball into the net.

This entire sequence left Zhang Jun deeply impressed: “Limo demonstrated exceptional offside awareness in that goal, and his finishing was incredibly mature. It’s hard to imagine that at seventeen, he plays with the composure of a twenty-seven-year-old.”

The Arsenal defenders raised their arms, signaling offside.

But this time, the linesman did not raise the flag.

Instead, he quickly started running toward the center circle.

The referee’s whistle blew, pointing to the center.

Seeing this, Arsenal’s players had no choice but to accept the fact: they had been defeated by an unknown seventeen-year-old AC Milan youth player.

A 0-2 deficit wasn’t the end of the world.

But the key was—

Earlier in the second half, Arsenal’s substitute striker Giroud had wasted several golden chances.

Including two one-on-one opportunities!

Compared to Giroud’s squandered chances,

Limo had only two chances in the entire match—and scored twice.

Given this contrast,

It was no surprise that Arsenal’s morale plummeted.

On the other hand,

AC Milan’s players were buoyant.

On the bench,

Many players applauded Limo.

Allegri stroked his chin.

His assistant rushed out excitedly, exclaiming, “This kid really is the new Inzaghi!”

A smile appeared on Allegri’s face.

“If we don’t bring in new forwards this season, he might become a valuable addition to our frontline.”

Of course, Allegri wouldn’t entrust the goal-scoring responsibility of AC Milan to Limo just because he scored two goals in a friendly.

Friendlies and competitive matches were entirely different.

Moreover,

At seventeen, the young player was still somewhat inconsistent.

In truth, Allegri preferred to have a more reliable, mature player from the transfer market as AC Milan’s answer up front this season.

Currently, AC Milan’s frontline roster included Robinho and Pato—both the most renowned names—but their performances in both halves were disappointing.

Besides them, only Cerci remained in AC Milan’s attack.

Cerci had good dribbling skills,

But his scoring efficiency was too low.

Last season, in twenty-eight appearances,

He managed only two goals and two assists.

With Robinho and Pato, two clubbing playboys, failing to inspire confidence,

Could Allegri really trust Cerci to lead the team’s offense?

Or gamble on Limo maintaining his current level?

Allegri dared not take that risk.

Therefore,

He had already demanded Galliani to bring in a new striker for AC Milan.

His options were plentiful,

Including Inter Milan’s Italian international striker Pazzini, Barcelona’s new Messi Boyang, and Italian international Mario Balotelli.

To Allegri,

Any one of these three was a safer bet than risking the seventeen-year-old Limo.

At this moment, in Allegri’s mind, Limo was a supplementary forward, not the definitive answer for AC Milan’s frontline this season.

“We can start evaluating him for a transfer!” Wenger said.

His assistant Bould thought for a moment, then shook his head: “AC Milan is unlikely to let him go. After they let Ibrahimović leave, their frontline is still quite thin.”

Wenger nodded helplessly.

“Let’s have the scouting department submit a player report first.”

Wenger knew that after Van Persie’s departure,

Arsenal also faced the dilemma of “who will score for Arsenal now.”

He had been quite optimistic about the French international Giroud.

But Giroud’s extraordinary talent for missing chances in this match made Wenger uneasy.

Of course, keeping Van Persie would be ideal.

If not,

Arsenal might really have to “find a gun” to lead their attack.

The final score was 2-0.

Thanks to Limo’s second-half brace,

AC Milan won their opening match of the International Champions Cup against Arsenal.

After the match,

The media in Milan city began extensively covering the meteoric rise of Limo.

Moreover, Limo was born and raised in Milan and was the nephew of Milan legend Inzaghi.

This naturally made the Milan-supporting media and fans regard Limo as “one of their own.”

“The New Inzaghi is Born! AC Milan’s Next-Generation Striking Killer!”

“He Deserves It! AC Milan’s Answer for the New Season!”

“A Born Milanese! Limo, the Child of Vismara, Holds Great Promise!”

For a time,

Milan’s media launched a wave of praise.

Fans eagerly awaited the arrival of a new Inzaghi.

Limo’s status among AC Milan supporters soared: Vismara youth academy product, Inzaghi’s nephew, local Milanese.

What identity could better fit the image of Milan’s prince?

Though it was only a brace in a friendly,

Strikers who score goals always attract the most attention, especially when two goals come in half a match with such familiar styles to AC Milan fans.

So,

After this match,

Limo became famous.

Half of Milan’s citizens were talking about him.

Naturally, his rising reputation did not escape the attention of AC Milan’s general manager Galliani.

Galliani knew AC Milan needed reinforcements,

Especially upfront.

But,

The club was short on funds!

So upon hearing of Limo’s sudden breakout,

Galliani’s mind lit up.

He immediately called Allegri.

“Limo? No, no, no. He can’t be our frontline answer. He’s very talented, of course, but he’s too young.”

Allegri nearly lost his mind.

The media hype was so strong that the AC Milan general manager naively asked if they could pause their search for a striker?!

Yes,

That’s right.

If Limo became a regular starter in the new season,

It would certainly please the Milan fans.

But Allegri also knew

That would be irresponsible to both AC Milan and Limo’s future—it was reminiscent of Real Madrid’s “Zidane + Pavon” policy back in the day.

At least Real Madrid had Zidane.

What about AC Milan?

Allegri took some time to read the Milan media reports.

The more he read,

The more he frowned.

The media were truly gullible, blowing up every young talent with even the slightest performance.

They stirred up the public opinion.

It was really troublesome.

With that in mind,

Allegri called Galliani again,

Explaining the stakes clearly,

Hoping Galliani would expedite the club’s transfer efforts.

He also believed Limo was too hot right now, so to avoid his presence disrupting the transfer work, Allegri deliberately reduced Limo’s media exposure.

For Allegri,

Once the summer transfer window closed,

He could confidently use Limo.

(End of chapter)