Becoming a football god from Arsenal

Chapter 242: Bookmakers' fear of Maher! Signing a salary increase contract! The beginning of a brand new season!
In the box area of ​​Wembley Stadium, Arsenal fans walked out satisfied, constantly marveling at Maher's performance.

Guardiola walked out wearing a mask and a hat, chatting with the assistant coaching team with shocked eyes.

"We must do our best to win him. Once we get him, we will definitely win the club's fifth, sixth or even seventh Champions League title."

He gestured with one hand and said excitedly: "Bayern won the Champions League three times in a row from 93 to 95, and he may make us win the Champions League three times in a row from 13 to 15."

"Is it that exaggerated?" an assistant coach asked with a smile.

"That's it."

Guardiola nodded in agreement, "Did you see the four goals he scored today? As long as you can create 4-6 chances for him, he can seize half of them when he is in good form!
"There is no team that doesn't want a striker like this. Whoever gets him will win the championship."

An assistant coach jokingly asked: "Then I have a question. You have been expressing your love for Messi on various occasions. How does he compare to Messi?"

This question was a bit difficult for Guardiola. He thought about it seriously for a while and said truthfully: "I worked with Messi for a while, and he brought me many incredible moments.

"But I must say that even if Messi is the stronger one now, he will definitely be the one in the future.

"Not too far away, maybe when he's 22-23 years old, he's unquestionably No. in the world.

"I won't be like the fans who think his performance may decline or become unstable. From a professional point of view, unless injuries and lack of self-discipline can stop him, he will definitely be able to move up."

The others thought about it for a while and nodded slightly in agreement. It must be admitted that no professional would deny a player who could score 18+ goals in the league at the age of 40.

As he was about to leave the stadium, Guardiola's stomach suddenly growled twice and a feeling of hunger surged into his stomach.

He hesitated, looked at his watch and said, "There are a lot of people coming out. Why don't we eat something and wait for them to leave?"

No one else had any objections, and they soon sat by the window to eat steak and drink coffee.

More than ten minutes later, Kroenke Jr. walked out of the private box, holding the phone and slowly walked to the window of the restaurant in the box area, and said with a smile: "We must celebrate well, I will hold a banquet tonight, and you must come.

"You don't drink much anymore? Oh, I did last time. It doesn't matter this time. You are the most important person in the team. How can everyone have fun if you don't drink?

"Okay, okay. I'll wait for you in the private dining room. When the driver arrives, we'll go together."

Little Kroenke sat by the window with a smile on his face, playing with his mobile phone.

"Ha ha."

After a while, with a laugh, Mendes, fully armed and with their faces covered, walked out with Florentino. During the process, Mendes kept staring at the flow of people in the passage.

Finding that there were still a lot of people around, he took Florentino's arm and stood there talking for a while, and then continued walking forward when there were fewer people.

"I can't give you any guarantees, sir. Everything still depends on the player's wishes."

Mendes walked on the outside, his eyes fixed on Florentino's face, "It's like this when working with top stars, I can't control him or influence his decisions.

"In fact, my goal is to reduce the trouble for the players and provide a better playing environment. I am useless in other aspects."

Soon, he came to the dining table of Guardiola and his assistant team, and attracted the attention of an assistant who was facing him.

"Ding Dong!" An elevator stopped at the elevator entrance of the box area. After the elevator door opened, Wenger walked out quickly, attracting the attention of many fans.

"Mr. Wenger!"

"Congratulations!"

"Let's take a photo together!"

Many fans surrounded him instantly, and their enthusiasm made the old coach smile and stay with them for a long time.

Mendes and Florentino also heard the shouting at this time. When they saw Wenger, their eyes froze instantly and they quickly turned and walked towards the restaurant area.

"Yes Yes!"

"That's what I think."

They kept gesturing with their hands, pretending to be busy, and sat down at a dining table with their backs to Wenger.

"Mr. Mendes" an uncertain voice was heard, and an assistant coach at Guardiola's desk looked at Mendes wearing a mask with a strange expression on his face.

Guardiola turned his head quickly, glanced at Mendes and his expression brightened. He then turned his gaze to the person sitting opposite Mendes.

As he looked, a look of doubt appeared in his eyes. He blinked a few times, frowned, and looked seriously, and a dull look gradually appeared on his face.

