"Wang, based on your outstanding performance during your trial, the club has decided to sign you to an official youth academy contract."
Wang Shuo had guessed as much the moment he walked in, but he still felt a surge of excitement when Kramny said the words.
'He finally got the contract!'
Even though it was just a youth academy contract, it was an excellent start.
According to German law, players can only sign a professional contract after they turn eighteen.
Until then, no matter how exceptional a player's talent, they could only be signed to a youth academy contract.
Thomas Essien had already discussed the specific terms of the contract with Kramny.
Mainz was a very small club with a weak youth academy. On the U19 team, only one person earned a salary.
And that was the Mexican prodigy, Pedro Lina.
He was a prodigy hand-picked by Bayern from their global scouting efforts. Even though Bayern had let him go, for a 2nd Bundesliga team like Mainz, he was still a player far beyond their reach.
That's why when they invited him to join last year, they offered him a decent salary, even though it was still a youth academy contract.
The exact amount wasn't public knowledge.
Wang Shuo's youth academy contract didn't include a salary, but the club would cover his various insurance policies.
As he was a foreign player, the club would provide an additional stipend for rent and living expenses.
Currently, there were only three foreign players on the Mainz U19 team.
Pedro Lina, of course, still had a contract worthy of a star player, even though he had lost his spot in the starting lineup.
The South Korean player, Kim Jeonghoon, was essentially a "pay-to-play" case.
He didn't receive any salary from Mainz. In fact, a sponsor from South Korea paid Mainz a fee for his spot.
Wang Shuo's situation, by contrast, was typical for a youth academy player.
Even though it was only a youth academy contract, all the proper procedures had to be followed and the necessary documents signed.
Thomas Essien would then need to use this contract to help Wang Shuo convert his short-term visa into a long-term one.
A youth academy contract wasn't overly restrictive, but the club held annual evaluations to weed out underperformers.
For now, Wang Shuo had barely managed to secure a foothold.
While waiting for someone from the club's administration to arrive with the contract, Wang Shuo sat quietly to one side, listening as Kramny and Thomas Essien discussed the current state of affairs at Mainz.
There wasn't much to say about the U19s.
After Kramny led the team to promotion, they had played 18 matches in the U19 league's Southern Division this season and were currently in 8th place.
What was interesting was that among the 14 teams in the division, Kramny's squad had the best defense.
They had only conceded 18 goals in 18 matches—four fewer than Bayern Munich U19's 22.
Stuttgart U19 was currently at the top of the table. They had conceded 20 goals but had earned 42 points, putting them 17 points ahead of Mainz.
Mainz's problem was offense.
Scoring only 28 goals in 18 matches was a poor showing for a U19 team, and it put them squarely in 8th place on offense.
"To be honest, at the start of the season, we considered loaning Thomas Müller from Bayern Munich U19. That kid is truly impressive—he's been on a scoring spree this season. Unfortunately, Bayern wasn't willing to loan him to us."
Kramny said with a sigh of regret.
"Of course. With a surname like that and his level of talent, there's no way Bayern would loan him out."
Thomas Essien chuckled, but his tone quickly shifted.
"By the way, I heard your best friend, Klopp, is going to manage Bayern this summer?"
A flash of anger crossed Kramny's eyes. "It fell through."
"Fell through?" Thomas Essien asked, surprised. "How is that possible? I thought the word was that Bayern would either pick a foreign manager or him. Even Rangnick from Hoffenheim didn't make the shortlist."
"That was all back in January. Hennes did call and tell him as much, which is how the media got wind of it. But then, for whatever reason, they chose another Jurgen."
'Another Jurgen?'
Wang Shuo couldn't think of who it was for a moment.
After all, there were far too many people named Jurgen in Germany.
Thomas Essien, however, figured it out immediately. "Klinsmann?"
"Yeah. They already called. So Klopp signed a contract extension with our club. If the team gets promoted back to the Bundesliga this season, he'll stay on as manager."
From Kramny's tone, it was clear he was unhappy with how Bayern had handled things.
Powerhouse clubs are just used to throwing their weight around.
Everything had been agreed upon, and Klopp was already preparing for the move. But then they just backed out, just like that.
Thomas Essien could only sigh in resignation.
'What can you do? They're Bayern, after all.'
"Mainz has been doing very well in the 2nd Bundesliga this season. Promotion should be within reach," Thomas Essien said reassuringly.
But at this, Kramny's expression grew serious.
"It's hard to say. The competition is incredibly fierce. Borussia Mönchengladbach has been leading the 2nd Bundesliga pack, but the gap between Hoffenheim, Mainz, Fuerth, Cologne, and Freiburg is only two or three points."
"After we drew 1-1 away against Cologne in round 24, Hoffenheim leapfrogged us in the standings, and we dropped to third."
"And now the team's been hit by a wave of injuries. Things are getting more and more complicated."
Thomas Essien also frowned.
Mainz's tactical style was consistent from the first team down to the youth squads. They all emphasized physical conditioning and relied on a high-pressing game.
But the accompanying risk was a high susceptibility to waves of injuries.
"Failing to avoid relegation last summer was a huge blow to us," Kramny sighed in resignation.