Becoming a football god from Arsenal

Chapter 124: August's busy schedule! Gilbert calls! Hans shows his power! Maher's Premier League debut is here!

On August 8, there is only one day left until the start of the new Premier League season.

The schedule has already been arranged. Arsenal has 8 games in August, including 5 Premier League rounds and 3 Champions League play-offs.

As Arsenal finished fourth in the league last season, and the fourth in the Premier League during this period was not eligible for direct promotion to the Champions League group stage, they had to play two play-offs with Udinese, fourth in Serie A.

The winner will directly advance to the group stage, while the loser will be eliminated and say goodbye to this season's Champions League.

“Focus on the Champions League play-offs.”

This was the most important thing Wenger said at a meeting the day before the start of the season: "We have to play in the Champions League for reasons that should be clear to everyone, and I will not make other excuses.

"I will make large-scale rotations in the three rounds of the Premier League this month, especially the two rounds before and after the play-offs. The task of playing five games in 3 days is still a bit heavy. I don't want anyone to get injured."

What he meant by this is actually quite clear: don't worry too much about the team's ranking in the Premier League in August, this is just the beginning.

This is equivalent to lowering the players' psychological expectations in advance, so as to prevent them from losing confidence in the entire season when they look at a possibly lower standings after the end of August.

After the meeting, Wenger announced the 18-man roster for tomorrow's Premier League first round, but did not reveal the starting lineup at this time.

This caused a lot of people to be nervous. Maher was also a little worried that he would not be able to appear in the opening game of the new season.

But I think there should be no problem. His performance in the warm-up match was obvious to all. He scored 2 goals and made 2 assists. Wenger also talked to him many times and wanted to train him to a core position.

"Stop thinking about it."

He focused his mind on other things and went home to pack his things as the team was leaving for an away game this afternoon.

Their first round opponent is Newcastle United, a mid-table team in the Premier League with considerable strength.

After returning home, Maher's cell phone vibrated with a call.

He picked up the phone and saw that it was Gilbert's number. This guy hadn't called him for a long time.

"Mael, I have to tell you something very embarrassing. After saying goodbye to Sheffield United last season, I am going back this season."

Gilbert's voice was a little excited and a little embarrassed, "Three Premier League teams expressed interest in me, but after choosing and choosing, Barnett still suggested that I choose Sheffield United last season.

"Their recruitment in the midfield this season is average, basically the same as last season. After I go there, maybe I can still start."

"That's great." Maher hadn't heard his voice for a long time. After hearing him speak such a long paragraph at once, he sighed and said, "How are you doing recently? Have you made much progress?"

"It's a good thing. I said goodbye and shed a few tears, but in the end I went back. Hahaha."

Gilbert's tone did not change, but his voice was a little higher: "I have made good progress. I have hired a physical trainer who has been strengthening my physical strength. I am also studying defensive skills and awareness, trying to get closer to Vieira.

"But my improvement is definitely not as great as yours. I watched your warm-up match in China, it was amazing. I'm quite envious. After not seeing you for more than two months, you actually scored a goal in front of Robben and Van Persie.

“Is the starting position stable in the new season?”

"It should be stable." Maher didn't show modesty to his brother, and said with a smile: "See you in the Premier League. I really hope you can perform well in the Premier League this season and come back to play as a starter in Arsenal next season."

"Will do."

Gilbert paused and said, "After all, before I left, I made the goal of fighting alongside you. Well, I won't say any more. Bye."

"Bye, I'll wait for you."

After saying the last sentence, Maher hung up the phone and continued to pack his luggage to prepare for tomorrow's game.

After he finished packing, he saw that it was not yet noon, and wondered if there was anything else he had not done.

The season is about to begin, and it's time to focus. It's best to finish many of the trivial things in life now.

"Hans."

Maher thought of his U17 team coach, the pair of shoes, and the several times he had been invited to his home.

He sent a message to Hans, asking if he had time now, hoping to go over for lunch.

Today, when I am about to move on to the next node in my life, it would be nice to reminisce about the past with this person whom I have known since the youth team and who helped me when I was at my lowest point.

