Ling A Litmanen
Rancher Rabbits product Ling Su Jian caught the fancy of head coach Gerhardt Bee of Dutch V.45 club Litmanen 4-ever, and would become part of the reorganization that has seen Litmanen buy eleven players - and sell eight - over the past week. While not commanding the lofty fees of, say, Zbigniew Kurzac or Alexey Alexander, Ling will bear their hopes for the future, alongside other teenaged recruits such as Mirko Stierschneider.
The 17 year-old had strongly considered an offer from Xinjiang-based Chinese Division Five team Haierbage, but Litmanen's heritage - which includes a season in the Eredivisie - won him over. While Litmanen are currently rather far from the peaks of their glorious past, Ling presented himself as more than willing to wait.
On the footballing front, Rabbits scout Yip De Da considered Ling as one of the most all-rounded defensive talents the academy has seen recently, high praise considering the bounty of youngsters who have been promoted to the senior squad. "And to tie it all together, he's bloody quick." Yip concluded. "It's a pity we have already spoken for so many of his seniors - he would have a great chance of making the first team eventually otherwise."