Florentino?
Having just left Barcelona, ​​he is naturally very familiar with the Real Madrid president. In addition, Florentino's big forehead is very personal and easy to judge.

Florentino noticed Guardiola's eyes and lowered his head awkwardly out of politeness. Soon after, he turned to look at the other party and slowly nodded and smiled.

Guardiola: “.”

Florentino: “.”

Mendes stroked his forehead on the spot, looking embarrassed, his toes firmly gripping the ground, with even deeper fear in the corners of his eyes.

Why do we still encounter this?
Why did Wenger come up?

What a coincidence!

He thought back to when he was young and dated two girls at the same time. Even though he thought he had kept it a secret every time, he was still exposed in the end.

What a mess!
"Hi."

Wenger soon came up to Kroenke Jr. and gave him a high five and a hug.

"How should we reward you and your team?" Kroenke Jr. and Wenger hugged each other, and inadvertently glanced at the other two tables in the restaurant with a puzzled look on their faces.

"Mendez?"

He has been dealing with Mendes frequently recently and is very familiar with his physical features, which can be seen just by looking at his back.

Wenger quickly separated from him and the two walked towards Mendes with a smile.

Mendes kept covering his forehead, trying to shield his face, but he certainly couldn't escape this.

Guardiola, who was standing by, was also startled at this time, and quickly pulled an assistant coach to turn around and say something, "You have to remember, no matter what, you just have to remember it."

"Yeah." The teaching assistant nodded continuously and said "ah~" from time to time, looking very learned.

Before Wenger walked up to Mendes, he noticed the suspicious Guardiola.

His eyes swept over several Bayern assistant coaches, and finally he subconsciously glanced at the ground, and saw socks embroidered with the Bayern team logo on one of their feet.

The man reacted immediately and quickly retracted his foot, but he knew that Wenger must have seen it.

Wenger's face darkened. He was able to confirm that these people came from Germany, and the person who was chatting with them was Guardiola.

"Pep."

He shouted, just to let Guardiola know that he recognized him.

Guardiola stood with his back to Wenger, stunned for a moment, then slowly turned around and smiled awkwardly, at a loss, "What a coincidence, I didn't expect to meet Mr. Wenger when I came to watch a game."

"Ha" Wenger laughed dryly, how could he not know the purpose of Guardiola and his group coming here.

He turned his head and cast a questioning look at Mendes, and subconsciously glanced at the person sitting opposite him, and then his face turned completely dark.

Florentino knew he couldn't avoid it, so he pretended to be generous and took off his mask, stood up, and smiled and stretched out his hand to Wenger, "It's also a coincidence, I didn't expect the three of us to meet here together.

"Congratulations on winning your third title. I think Arsenal will definitely win the Premier League title this season."

Guardiola also stood up and came over to greet the two of them.

The three of them stood there staring at each other in an ugly manner. Guardiola and Florentino Perez quickly dug their toes into the ground, a move they hadn't made for at least a few years.

Behind the three of them, Mendes was rubbing his face in embarrassment, looking embarrassed, as if he felt he couldn't stay any longer. He nodded to Kroenke Jr. and stood up to leave.

"Hello?" He picked up the phone and said as he walked, "Ah, is it now? Congratulations, I'm at Wembley, I'll be right over!"

Kroenke Jr. and the three giants from England, Germany and Spain all kept their eyes on his back, watching him leave. At this moment, they all hated Mendes so much that they wanted to eat him up.

After a moment's glance, they looked at each other again. They also understood that now that they were "rivals in love", they would have to pay a higher price if they wanted to keep or possess Mahel.

A player who is so sought after cannot be obtained without something special.

"Maher scored four goals and a magical goal! He secured the 12 Puskas Award in advance! Arsenal defeated Chelsea - and won the Community Shield!" - The Times, UK

As night fell, reports about the match appeared on major headlines, attracting people's attention.

It can be clearly seen that the news about Maher's four goals and the magical goal were at the forefront, even more eye-catching than Arsenal's championship.

While fans were browsing the reports and appreciating this somewhat 'surreal' goal, they were also looking forward to the new season which was about to officially begin. They could already feel the passion for football.