——"Let's set off in half an hour. We are ready. You are most welcome!!!"

Hans replied to his message almost instantly, with three exclamation marks at the end. He could feel the other person's excitement even through the screen.

Maher smiled, put down his phone and turned on a football match video on TV to study how other top strikers played.

Half an hour later, he drove his Ferrari towards the address sent by Hans, which was a residential area near the Kearney base.

"I'm coming!"

At the doorstep of Hans's house, when everyone saw a red Ferrari driving from a distance, many people looked excited.

Being able to invite an Arsenal first-team player to dinner at home, especially a young man who has been highly anticipated and popular recently, is definitely an exciting thing for ordinary people.

"He is Wenger's favourite."

Hans proudly introduced to his relatives and friends that he had just invited many people to his home, "He is a player who is not for sale at Arsenal, a phenomenal player in the Championship, and he just scored 2 goals and 2 assists in the friendly match against Bayern!
"It can be said that he will definitely light up the Emirates Stadium in the new season, just wait and see!"

His wife stood beside him, her face also lit up, and she talked more, "And he is a very nice person. He took the initiative to message us today. He didn't forget our invitation."

Hans' parents, uncle, sister-in-law, and some friends and neighbors stood together. There was a commotion as they looked at the Ferrari that was getting closer.

"Sports stars all live in luxury houses and drive sports cars. Looking at his outfit, do you think he'll be disgusted by his home?"

"No, I guess."

"I often see his videos and messages on Twitter. I see that his fans have exceeded 300 million now. He is a very popular young player!"

"Hans, that's fine. Did you really develop this? Or are you just bragging to us?"

"He must have played in Hans' team, otherwise how would Hans know him? Here, let's take a few more photos after dinner."

Maher's car slowly parked in the parking space on the side of the road. He got out of the car, closed the door and locked the car, then spread his hands towards Hans.

"We're leaving today, right?"

Hans walked quickly forward, the pride on his face intensifying. He could already imagine the expressions of his relatives and friends behind him.

Fortunately, I am a kind person in my daily life. That day, I carefully discovered that Maher's sneakers were cracked, and out of kindness, I lent him a pair.

Otherwise, how would he have had this opportunity to show off his power in front of his relatives and friends!

"Yes." Maher hugged him and said with a smile, "We will leave in the afternoon and arrive in Newcastle in the evening."

"Please come in quickly!"

Hans enthusiastically pointed to a place, led Maher forward, and asked his wife to bring their relatives and friends into the house.

Maher nodded to Hans' wife and followed Hans into his home. It was a house of about 150 square meters with a large living room. On the long table in the distance, fruits, and various grilled vegetables had already been placed.

It can be seen that they have made careful preparations for the past hour.

Under Hans's guidance, Maher sat down in a place. His wife and relatives and friends soon came in and felt a little cramped sitting at the long table. Although they all had smiles on their faces, the atmosphere was a little awkward.

“Coach Hans has helped me.”

It was Maher who spoke first, breaking the silence. He was not ashamed to talk about his embarrassing past. "At that time, I was about to be eliminated by Arsenal. I was at the lowest point in my life and was not sure whether I should continue playing football.

“My sneakers were coming apart, but I didn’t have the money to buy a new pair, so Coach Hans finally lent me a pair.

"I wore that pair of shoes until I joined Sheffield United. It can be said that it paved the way for my future, haha."

The day before he was about to play for Arsenal, he thought back to that time and couldn't help but sigh that time passed so quickly.

"Hans has always been kind."

"Yes, he has been like this since he was about fourteen or fifteen, when he was already past his naughty phase."

"It was many years ago. I still remember the first time our family went to Highbury to watch a game, haha."

The people at the table finally started chatting. They weren't very familiar with each other yet, so they could only follow Maher's lead in talking about Hans, which brought back many of their memories.

Hans was busy preparing food and wine. When he heard Maher bring up this matter and heard his relatives and friends praising him, his face suddenly lit up and he even had the energy to serve the dishes.

How do you describe this feeling?

