Half a Genius Sean Long! The Gunshot that Decides Fate! A Big Player Steps onto the Arsenal Stage!
May 5th, a sunny day, Arsenal's entire team set off for West Brom's The Hawthorns, for their first match after winning the Premier League title.
This was their 37th round match of the Premier League, and after this, they would only have the match against Norwich at home on May 13th left.
"Clap clap clap!"
Before the match, West Brom's players lined up on both sides of the entrance tunnel, clapping their hands to welcome the newly crowned Premier League champions.
This is a unique tradition in football matches, where if a team wins the title in advance, each subsequent opponent must clap and welcome the champions onto the field.
Of course, it's not absolute; it depends on whether the two teams have historical grudges and the opponent team's magnanimity.
West Brom was undoubtedly very magnanimous, acknowledging Arsenal's dominance this season and adopting a submissive attitude.
"Clap clap clap!" Their fans were subsequently motivated, offering their most sincere respect to Arsenal's players.
Thus, the 11 Arsenal starting players stepped onto the grass with glorious strides amidst applause.
They were at ease, because this was the glory they had earned with victory after victory!
Maël saw Sean Long in the opposing team's lineup as he entered the field, an old opponent from his time in the EFL Championship last season, as famous as Graham.
He still remembered the song Sheffield United fans had written themselves—"Sean Long? Graham? Be careful, Maël is catching up from behind!"
After a year, old friends met again, both with some emotion on their faces, exchanging high-fives and a brief hug.
Sean Long's mentality was much better than Graham's, but his mood was inevitably complex at this moment, and he didn't even say the words he had prepared.
Maël scored 40 goals and 27 assists in the EFL Championship last season, while he had 25 goals and 16 assists, basically half of Maël's.
He originally thought that the gap between him and a genius was just halving the data; he could also be considered half a genius.
But after coming to the Premier League this season, he realized that it was not the case at all.
The 17-year-old Maël and the 18-year-old Maël were not on the same level at all!
The most terrifying thing about this player was not his sudden emergence at the age of 17, but his astonishing Speed of growth!
Look at this season; after coming to the Premier League, which has a higher overall level, more intense competition, and greater difficulty, he only scored 8 goals and 2 assists, barely breaking 10 in data.
But Maël continued his dominance from last season, scoring 40 goals and 20 assists, six times his amount! Sean Long had lost count of how many times he had held his phone, looking at the news on the EP Data Network and falling into confusion. Compared to Maël, he, who once prided himself on being half a genius, was like a joke.
"Bip!!"
The match started at 5:30 in the afternoon, with both sides fielding a 4-4-2 formation.
Mr. Wenger tentatively placed Gervinho in the center forward position today, wanting to see if it could have a good effect.
"Bang!"
In the 4th minute of the match, Maël Cut Inside to the center from the left side of the penalty area and Curved Shot the ball steadily into the upper right corner of the goal.
One to zero!
Arsenal easily took the lead! "OhAaahh!!"
This was a smooth start that no one had expected. The traveling fans cheered, as if they had already seen the undefeated season beckoning to them.
Maël was also very happy after scoring his 41st goal, coming to the sidelines to celebrate with a somersault in the bright sunshine.
"Yeah!"
Another breakthrough!
This had already surpassed his goal count in the EFL Championship. It seemed that even after changing to a stronger league, he had achieved even more dazzling achievements than last season.
Next season, with the blessing of lv5 skills, he would definitely aim for 50+ or even 60+!
He would make Suárez, who later had a data explosion, feel out of reach, make Uncle Kane and Pharaoh Salah, who later won many second places, feel unattainable, and make the Norwegian beast Haaland give up the pursuit of records! His name would eventually be eternally linked to this field, becoming a legend!
Of course, he couldn't say for sure what kind of stories he would experience on this field in the future; this could only be considered a fantasy at the moment.
Perhaps, he would kick out a more exciting and more brilliant future with his feet. His fantasies had never been accurate, because he could always do better!
"Bip!"
After the restart, Arsenal's players smiled and enjoyed the game, but a wave of West Brom's attacking line reinforcements caught them off guard.
James Morrison, the focused midfielder, assisted Sean Long to score in the 12th minute! Then, in the 15th minute, he stole the ball from Koscielny and assisted Dorrans to score the go-ahead goal!
Two to one!
"Bang!"
"Thwack!"
Fortunately, in the 30th minute, Kyle Walker's shot deflected off McCauley's leg and into the net, allowing Arsenal to tie the score and enter halftime with a score of two to two.