"Is this a goal that a human can score?! The ball bounces off the ground with a fancy kick, and then he turns around and volleys it sideways! I have never seen such a wonderful goal!"

“Mael is so strong, but why is he so flexible?”

"Yeah, it's impossible to score this ball without super flexibility!"

"Strength and coordination are not as important as people think. It is less important than height. Ronaldinho is also very strong, but still very agile."

"Maher has the potential to redefine football! If he can score the first goal that no one has ever seen, there will be a second and a third!"

"It seems that he has maintained his form into this season with his four goals. I am optimistic that he can continue to win the Golden Boot!"

"The four major leagues are about to start. There are games to watch again, and there are young players like Maher to watch. I'm happy!"

"Watching young players is a kind of nurturing joy, and this joy is intoxicating!"

"."

On the next morning, The Guardian published the rankings of major bookmakers on the odds of this Premier League.

"Premier League championship odds list! Arsenal tops the list with odds of 2.0, Chelsea is second with odds of 3.75, and Manchester City's two clubs are third and fourth respectively!" - The Guardian

"Premier League Golden Boot odds list! Maher tops the list with odds of 1.5, Van Persie second with odds of 4.25, Aguero third, Rooney fourth!" - The Guardian

"Premier League assist king odds list! David Silva is first with odds of 2.5, Valencia is second with odds of 4.5, Maher is third with odds of 6, Mata and Bale are fourth and fifth." - The Guardian

These are some clear reports that show how reassuring Arsenal and Mahre are this season.

Well-known commentator Alan Shearer quickly commented on a program: “Through the odds list for the new season, we can see the progress of Maher and Arsenal, which is unimaginable.

"Last season, Maher's odds for the Golden Boot were only 1 to 56, ranking 23rd, and you couldn't even find him in the assists list.

“But this season, the player ranks first in the Golden Boot odds and third in the assists list!

"And from the 1.5 odds for the Golden Boot, we can see that all major bookmakers believe that he is very likely to win the Golden Boot again.

"Obviously, these initial odds are not common. The 1.5 figure is supposed to appear in the middle or late stages of the season, or when a player has a big advantage.

"This to some extent represents the fear of the bookmakers towards Maher. Maybe they should have made more money last season, but Maher's sudden appearance made them lose a lot of money."

On that day, in front of the major betting shops in the UK, you could see long queues of fans, and as soon as they entered the shops, they spent large sums of money betting on Maher.

Even the betting shops in communities near Tottenham and Manchester had long queues, and many fans voted for their arch-rivals.

This chaos, coupled with the increasing total betting amounts and Maher's four-goal performance in the Community Shield, made the bookmakers gradually unable to sit still.

"14.50 points, Maher's odds have been reduced from the initial 1.5 to 1.35! If the fans' buying trend still cannot be stopped, bookmakers may consider further lowering the odds!" - British "Football Record"

"19.03 points, Maher's odds dropped again to 1.21! This is an unprecedented initial odds for the Golden Boot! People have never been so optimistic about a player dominating a league!" - French "L'Equipe"

"At 8:14am on August 9.40, the second day of trading, Maher's odds were 1.13! A terrifying chance of winning the Golden Boot!" - Spanish newspaper Marca

"afternoon."

"night."

"On August 8, the third day of the opening, the bookmaker removed Maher's Golden Boot betting, and some insiders said they couldn't stand it anymore!" - Italy's Tuttosport

"The Premier League has not even started yet, and a player has withdrawn from the Golden Boot odds. This really makes everyone unable to believe their eyes!" - Germany's Munich Evening News

“At 8pm on August 15, another historic moment occurred, with the bookmakers opening the odds for Maher alone.

"Bet 1, whether the player can score 38 goals, bet 3.5, whether the player can surpass his performance last season, the odds are 5.25 and respectively!" - The Guardian

After this news came out, it immediately ignited the entire football world. Many fans flocked to discuss it, and many people also chose to join in the fun and buy it.

"Maher will definitely score 40 goals. Look at his first game back in England! 4 goals!"

"I have to buy some support. It's a little difficult to surpass my performance last season, but 38 goals is definitely hopeful!"

“All in!!”

Next to the Emirates Stadium, at the door of a bar formerly known as Jones Tavern and now called Allen Tavern, a middle-aged man walked out and headed to the betting shop across the street that was full of legendary stories.

