Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 164



Only Krnovel

Episode 164: A Mixed Choice (1)

London Colney, England.

The place officially known as the ‘Arsenal Football Club Training Ground’ is quiet after finishing morning training.

All of the first-team players were either on vacation or called up for international matches, leaving only players from some age-group teams to fill the field.

Clink, clank.

Although the noise from the dishes could be heard as other employees ate their meals in the cafeteria, the main building was also quiet.

But even in the midst of all this, a busy conversation is taking place in the conference room on the second floor.

“how is it?”

“… … It’s okay.”

The one who asked the question was scout Mark Curtis, and the one who answered with a nervous expression was analyst Kevin Balbers.

“Are you okay? Is that the end? Damn it, Kevin. You destroyed the Brazilian defense. Manchester City’s Jesus or Cologne’s Sung Ha-neul. There’s even talk that Edu (technical director), who was constantly debating, has made up his mind?”

“… … .”

Mark Curtis pressed down on the arrow keys on his keyboard, full of absurdity. At this, the goal scene on the screen also rewound slowly.

The official ball rolled into the goal line, passed the goalkeeper’s side, returned to Son Eung-min’s feet, and soon rolled towards the person who passed it to him.

Seong Ha-neul is a target for recruitment within the team.

And the boy slowly backed away, making contact with the defenders.

“Okay, now. Look again. There are only four opponents, four.”

widely!

Then, as if the play button had been pressed enough to turn back, the boy on the screen started to move up from the center of the second line, the lowest line.

As the scout said, there were quite a few players who stuck by his side. Left winger Paqueta was already attached to the center line, and the moment he moved up to the second line, two central defenders and midfielder Casemiro rushed in.

Phew-thwack!

At the moment of a powerful standing tackle, he hits the lower part of the ball, making the entire defense look like a fool.

First, he pushed the ball between the four defenders, and then, after maintaining his physical balance and enduring the challenge with Casemiro… …he opened up the space at the back.

“You think this is nothing? Look at the players. From Casemiro to Thiago Silva and Marquinhos. They are players who would be regulars in any EPL team.”

“… … .”

“Huh? You don’t admit this? Is it because you don’t like the tactics? That’s why you’re being grumpy?”

However, since there was no change in the other person’s expression, the scout in charge spoke half-reprimandingly. It seemed as if his picky personality was clearly revealed, as if someone might call him an analyst.

“Isn’t it because you don’t like the lack of team pressure?”

“Hmm.”

“But that was a failure of the bench’s tactical change. Rather, we should praise the offense for being able to catch up even when they gave up the initiative. And the third goal was amazing, but I think this goal was especially good… … Hanul passed the ball to Son. His judgment in a critical situation and his clean pass connection. He’ll adapt well when he joins our team.”

“Well, I think that’s actually Jesus’ strength. He’s been playing for Manchester City for a long time. He’s proven himself in the same league.”

“So you’re a Jesup?”

“… … Is there a Jesus Spa too?”

“Yes. Right now, Jason Aitor, that guy is pushing Jesus.”

“The chief scout? That’s the first time I’ve heard of that.”

“It’s not that big of a secret.”

The reason why the constant grumbling tone sticks out is probably because Mark Curtis, who is part of the scout team, was in charge of Seong Ha-neul.

That was the position of scout.

I try to maintain an objective perspective, but sometimes, when I come across a shining talent, I become obsessed without realizing it.

Analyst Kevin Balbus also knew this fact well and had been reluctant to speak out, but now he reluctantly opens his mouth because the situation could lead to misunderstandings.

“First of all, I’m not a Jesus fan. I just want either of them to come. So stop talking nonsense.”

“Really? Do you think he’s talented?”

“You had talent from the beginning. That’s why you came all the way to Germany to see for yourself.”

“Right. But why are you so negative?”

“It’s not a negative thing. I just… … felt like it wouldn’t be a good thing to be more active than this.”

“What’s wrong with that? You’ve proven that you can perform well in big games. You’ve made up for the disadvantages of being young and lacking a sample size in your debut season—”

“Do you know how much this guy’s transfer fee is?”

“Huh? It’s probably around 30 million euros. I heard that even if you give it a generous amount, it won’t go over 35 million.”

“how is it?”

“what?”

“How do you feel about that price? By the way, Jesus will cost you at least 50 million euros.”

“… … .”

As I continued to explain, the other person’s excitement quickly subsided. Although I spoke indirectly, he seemed to understand what I meant.

“Relatively… … it’s cheap.”

“… … .”

“… … Yeah, it’s really cheap. Okay?”

“That’s not enough of an expression. Let’s assume that we don’t know him at all. He’s a striker who scored 20 goals and 17 assists in the Bundesliga. Just looking at his stats, it’s a price that any EPL club would rush to pay… … He can play on the right wing and at the front, and he knows how to coordinate the attack with a free role in the central area of ​​the second line under the premise of reducing the defensive role.”

“… … No, other than that, the role of freeroll is-”

“Don’t say that the sample size is small. At least at the end of the season, he has proven his potential. Even if he is out of form and not playing his part in the position, he still gets meaningful results. The Pokal final. Who was watching, who submitted the scouting report?”

“… … I’m going.”