Everyone could feel that the team was playing a bit relaxed.
Even though they had repeatedly told themselves to hold on and win the last two games to finish perfectly, people are complex. After achieving great success, it's hard for them to truly treat the game the same way as before.
"I won't repeat what I've said before, and I won't blame you."
In the locker room, Mr. Wenger stood in front of the tactics board, looking at the ground as he said to the players, "But I want to say that the choice of what kind of people, what kind of team you want to be, has always been in your hands."
"Don't wait until you lose a game to regret it. Many opportunities only come once in a lifetime."
The players looked at him with heavy expressions, knowing what kind of season they were finishing.
"In the second half, be more decisive in passing the ball in the backfield to draw the opponent's players up to press, and..."
...
More than ten minutes later, the second half began. Perhaps Mr. Wenger's words had an effect.
"Bang!"
In the 55th minute, Koscielny scored from a corner kick, helping Arsenal change the score to 3-2.
After the goal, Mr. Wenger replaced Gervinho with Gibbs, forming a 5-4-1 defensive formation.
However, in the final moments, the flustered defense still gave the opponent a chance, allowing West Brom's other forward, Fortuné, to score a goal.
Three to three! That was the final score. Arsenal ultimately took one point away from home, preserving their unbeaten record with some narrow escapes! "Thwack!"
"Thwack!"
During the post-match handshake, the expressions on both teams' players weren't bad. They could all accept this result.
Sean Long, who scored a goal, grabbed Maël's hand and smiled, "Maybe you don't realize what kind of season you're experiencing, but we as outsiders know it very well. Keep up the good work."
"You too." Maël hugged him and encouraged, "See you in the Premier League next season. Hopefully, we'll both be better by then."
"Definitely." Sean Long nodded, took off his jersey and exchanged it with Maël, saying as he parted, "Although I don't have the chance to pursue greatness, I will strive to surpass myself this season."
Maël laughed. He waved to Sean Long, looking forward to their next meeting.
...
The day ended so uneventfully. However, the mentality of the Arsenal players quietly changed.
When they were one step away from final victory, they felt their own shortcomings and realized how difficult it really was to achieve an unbeaten season, and what kind of changes and twists they would experience in the process.
It couldn't be blamed on them. Every player on this team had never been close to such great success.
They could only truly learn and suffer a loss once before they could demand more of themselves next time! The result wasn't bad. They only suffered the smallest possible loss, without ruining their chance to become immortal, which could be considered a bit of luck.
This also made them more aware of why, before this, many super-dominant teams, even those that created a dynasty of dominance in a league, had never completed an unbeaten season.
Only a few teams had completed this achievement, standing on the summit and looking down at the other teams at their feet, enjoying the title of legend.
Now, it was time to focus on the last game. They had to end the season with a victory at home and stand on the summit at the same time!
"League Table 1: Arsenal, 37 games, 30 wins, 7 draws, 97 points. League Table 2: Manchester City, 37 games, 28 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses, 89 points. League Table 3: Manchester United, 37 games, 26 wins, 7 draws, 4 losses, 81 points." - Premier League Table
"If they beat Norwich in the last home game, Arsenal will become the first team in the history of the top four leagues to win the championship with 100% of the points! And break multiple records!" - The Guardian
"Overcoming West Brom! Arsenal is only one step away from an unbeaten season + winning the championship with 100% of the points! They are standing at the door of legend, just one kick away from opening it!" - Zhibo8
"Schedule moved up one day! With Arsenal and Real Madrid both having 97 points and a chance to become the first team to win the championship with 100 points, both teams definitely want to make history, but Arsenal's 38th league game is one day earlier than Real Madrid's." - AS
"Can't the Royal Football Association change the schedule by one day? In this case, Real Madrid can only hope that Arsenal loses or draws." - AS
"Even if Arsenal is the one expected to achieve greater success, it's not fair to Real Madrid." - AS
"Bang, bang, bang!"
On May 7th, Maël, who was practicing fancy skills, received a call. A person speaking Russian-accented English invited him to sit down at a restaurant.
He agreed, and at lunchtime in the afternoon, he met the oligarch who had always been a legend within the team up close.
"Usmanov."
This was a middle-aged man with a powerful aura. Just looking at him, you could tell what kind of bloody storms he had experienced in the business world.
However, when he came up today, he seemed very amiable. "I think you've heard my name. First, I want to congratulate you on the achievements you've made leading Arsenal, just like everyone else you've met these past few weeks.