After hearing the story of Jones and the young man who came later, he could no longer restrain himself. This time, he wanted to be a venture capitalist and change the name of the tavern for the third time.

That night, after finishing his personal training, Maher met Florentino, who had been waiting for a long time, in a restaurant. Florentino was dressed in formal clothes and looked very energetic. This was not the first time he had met this prestigious president. He had met him once at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.

"Where is Mr. Mendes?" Florentino asked with a smile after coming up, and extended his hand to invite Mahel to sit down.

"The season is about to start and he went to the club to help me negotiate a new contract."

Maher made no secret of it and said it bluntly, demonstrating his desire to sign a new contract with Arsenal.

Florentino showed disappointment on his face, but he covered it up well. "Haha, if you can renew your contract this time, you can get the highest salary in the Premier League, right?"

"This should be."

Maher nodded with a smile and said, "After the Kroenke family acquired the club, they became very generous. I might be able to get a contract with an annual salary of around 1500 million."

When he pointed out the price, he also meant that it would be difficult for Real Madrid to offer a higher price than this, and he would not consider this team just for the money.

If I remember correctly, Ronaldo's salary at Real Madrid during this period was only about 1200 million euros, and at most 1500 million euros.

This is definitely the highest salary in the team, and it also shows what the current salary structure of the team is like.

A salary of 1500 million pounds, converted into euros in this era, is about 1850 million euros, which will undoubtedly destroy Real Madrid's salary system.

Even though there are reports that Real Madrid may offer him a salary of 1500 million pounds, that report obviously did not take into account Real Madrid's salary system and is unlikely to be realized in reality.

"Very high."

Florentino's eyes were filled with shock. He also understood what Maher meant, but he still didn't want to give up. "But Mr. Maher, have you ever thought that the signing fee for joining a new club must be higher than the salary increase in the old team?

"If the signing fee is tens of millions of pounds, it can actually be spread over all the contract years and counted as wages."

What he said is true. If Real Madrid pays a signing fee of 4000 million pounds and signs a four-year contract, it will indeed be equivalent to an additional 4 million pounds in annual wages.

Florentino did not stop talking. Since he had made his point clear, he might as well say more, "And if you join Real Madrid, your income will definitely be higher than at Arsenal.

"You'll sell more jerseys, get more expensive endorsements, get more attention.

"I don't know how much money you make from this now, but if you come to Real Madrid, with your ability, in one or two years, you can definitely be in the top three of the Forbes athlete income list, just like Ronaldo."

Maher put down the water cup as soon as he picked it up and replied: “Sir, in fact, the support from Arsenal fans and fans all over the world is enough for me, and being here is the best choice.

"My single-platform social media followers have exceeded 7000 million, which means that as long as I perform well enough, I can probably get everything anywhere."

Florentino was still unwilling to let go. He sat up straight and asked, "Can you tell me how much you earn from endorsements?"

He wanted to know the exact amount of Mahel's income, and then use his possible income after joining Real Madrid to give the player an intuitive shock.

Maher roughly calculated and said sincerely: "About 4000 million pounds, excluding bonuses, and last season, I received a bonus higher than the endorsement fee.

"The base number this season is too large. I'm not sure if I can get this amount of bonus, but half of it should be no problem."

As he spoke, he kept looking at Florentino's expression and clearly saw that the other party was obviously a little stagnant.

Florentino stayed where he was, not knowing how to continue the conversation.

"There is still one."

Maher was in a good mood and was willing to talk to him more, or rather, he wanted the other party to give up, "Arsenal just paid me more than 700 million pounds a few days ago, which was the sales of jerseys and peripherals.

"That was just last season. They told me that this season I could potentially get over £3000 million from the club through my image rights."

He specifically mentioned image rights, also to tell the other party that he has 100% image rights at Arsenal, which Real Madrid would never give him.

"Ah, right."

Maher talked nonstop and laughed, "Arsenal also packaged the club's image rights and various rights into my salary, and I bought a media outlet and filmed two columns.

"I went to check yesterday and the number of subscribers to my two columns has reached 28 and 25 respectively. Roughly speaking, this will bring me tens of millions of pounds in revenue next season.

"Not only that, relying on these rights, my media's influence in other areas has also increased, and last season I made a total profit of 800 million pounds.

