As the distance to the Nottingham Forest stadium grew closer, Cao Baming suddenly sensed a different atmosphere. His senses, which had always been sharp, now felt significantly heightened. Unfortunately, the surprise his teammates had kindly prepared had been revealed to him before it even happened.
Cao Baming shook his head in resignation, thinking that he would have to pretend to be surprised when he arrived at the club later.
On this day, virtually all the Nottingham Forest players were present, waiting behind the main gate for Cao Baming's arrival. Soon, they heard the sound of a car approaching.
"It's Cao Baming! Get ready, everyone!!"
At this moment, everyone's hearts were filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, knowing that Cao Baming would arrive any moment.
After parking his car, Cao Baming walked towards the stadium, his eyes scanning his surroundings out of the corner of his vision. To his surprise, there was no one around. Their preparations were a little too obvious. Even without his heightened senses, anyone would have guessed what was happening upon reaching this point!
Cao Baming maintained a normal pace as he walked forward. The moment he reached the stadium's main gate, the windows of his car rolled down, and celebratory cannons fired in the distance. His teammates swarmed him, their faces filled with emotion, shouting Cao Baming's name and his nickname in Chinese: "Asian God."
For a moment, Cao Baming felt a little awkward. He wasn't truly surprised, as he had already seen this scene in his mind, but experiencing it firsthand was different. Cao Baming responded as a normal person would, and everything went smoothly. This was considered a very successful welcome ceremony, and Cao Baming was the first person they had ever given such a special welcome to!
As he walked towards the stadium, Cao Baming carefully observed the faces around him. He found most of them unfamiliar. He had only met these players once, and encountering them on the field didn't count, as no one pays attention to who is who during a match. They were all wearing their team training kits, looking much like each other.
Fortunately, he had made an effort to learn their names beforehand. While he wasn't completely familiar with everyone, he could now recognize a few faces in his sight. The most conspicuous among them was probably the midfielder, Kouyate, along with defenders McKenna, Boly, Williams, Lin Jiade, White, Suric, Taylor, and others.
Soon, the team's head coach, Cooper, also appeared. Cao Baming didn't recognize any of the coaching staff beside him. Matching faces to names was proving to be quite difficult!
The club's higher-ups had already arranged the day's plans in advance, and Cao Baming's arrival was merely a part of that plan. Now that Cao Baming was here, the most pressing matter, under the head coach's guidance, was to establish the team's new season lineup. If time permitted, they could even begin practicing and rehearsing new tactical systems for the upcoming season.
As the head coach, Cooper had already conducted some research on the team's new season tactical system. However, before all the players arrived at the club, he could only sketch and write on tactical boards or draft paper, simulating everything in his mind. Now that the team's most crucial player had arrived, while anyone else could be dispensable for simulating the team's tactical system, one person was absolutely indispensable: Cao Baming!
After signing this "super weapon" in the summer, they all knew clearly that for the new season, or even for every season to come, as long as Cao Baming remained with the team, all tactical systems would undoubtedly be built around him as the core.
After a period of mutual introductions and casual conversation, it was time for lunch. Cao Baming was a person who was easy to get along with; his attitude towards acquaintances and strangers was practically the same. Finding friends within the team wasn't difficult, and in this situation, all the players were eager to befriend Cao Baming first, as it would make them feel respected and give them a greater sense of confidence. After all, who wouldn't want to be friends with a "big shot"? At this moment, Cao Baming was the only one in the team who deserved that title, and if others were to call him that, they probably wouldn't even be close.
For this gathering, everyone was invited by the club owner to a restaurant. To express his sincerity towards Cao Baming, this was specially arranged by the owner. He had already earned some money through the first phase of team merchandise sales and commercial collaborations. This money was more than enough; a meal for everyone was a mere fraction of what he had recently earned.
After this meal, Cao Baming found a few players with whom he could relatively easily converse. Two of the individuals who had personally visited the rented football field on his birthday were now present in this room. One was Lin Jiade, and the other was McKenna. Both had their own friends, and Cao Baming quickly became familiar with them.
After the meal, the players began their journey back. It was an important day, and resting well was crucial for the afternoon training session. Everyone was so excited that they couldn't calm down. In fact, many players in the team hadn't fully adapted to the situation yet. They didn't feel entirely close to Cao Baming beside them, as he had always been an opponent until now.
During this time, the team's management and coaching staff were discussing the afternoon's training content. Given that it was such a special day, it would be best not to overexert themselves. Head coach Cooper intended to use the afternoon to arrange the team's formation and tactics, which would also align with the lineup and tactical approach he had simulated in his mind. He was most eager to know whether his previous ideas could be realized, and that was the goal he wanted to achieve in the afternoon.