"As a relatively successful person, I greatly admire successful young people, especially in the sport I love, Football."
Maël smiled and exchanged a few polite words. He didn't know if Usmanov really loved Football, but he understood that the other party's purpose in investing in Football was definitely not, or not just, love.
Like Abramovich, these oligarchs who safely withdrew from the storm urgently needed to find a new base in Europe.
And Football became their best weapon to break into the European aristocracy. Maybe he would really fall in love with Football, like Abramovich, and fall in love with the club he invested in, but maybe not.
"The reason I asked you to meet during this time is obvious. I hope to get your support."
Usmanov smiled broadly. He called the waiter to bring a bottle of foreign wine, poured a glass, and placed it in front of Maël. "At this time, I know it's not enough to just say love. I have to show sincerity.
"£300,000 Weekly Salary, more than £1.2 million monthly salary, more than £15 million annual salary, this is what I am willing to promise you."
He took out a contract from his backpack, handed it to Maël, and launched his golden offensive. "This contains various bonus clauses, as well as loyalty bonuses, etc.
"I know that it's a bit casual and sloppy for a boss to say these things to a player in private, and it may not be something I can decide alone.
"But please believe me, since I dare to say this, I will definitely be able to overcome other difficulties. I am also prepared to establish a new salary system. I will bring countless banknotes.
"You will see someone even crazier than Abramovich, because I love my team more than he does, and I appreciate my players more."
Usmanov had the boldness befitting his national image. He never auto-attacked, choosing to unleash his ultimate move in the most direct way, and repeated his love for the club to Maël.
This time, Maël slightly believed him. He looked through the contract and found that it was indeed a new contract that was much more generous and comprehensive than his current bonus contract.
But... money alone might not be enough to persuade him, especially after he knew Kroenke's vision for the club.
Moreover, there was no need to rush to make money. His current income was over £20 million a year, and that was without any effort.
"Mr. Usmanov, what is your vision for the future of the club? Besides winning more major honors?"
He raised this question to see the other party's operational ideas.
"It's very simple, after I bring more banknotes..."
For the next twenty minutes, Usmanov kept describing the future he imagined to Maël.
Maël also gradually felt that this was a boss who understood Football very well. He must have learned all the relevant knowledge in the UK over the past few years.
However, the other party's problem was also obvious. Everything he proposed was basically the same sentence pattern: "I will use money to solve this problem, and then let the team have better..."
This was a fanatical person, but he didn't seem to have Kroenke's kind of fantasy, just a steady operation within a comfortable range.
He wanted to make Arsenal better, but he lacked a longer-term pursuit and a pursuit of greatness.
Maël listened and a smile appeared on his lips. This was certainly not ridicule, but a sudden surge of accomplishment.
Once upon a time, such a boss was something Arsenal could only dream of. They would expect the other party to quickly acquire the club and inject capital to improve the team's combat effectiveness.
But now, he was actually sitting at the negotiating table, thinking about whether to choose Usmanov or Kroenke.
It seemed that they had really leveraged a lot of things with their achievements this season.
"That's basically it."
Usmanov had already added ice to the two's glasses before finishing speaking. After finishing, he picked up the glass. "You must know how important you are to this team now, and how much influence you have on the final acquisition.
"I hope you will consider it carefully, and I hope we have a pleasant cooperation."
Maël raised his glass and clinked it with him, symbolically took a sip, and put down the glass. "I will, Mr. Usmanov, don't worry. Then that's it for today, I still have to prepare for the last league game."
"Okay."
Usmanov stood up and said to the black-clothed bodyguard outside the door in Russian: "Send Maël off! Ensure the player's safe arrival home, he is one of the club's most important assets now!"
Maël didn't understand, but he roughly guessed what the other party was saying, and quickly said: "I drove here, I should drive back myself, thank you for your kindness."
Usmanov looked back at the wine glass and nodded after finding that it hadn't changed at all from before: "Then I'll send you downstairs, let's go."
Maël quickly got into his Ferrari. He finally rolled down the car window to say goodbye. "Good luck, Mr. Usmanov."
"Good luck." Usmanov waved at him, and after he started the car, he shouted anxiously: "I really love this team, and I want to make it better, support me, Léo!"
Maël didn't roll down the car window again, but slowly drove away. Through the left rearview mirror, he saw a person standing on the side of the road for a long, long time.
It's really tangled. However, he will make what he believes is the best choice.
That afternoon, he signed a cooperation agreement with the club, where the club would sell merchandise featuring his likeness and photos, such as water cups, socks, scarves, keychains, and mascot dolls.