"With more programs and opportunities this year, it is expected to double several times and account for about two-tenths of my total income."

After Florentino was completely stunned, he delivered the final buzzer-beater, "Compared to other points that attract me here, money is actually the most insignificant point."

Florentino crossed his index fingers, stood there for a long time, and finally smiled with relief, "Arsenal is lucky to have a player like you, they seem to know this and know how to cherish it.

"What an enviable collaboration. It seems I can only continue to pay attention to you. It is impossible for me to have you in the short term."

He picked up the kettle and personally added some water to Maher, then said: "But Maher, I want to say one thing, as long as you want to come to the Bernabeu, the door here is always open to you."

The two did not part on bad terms. Instead, they chatted about many other things and even laughed when they talked about personality. They actually had very similar personalities.

"Real Madrid is likely to miss out on Maher. The player has already started negotiating a new contract with Arsenal. Florentino will go all out to pursue Bale!" - AS

The following night, Maher met Guardiola at a London hotel and they had dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Unlike Florentino as a businessman, Guardiola as a coach has been talking to Maher about tactics, the team's prospects and some of his fantasies from beginning to end.

But Maher's answer remains the same. No matter which angle the other party comes from, he will only block his way to Bayern with clear thinking.

"All right."

Finally, Guardiola shook his head with regret and said: "You are an excellent player, I admire you very much, and I hope to meet your Arsenal in the Champions League this season.

"I also hope that I can study you thoroughly and use my expertise to make you feel inadequate in your own field."

"Let's wait and see." Maher stood up and shook hands with the other party with a smile, and left the hotel shortly afterwards.

On August 8, there were only two days left before the start of the new Premier League season, and the competition atmosphere in various places has become completely heated.

Maher was told on that day that the new contract was almost negotiated and would most likely be signed the next day.

"How many?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure it will be higher than the highest of the three expectations you gave me. It will be a surprising contract."

When talking to Mendes, Maher heard the secret joy in the other party's voice and began to look forward to the new contract.

After hanging up the phone, he was not in a hurry and waited patiently for the signing day to come.

At the same time, he was a little confused in his heart, why hasn't Bale completed the transfer yet?

He has always been thinking about this signing. If Bale can come, their attacking line will definitely be the strongest in European football in the next 10 years, and they will have a better chance of achieving his dream of winning seven championships.

Could it be that the opponent's agent Barnett is waiting for Real Madrid to give up on him and focus on Bale, and then use this to negotiate a good contract?

After thinking about it, this may be the only possibility. Maher will just think so and hope that the transfer can be completed as soon as possible.

Not long after, he saw a video on his phone, in which Guardiola was talking to media reporters.

"Messi, it has to be Messi, he is the best. Maher will never be able to surpass him, at least not this season. Messi is expected to score over 100 goals this year."

"Fuck." He complained with a smile, "This is revenge, naked revenge!"

"What's wrong?" Isabella came over quickly and looked at him with worry and curiosity, with heartache in her eyes, thinking that he had encountered some little black guy again.

"fine."

Maher habitually stretched out his hand to hold her waist and gradually moved it upwards, "The new company has been registered, and I have deposited the money. The merger and equity change should be completed within a week.

"When the time comes, I will transfer the money to your public account and purchase 78% of your shares."

"it is good."

Isabella nodded slightly, then raised her head and said firmly: "But I won't take out a penny. I will use the money as a development fund to make the company better.

"You don't need to persuade me. I'm not short of money. Apart from praying for you to get better, my only wish is to make the company a top sports brand."

Mael looked at her and did not try to persuade her anymore, but just hugged her tighter.

On August 8, a business car slowly drove up to the gate of the Kearney training base and then stopped.

Maher and Mendes came down with smiles on their faces, and walked towards the club's media room accompanied by Wenger, Philip, Hans and others.

"Crack, click, click.!"

Ten minutes later, under the inevitable flash of lights, Wenger and Maher walked into the media room and sat at the signing table.

"The theme of this issue is staying, everything is confirmed, Maher will sign a new contract."

Wenger revealed this to the reporters with a radiant look on his face, which also put countless Arsenal fans at ease. "We will pursue bigger dreams and more honors in the new season."