It seemed like this was the day that all youth training coaches had dreamed of since their first day in youth training.

The players I personally brought up gradually grew into stars and still treated you with no airs. Even though two people's identities and classes are completely different, they can still sit together and chat happily.

"have a look."

After serving the dishes, Hans took out the pair of sneakers from a high shelf, held them in front of everyone, and said with a big laugh: "Mael also asked if he could sell the shoes to him for 10,000 pounds, and I said no."

"You should keep this shoe." His wife came over with a drink and raised an eyebrow. "Who knows, its value may be enough to buy us a new house in the future."

Everyone laughed, and Maher also smiled. He didn't mind if Hans sold the shoes later. He wrote that line of words specifically to make the shoes more valuable.

Hans sold these and used the money he got as his way of repaying the favor.

"You have to wait a little longer." Maher looked at Hans and joked, "When it reaches its highest point, I'll sell it when I see a good opportunity."

"When do you think it will reach its peak?" Hans sat next to Maher and followed his joke.

"When the Grand Slam happened." Maher spread his hands and raised his eyebrows, expressing his true thoughts in a joking way, which made everyone laugh again.

"Okay, I'll wait."

Only Hans picked up a glass of red wine and said to everyone, "Pray for Maher's grand slam."

After dinner, Maher looked at the time and found that it was already two o'clock. He said goodbye to Hans and walked out of the house.

Everyone came out to see him off, and many people took out their phones to take photos with him.

“Thanks Mahel!”

"Thanks, too, Hans!"

"Hans, I'll buy you a drink tomorrow."

The relatives and friends were very happy to have a meal with the stars and they praised Maher and Hans a lot.

Hans was so praised that he could hardly stand steadily. He felt elated all over, but the smile on his face never faded.

"come on!"

Hans waved goodbye to Maher and said, "I can't go to the away game. I will watch every game of yours after I return to the Emirates Stadium."

“Okay.” Maher waved to him, got in the Ferrari and drove towards home.

I just got rid of a worry and had a few words with my 'past self', reflecting on the gains and losses of the past year and talking about my recent situation.

Now, he is about to move towards a brand new life, and the top league is waiting for him!

At night, Arsenal's bus stopped in front of a hotel in Newcastle.

Maher and Van Persie got off the car together and walked towards the hotel with their luggage. Many Arsenal fans who had already come to the away game could be seen on the street.

"Has the number been decided?" Van Persie asked, thinking about the game tomorrow.

"deal."

Maher nodded. After returning from China, he confirmed his number for the new season with Wenger. He will wear the No. 11 jersey, which is a typical winger number.

"That's good." Van Persie took two steps, hesitated, turned around and asked; "I heard that you are going to renew your contract with the club soon?"

“Yes,” Maher answered honestly. This matter is indeed getting closer. “The basic annual salary has been negotiated, and the signing fee has not yet been discussed. I guess there may be some changes in the end.”

“I also expect there will be changes.”

Van Persie, who was older and more experienced, whispered: “The contract we negotiated before playing in the Premier League will be difficult to complete as it is after we officially play in the Premier League. I estimate that it will change depending on your performance.

"If the performance is poor, then sign as is; if the performance is good, then increase the number of years, increase the salary and the signing fee.

"Even after the game against Bayern Munich, your value was not the same as before. You should have felt it was obvious that your agent and Mr Wenger had put the matter aside again."

Maher nodded in agreement. Mendes had indeed not contacted him recently, as if he was waiting for something.

“It’s possible.”

Van Persie took a quick look and lowered his voice. "Some clubs will suppress players' playing time before renewing their contracts to prevent them from having too high performance numbers and then raise their prices."

Maher looked up at him. This was a rather sensitive remark.

Fortunately, before he opened his mouth, Van Persie explained with a smile: "But Arsenal won't do that. The team still values ​​sincerity. Plus, with the salary structure in place, any further increase won't be too outrageous."

As they were talking, the two of them had already entered the elevator, and after reaching the seventh floor, they walked towards their rooms.

"Mael."