He would receive 50% of the profits, and if managed well, it could bring him 2 million pounds a year.
This is the importance of image rights. If he didn't own them, the club wouldn't have to pay him this fee.
"Happy cooperation."
He shook hands and took photos with Wenger, playfully joking in a good mood, "Everything else is fine, but the socks with my face on them are a bit weird."
"I can hardly imagine how they're designed. Wouldn't they be uncomfortable to wear?"
"Haha!" Mr. Wenger replied with a smile, "Maybe it won't be a face, just some letters and symbols, like CR7."
Maël nodded and continued, "Then what am I, LM7? LM31? Doesn't sound very catchy."
"How about EA7? Take two letters and sue that game company to fight for the trademark. I'm willing to share the brand name with them."
Wenger laughed again. Maël's jokes used to be awkwardly forced, but now they're just unrealistic.
But you could feel from this that he was in a good mood, always with a sense of youthful success, wealth, and fame constantly rising. He always seemed to be like this, maintaining his enthusiasm.
Wenger liked this player more and more. If Maël didn't have a girlfriend, he would even want him to wait for his daughter Lia to grow up.
"Do you know the arrangements for the next game?" he asked, bringing up another topic, wanting to chat more with Maël.
"No."
"After the game, the celebration and championship parade will begin directly."
Wenger smiled expectantly, his mental state excellent, as if he had prepared everything for the final celebration. "The next game is a morning game, so it will be around 2:30 in the afternoon when it ends."
"It's a great time. We'll get straight onto the parade bus inside the stadium, carrying the two championship trophies, and parade around North London."
"After circling the predetermined route, we'll return to the Emirates Stadium for the final celebration."
Speaking of this, he smiled wryly, revealing a hint of worry, "Of course, the mood in which we do all this depends on the outcome of the next game."
"Yes." Maël raised his eyebrows, but still gave a thumbs up for the arrangement. "A very good arrangement. I hope everything ends perfectly like this."
"Phew, it's finally coming to the final moment. It's been a tiring but wonderful season."
Wenger didn't say anything, just nodded and looked at Maël.
"I have to ask a question. I have to say, I already have my own answer before asking."
Maël's expression became more serious. "Mr. Wenger, who do you support for a full acquisition of the club?"
"The game-like Russian roulette is also coming to an end. We should all load bullets into the revolver and decide who to shoot."
Wenger considered for a moment and said his answer with a smile, "Stan Kroenke."
"Bang!"
The two men's hands then clasped together, like a gunshot, deciding one person's fate.
In an opinion poll that evening, all the players wrote Stan Kroenke's name on the form, with only Hans and Philip writing Usmanov, giving him 2 consolation votes.
On May 11th, with 2 days left until the final chapter of the season, another of Maël's skills broke through.
[Additional Skill: Fancy Breakthrough lv2]
[Proficiency: (0/1500)]
[Effect: After deciding to practice some fancy skills, you have gradually mastered basic fancy skills such as the Elastico and Rainbow Flick, but you are still some distance away from using them skillfully in fast-paced matches!]
After the upgrade, he could feel his agility had increased a bit, and his Ball Sense in some special areas had also improved.
This was actually very difficult. For a player with Speed, Strength, and weight, it was impossible for him to perform moves like an agile player.
But the proficiency panel had been constantly repairing his body in a perfect direction, as if turning the unreasonable into the reasonable.
This should not be underestimated. This might even be one of the most powerful functions of this panel!
It was really possible for him to play with the elfin-like performance of Ronaldinho after Fancy Breakthrough lv4 and Fancy Skills lv4.
What kind of player would he become then? He couldn't confirm how strong he would be, but he could confirm that he would become the most unique one.
And this, was exactly what he had been pursuing, what he had always wanted!
[Skill: Sprint lv4]
[Proficiency: (1102/5000)]
[Skill: Godly Strength lv4]
[Proficiency: (534/5000)]
[Skill: Judgment lv4]
[Proficiency: (1646/5000)]
[Skill: Brutal Shot lv4]
[Proficiency: (1531/2000)]
[Skill: Fancy Breakthrough lv3]
[Proficiency: (892/2000)]
Glancing at the progress of his other skills, he felt a sense of security as he saw Brutal Shot getting closer and closer to lv5.
Before long, there would be another heavy artillery piece on the European stage, firing solid shots at the goal everywhere! The era of lv5 was coming soon. Maël would not be satisfied with his current rate of improvement, and he would intensify his training after the season.