Maher smiled and nodded, then picked up a pen and wrote his name in several places on the new contract.

The contract period remains unchanged, but his weekly salary increases from 15 pounds to 33 pounds, which is an increase that exceeds his previous total salary!

+180k!

I wonder how excited the kid who once excitedly called his family when he only received a few thousand pounds a week would have been if he had imagined the situation two years later.

The weekly salary in the Premier League is based on a 54-week system, which means that this weekly salary of 33 pounds represents an annual salary of 1782 before tax and 1069.2 million pounds after tax!
There is no doubt that this is the highest salary in the Premier League now. Tevez, who ranks second, can't even catch up with Maher.

Moreover, this contract also includes a signing fee of 1000 million pounds and a brand new bonus contract!

With Mendes's facilitation, Arsenal also gave Maher a contract with tiered bonuses, which was almost the same except that it did not have endorsement fees stacked like Puma.

The only difference is that this contract is very humane and comes with additional rewards of double crowns, treble crowns, and theoretically possible seven crowns.

As the double champion, Maher can get 1.2 times the total prize money, and for every additional doubling, it will be increased by 0.2 times, up to 2.2 times!
“Paddle, paddle.!”

Maher wrote down the last name, raised his head refreshed, smiled at the reporters, and waited for their questions. He was now eager to express himself.

"Congratulations Mr. Maher, how do you feel about signing the new contract?" a reporter stood up and asked with a smile.

"very nice."

Maher replied simply, and after thinking for a moment, he added: "But maybe it's not as exciting as I imagined when I first debuted? I thought at the time that if I could get a contract of around £25, I would jump for joy."

“I can only say that the circumstances are different and the mentality is different.”

The reporter added, then laughed, "Did Mr. Maher know two years ago that he would get a big contract in the future?"

“You can say that.” Maher nodded, “It’s just that I didn’t know when I would get it, or how much I would get. Now I have a very specific feeling about it.”

"Haha." Many reporters laughed, and another person stood up and asked, "What do you want to do most after getting the highest salary in the Premier League?"

Maher didn't rush to answer this. He thought about it for a while, then leaned close to the microphone and said, "Go to my honor room and see what it is that helped me get this money."

"Buzz!"

Half an hour later, Maher drove his Ferrari 458 and took Isabella to his own room of honor.

Along the way, he drove the convertible, put one hand outside, straightened his back and let his head stick out of the roof to enjoy the wind, feeling the pride of earning 47k a day, 1.9k an hour, and about 33 pounds a minute.

Outside the door, he saw the Clemont family who had been waiting for him, and heard Ava's familiar roar, "Brother.!"

Picking up Ava, he walked into the magnificent hall of honor.

It has been a long time since he last came here. Looking at the brand new store filled with dazzling items, he had a wonderful feeling.

In the center of the store is a replica of the Delaunay Cup, next to which are the Premier League trophy and the Championship trophy. This is the order he requested. "First love" still has special meaning.

Looking to the side, you will see the very exquisite Community Shield trophy and the League Cup trophy.

The five championships are all placed in the most conspicuous position, allowing people to see at a glance all his important achievements in the past two years.

In the cabinets on both sides, his various Golden Boots, Best Player Awards and Best Player Awards have been removed. One reason is that there are too many of them, and the other is that he does not need them to fill the table now.

In addition to these, there are also some of his hat-tricks and four-goal balls, special commemorative balls and some special photos, with the date and specific event of his receiving this honor written next to them.

Maher had a silly smile on his face, and he just stared at her for a long time.

Isabella couldn't help but touch him after a while, and asked curiously: "Leon, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking"

Maher thought for a moment and touched the corners of the Community Shield trophy. “Next year, I will be able to put so many new things here and so many new photos at home.”

“Hehehe!”

Isabella laughed, a very beautiful smile. She brushed her hair and said, "You always say this. Why don't you just stop thinking about it and focus on the experience? You can always do well anyway."

Maher also smiled and was full of confidence in the upcoming new season. "Yeah, I can always do well."

On August 8, the first round of the Premier League arrived, and Arsenal faced Sunderland in this game.

They only have two Premier League games in the whole of August, after playing against Sunderland and then Stoke City. On August 8, the UEFA awards ceremony will begin.

(End of this chapter)