Before parting, Van Persie patted Maher on the shoulder and encouraged him: "All Arsenal people are looking forward to you, including Mr. Wenger and me. The performance in just one warm-up match is not enough.

"The Premier League is about to start. I hope you can deliver a satisfactory performance to yourself and others in these 38 rounds.

"Looking forward to working with you, remember to pass the ball to me, haha"

Maher didn't answer him, but just smiled slightly. He could feel Van Persie's expectations for the new season and for him.

He encouraged himself in his heart and confirmed that he was fully prepared to step onto the Premier League field tomorrow.

When there were only long shots at the beginning, he once smiled and said to Gilbert, let's use long shots to hit Bramall Lane.

Now, he has many, many skills, and many of them have exquisite "arc" footwork.

He can definitely set a small goal for himself in his mind, tomorrow, use a beautiful arc to cross the sky of St. James Park and hit the net! !

August 8th, the day of war arrived.

"Newcastle! Newcastle!!"

At three o'clock in the afternoon, St. James' Park, which can accommodate more than 50,000 fans, was crowded with people. Newcastle United fans wearing black and white stripes took their seats one after another.

This is a veteran and strong team that had some outstanding performances around the millennium. Later, due to lack of funds and some internal changes, its performance gradually declined.

But it is undeniable that it has a huge fan base all over the world, and the team's season ticket sales even have a queue that extends to 4 years later.

Inside the stadium, in the Arsenal dressing room.

Wenger was making the final arrangements. He wrote on the tactical board and read out the starting lineup for this round of the league, "Szczesny, Gibbs, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Sagna.

"Alexander Song, Frimpong, Ramsey, Mahrez, Van Persie, Gervinho."

When the voice fell, some people looked calm, some looked happy, and some people immediately showed disappointment in their eyes.

Almost the same as the game against Bayern!
Wenger chose to trust newcomers in the season opener and replaced the front line with a brand new combination!

Mahel lowered his head and put on his shin guards, his heart churning and a surge of excitement rising from his chest, making him excited.

First start after returning!
Directly ushered in the Premier League debut!

Moreover, Wenger's trust in him was very obvious, as he had the sweeper Frimpong behind him in the starting lineup!

"children."

Wenger briefly talked about the tactics, motioned for everyone to stand up, and finally clapped his hands and shouted: "Newcastle United is a tough opponent, but we have to beat them and get off to a good start this season!

"Come on! Arsenal!!"

"Come on!!"

"come on!"

"I'm ready to give them a taste of their own medicine and shut up St James' Park!"

The players encouraged each other and said arrogant words in excitement, as if this would make them more confident when stepping onto the court.

"Pa pa!" Maher clapped his hands vigorously. His emotions were already rising. The first Premier League game of his life was about to come.

Be sure to seize the opportunity!

"Oh!" Following his teammates out, he came to the player tunnel of St. James' Park and could vaguely hear the exciting shouts of the fans outside.

"Beep!"

When the referee blew the whistle to enter the field, players from both sides walked towards the inside of the field, and the scene became completely heated from that moment on.

Maher walked out of the player tunnel step by step, walked across the smooth ground, and walked towards the soft grass. The moment he stepped out of the player tunnel, he saw the home stadium of the Premier League team from this perspective for the first time.

"Newcastle! Newcastle!!"

“Oh!!”

The home fans shouted the team's name in unison and cheered at the end. The momentum was amazing. It seemed that they couldn't wait for the new season.

They waved team flags of varying sizes in their hands, and soon pulled out a banner that spanned the entire north stand, shocking everyone.

"come on!"

Looking at this scene, all the pores on Maher's body opened up, and he clenched his fists with excitement to cheer himself up.

Premier League debut, Arsenal's league debut, the first time to play a regular match in a "professional stadium" with more than 50,000 people. With so many firsts, we must perform well and strive to make it a more memorable day!
After completing the pre-match ceremony, he came to his position and jumped a few times to keep his body hot.

"Beep!"

At 11:12 in the afternoon, the referee raised his right hand and blew the opening whistle of the first round of the Premier League in the - season.

The new season has arrived!

(End of this chapter)