With maxed-out heading ability from the start, I became the king of Arsenal.

Sun Yu and Ricardo Fowler engaged in 10 consecutive matches within just three minutes.

Sun Yu won 7 sets, and Ricardo Fowler won 3 sets.

Three minutes may not seem like a long time, but after the match ended, sweat was pouring uncontrollably down their foreheads.

In just three minutes, Sun Yu gained 15 points of armor penetration from Ricardo Fowler.

However, as Sun Yu fully demonstrated his abilities, Ricardo Fowler only provided 1 point of armor penetration each time he lost a fight, and after the last fight, he didn't even provide any armor penetration.

This guy got used to it...

Ricardo Fowler grinned and extended his right hand to Sun Yu, saying, "You're much stronger than I imagined."

Sun Yu continued to probe for points of vulnerability from the other party: "You are stronger than I thought."

Ricardo Fowler paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Your observation skills are very sharp; that's life."

"Either experience pleasure or enjoy pain."

This sentence structure is a bit like life is like being... well, you either fight back or enjoy it to the fullest.

Since the other party was so insightful, Sun Yu couldn't be too aggressive.

Pulis smiled faintly and said, "That's Sun Yu's self-introduction. I believe he belongs to this team."

The remaining six teams competed simultaneously, and Sun Yu finally got a taste of the intensity of Stoke City's training.

Every match was a fierce battle from start to finish, especially Shawcross, the center-back known for his brutality, who almost "killed" his opponent.

After the group scrimmage ended, the whole team ran two laps around the training field and immediately began the second training exercise.

The training sessions that followed were increasingly intense.

Running with resistance bands, impact training while wearing protective gear, heading drills with sandbags strapped to them, and group pressing and clearance drills...

After each training session, Pulis would ask everyone to run two laps around the training field.

According to him, the process of running laps is a simulation of rest and adjustment without the ball.

The last training session of the morning was the 400-meter interval run, and Pulis divided everyone into three groups according to their positions.

Forwards and midfielders form one group, wingers form another, and center-backs form the third.

Sun Yu was assigned to the group of wingers because of his youth. Each group was required to complete the task in 65 to 68 seconds, and there were 10 groups in total, with a 1-minute rest between groups.

After the interval training ended, all the Stoke City players lay on the grass, panting heavily.

Less than a minute later, Sun Yu and Shawcross stood up almost simultaneously.

Sun Yu stood up first because he had been honing himself in a similar way for the past three years.

Shawcross stood up, most likely because he was the toughest bastard on this "bastard team".

Shawcross came through Manchester United's youth academy, and his abilities should have made him a key player for the club's future.

But that Manchester United youth academy had Pique and Evans, plus Ferdinand and Vidic, two top Premier League center-backs, and O'Shea and Brown were also reliable rotation players.

Shawcross was the seventh center-back at Manchester United, so he requested a loan move and transferred to Stoke City.

At just twenty-three years old, Shawcross had already become the captain and a symbol of Stoke City.

This young center-back has a notorious reputation in English football, with his most egregious foul being the tackle that broke Ramsey's leg last season.

Judging from today's training, Sun Yu felt that this guy's aggressiveness was really excessive.

The two had several intense matchups in the group scrimmage, but Shawcross never managed to break through their defense.

The two exchanged a glance, and Shawcross smiled, extending his right hand to Sun Yu: "Welcome to Stoke City. I feel you belong here."

Sun Yu's answer was straightforward: "My only goal right now is to become a professional player with consistent playing time, and I don't care how much it takes."

But life is never that easy. Sun Yu learned from the news in the afternoon that Stoke City had offered £150 million to Monaco to buy Icelandic striker Gudjohnsen.

The 32-year-old Icelandic striker previously played for Chelsea and won the treble with Barcelona.

Even though his form is not what it used to be, Stoke City is still willing to take a gamble by acquiring an experienced center forward with good footwork at such a low price.

斯托克城这个夏天卖掉了三名中锋，一线队还剩五个人能踢中锋，分别是1米91的里卡多.福勒、1米87的西迪贝、1米83的沃尔特斯和孙宇。

However, Walters' height is more suitable for playing on the wing, and Sun Yu cannot be used directly yet, so the team still needs a center forward.