Even next season, when the Premier League became relatively easy for him, he would step up his training when there were no important matches, spending more time to speed up the upgrade!
At the same time, in order to keep growing, he would also train some new lv4 skills to make up for all his weaknesses! Finishing his training, Maël came to his photo wall, looking at the 56 photos of goals on it, and suddenly remembered something.
"Safina."
He pulled Safina over, put his hands on her shoulders and said embarrassedly, "You may have to do me a big favor. I need you to help me find celebration or shooting photos from the EFL Championship when I scored 40 goals.
"I want to put them all on this wall to make it look more full."
"Why?"
"Because, including the 3 goals in the national team's A-level matches, I'm only 1 goal away from breaking 100 career goals. I want to take a photo with 100 'goals' after the season."
"Okay." Safina felt a headache when she thought of the amount of work involved.
But 100 goals did seem to be a memorable milestone, a breakthrough from double digits to triple digits.
"Latest news from Football Record, Stan Kroenke is expected to complete the full acquisition of Arsenal this month. It is rumored that Kroenke will take the 30.05% stake in Usmanov's hands for a price of 550 million pounds!"
The next day, Football Record helped Kroenke fire the first shot of the acquisition in the world football scene. They could always get the latest news, and also get the approval and support of the club.
"After this acquisition, Kroenke will hold 97.14% of the team's shares, and Arsenal's total market value will rise to 1.83 billion pounds.
"Usmanov made hundreds of millions of dollars in profit in this transaction, which stemmed from the team's excellent performance this season, which led to an increase in value."
As soon as the news was released, it caused a sensation in the entire football world. A large number of media began to inquire about relevant news, and some people did give them some information from various channels.
BBC, Sky Sports and other major TV stations immediately launched programs to discuss with the audience.
"The struggle between Usmanov and Kroenke has lasted for many years. After many failed attempts to annex each other, they understand that a break must be made this season.
"Kroenke finally won this struggle. He acquired the shares of Usmanov's company 'Red and White Securities' at an exaggerated price.
"It is said that he is also about to launch a full acquisition clause, annexing the 2.86% shares under the names of other small shareholders, and delisting from the Nex stock market to privatize the company."
"."
"Private toy or pearl in the palm? Legal robbery or development opportunity?
"After Kroenke completes the full acquisition, the club will no longer hold shareholders' meetings, and everything will become less transparent.
"Hill-Wood is expected to leave Arsenal, which has been run by his family for three generations, and Stan Kroenke will bring his son Josh Kroenke to join the board of directors.
"According to incomplete confirmed news, Kroenke may complete the acquisition of Arsenal through loans. His willingness to pay out of his own pocket is not too high, and it is estimated that it will not exceed 100 million pounds.
"Is Arsenal going to bear another debt of the Emirates Stadium? Will a layer of haze be cast again after encountering a turning point?"
"."
"Big players on the Arsenal stage! The Kroenke family takes charge of Arsenal! The Walmart son-in-law makes Arsenal fans panic!
"This seems to be a deal that is not favored, but according to staff, in the previous voting election, Arsenal's players all chose Kroenke under the influence of Maël and Van Persie.
"Mr. Wenger also influenced the club staff and coaching team to vote for him, with only a very few choosing Usmanov.
"From this, we might be able to judge that Kroenke has given all the important members of the team a dose of bewitching soup. As for whether he can fulfill the promises he made to these people, the chances are probably slim."
"..."
"The entire European media is full of arrogance and prejudice. Everyone knows that Arsenal has ushered in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. No one will acquire a club just for fun, and the silent Stan Kroenke certainly won't." - Stan Kroenke's social media: "Let time verify everything. I believe that the way we solicit opinions from important team members is rare in the football circle. This represents our sincerity and confidence to a certain extent. We will succeed." - Josh Kroenke's social media.
"After this, Arsenal may become a great club. I have withdrawn. I hope everything is not well, and whether it is success or failure, may it come more violently, like a storm." - Usmanov's social media: "Some people think he is writing poetry like Pushkin, but in reality, his helplessness is worthless. Take the money and get out." - An American using 'Maël's Back View' on social media.
"Finally, I would still like to thank Maël for everything he has brought to this club. Although he didn't choose me, he at least made my departure look like a classic business investment case." - Usmanov's social media: "—Deleted the latest post 2 minutes ago." - An American using 'Maël's Back View' on social media.
ps: First slowly recover, and then gradually increase by 2k per day.
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