Unexpectedly, Monaco immediately agreed to Stoke City's offer, and Gudjohnsen will undergo a medical examination tomorrow.

Sun Yu didn't care, because his biggest challenge was always the speed of his progress.

The next morning, Sun Yu saw Goodjohnsen, dressed in a suit and wearing sunglasses, near the parking lot.

As the physical examination concluded, Sun Yu received a system notification.

[Gare Hooper's armor penetration value +66]

No!

Gudjohnsen joined Stoke City, and the guy actually blamed himself for it.

You can't try to take advantage of someone who's on a higher level than you and then blame your failure on someone who's not as successful as you.

This guy's basic manners are definitely off the charts, but Sun Yu gladly accepted the points offered by the other party.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. After training, Sun Yu was called to the office by head coach Pulis.

Pulis got straight to the point: "I am very satisfied with your training performance since joining the team, and I believe you are fully capable of adapting to the intensity of the Premier League."

"But apart from your physical attributes and heading ability, your other basic skills are still far behind those of the Premier League."

"You will start in the reserve team match against Arsenal's reserve team tomorrow afternoon."

"The first team will play two warm-up matches next week, so I will keep you in the reserve team to hone your skills."

"A month from now, I hope you can control the ball against the center-backs in official matches and then pass it to your teammates with your feet."

"If you can meet my requirements, you will have the opportunity to play for the first team."

At the head coach's command, Sun Yu appeared in the reserve team the very next day.

After arriving at the reserve team, Sun Yu finally understood why Stoke City would use trials as a way to recruit players.

He also understood why Professor Wenger dared to let his darlings play a friendly against Stoke City's reserve team.

The answer is that Stoke City's youth academy is not only poor and lacks the ability to develop its own talent, but it's also not particularly ruthless.

The reserve teams (U21 teams) of Premier League teams in the European competition zone are generally on par with those of League One teams.

Premier League giants like Arsenal, who like to develop young players, generally have a level of strength that reaches the lower half of the Championship.

To give players who don't get enough playing time in the first team enough opportunities to develop, Pulis placed five players who were not considered first team players, including Sun Yu, in the reserve team.

On the morning of the match, the Stoke City reserve team traveled by bus to the Kearney training ground.

Arsenal invited Stoke City's reserve team to visit their training ground and reimbursed their fuel and meal expenses.

The professor is indeed frugal when he should be, and generous when he shouldn't be.

After visiting the Kearney training facility, Sun Yu could only say one word: "Amazing!"

It boasts some of the world's most advanced training facilities, recovery facilities, nutrition center, press building, and even a big data-assisted analysis system.

The staff said that before the training base was built, Arsenal players would have to run laps on cinder surfaces to warm up.

He also said that the funding for the training base came from Anelka's transfer fee.

After the tour, the Stoke City reserve team headed to Underhill Stadium.

The stadium has a capacity of 8000 and is shared by Arsenal's reserve team and League Two side Barnet.

After both sides began warming up, Sun Yu's eyes suddenly lit up.

Arsenal's reserve team squad is truly impressive, with players like Martinez, Djourou, Squillaci, Bendtner, Gibbs, Wilshere, Yannaris, and Denilson all in the squad!

Ouch!

Star-studded lineup.

When reserve team coach Dave Kitson saw Sun Yu's eyes light up, he smiled and pointed to a tall black man in the Arsenal team: "His name is Kyle Bartley, he's 1.94 meters tall, he played 15 Championship games last season, and he even started for Arsenal in the Champions League group stage."

"If you can beat him, Tony (Pris) will definitely give you a chance this season, so give it your all!"

As soon as Dave Kitson finished speaking, a system notification sounded.

[New task issued: Gain 100 defensive penetration points in the match against Arsenal's reserve team]

[Mission Reward: Gain Henry's exclusive ball control ability]

What the hell!

A big job is coming!

The referee blew his whistle, and Arsenal kicked off.

Sun Yu excitedly charged toward Arsenal's reserve team half, and made a brutal tackle on Wilshere, who was shielding the ball with his back to goal.

Wilshere's armor penetration value +1

Sun Yu laughed and helped the other person up: "Are you alright? I didn't expect you to lose your footing."

Wilshere's armor penetration value +2

Haha!

Arsenal players are so good at providing "emotional value"!