“Yeah. You said it with your own mouth and wrote it with your own hands. You even gave extra points for mental strength, saying you gritted your teeth and ran. But how old is this guy?”

“… … .”

“He’s seventeen. Even if he plays for ten years, he’ll still be twenty-seven. If he doesn’t suffer from ups and downs due to injuries, he’ll be at his prime as an attacker after playing for ten years. So, let’s review what we discussed earlier. So, how much is he worth?”

“… … Ah, I got it! I got it. I committed a mortal sin. Just because I caught you once, you’re going to beat my head up like crazy. It’s so scary, really.”

Despite admitting his slip of the tongue with an exaggerated wave of his hand, the analyst’s tongue, once ignited, shows no sign of stopping.

“Is that all? He had an incredible performance against Brazil. He was also named MVP in the next match against Chile with one goal and one assist? That would be a completely different story. The lower-ranked teams aren’t the problem. The top teams will start seriously considering whether to just scratch their lottery ticket. Do we have any merit in that? No. We finished fifth last season. We failed to qualify for the Champions League, so as a party, we have to think about Liverpool, Chelsea, and even Spurs (Tottenham)… .”

“I got it! I was wrong!”

“You should have done it a long time ago. Stop shoving useless words into your ears.”

“… … .”

Although it was harsh, it wasn’t like he was making up a story out of nothing.

* * *

Immediately after playing two consecutive matches against Brazil and Chile.

I boarded a plane to Spain as soon as the national team call-up period was over. July is the month when the summer transfer market opens and it is a time to strengthen the team members’ organizational skills.

[Jonas Hector: There’s no need to apologize for what happened in the past. I didn’t know what I was talking about. I’ll see you in Mallorca.]

As Jonas’ message said, Cologne used the large island off the east coast of Spain as its training base camp.

[Sir, I think I’ll have to postpone my visit to your house for five weeks. I didn’t know you’d tell me to come right away.]

[Uncle Gunther: … … Yes. It’s a shame that the club asked me to come, but there’s nothing I can do. See you next time. Be safe and have fun.]

I also can’t meet Uncle Gunther and chat with him.

[I’m going to Spain.]

[Otaku: Who are you hitting again?]

[… … ??]

[Otaku: Aren’t you going into exile? Like Napoleon.]

[Shut up. It’s because of training?]

[Otaku: Oh, what did I say? Sorry. After you beat up that guy, Moteste or something, you were notorious in school, right? I remember it being quite exciting back then.]

[Liberia Morsi: Have a nice trip!]

[Poland Lisa: That sounds fun! It’s a really famous tourist spot! Tell me what it was like later!!]

It was a shame to miss the chance to take down Jonas Drur’s crown… …but somehow I was able to avoid being stuck in a corner of the house!

The more I think about it, the more satisfied I become.

From keeping up with the national team in Korea, laughing and chatting about news articles and SNS comments, to using my free time to film commercials.

Wherever you go, people flock to you, and business people are all friendly, making it a near-perfect experience.

So, the training camp will also be full of fun and enjoyable things.

In a way, it was something I could brag about to others. Instead of paying to travel, I was getting paid to go to Mallorca.

Of course, that stupid and foolish idea was shattered shortly after arriving at the training ground.

“……What are you doing?”

“Well, I feel the futility of the world.”

“Vanity?”

“You don’t have to know.”

July 2nd.

Inside the training ground, a friendly match with Mondorf FC is underway. According to the staff, the F is silent in French, so they call it ‘Mondorf’, but the opposing team is a soccer club from Luxembourg.

Naturally, since the difference in level was so stark, most of the players who were put into the game were second-string players, so I sat on the bench and caught my breath.

I arrived in Mallorca on the last day of June. I only rested for one day and did official training the next day, but I was exhausted just from trying out the physical training.

I heard it was going to be easy because the priority was to check my physical condition, but it’s like this.

It seems like I’ll have to give up my Mallorca tour to the dogs. Which means, give them to the dogs.

“But isn’t it still fun to watch?”

“Fun to watch?”

“Because you’re a solid starter. It’s fun to talk about which of the second-team players are good and which ones will come up. Starting next week, we’ll have two practice games a day.”

“okay?”

“… … You didn’t know?”

“Yeah. It’s my first time here.”

“Last year-”

“It wasn’t the second team. Since I was promoted in the winter, I didn’t have a chance to come to spring training.”

“aha.”

Of course, chatting with Rempel was fun in its own way.

It was 3 to 1 in the first half. Modeste was substituted as soon as he scored, and as many as eleven substitutes were brought in after that, and the score gap in the second half widened to 12 to 1.

It was quite interesting to guess my future colleagues.

“Who is that?”

“Eric, Eric Martel. He’s a central defender, I think he’s twenty this year. I heard he can also play defensive midfield.”

“The height is good. What about him?”

“Maximilian Schmidt. He’s nineteen. He’s got a lot of potential. He’s got great work ethic and link-up ability. The player playing underneath him is Linton Maina, an attacking midfielder. Oh, the one who just got the pass is Florian Dietz. He’s tall, I think? He’s 190 centimeters tall.”

“It’s so dirty. Is it Modeste’s replacement?”

“That’s just… … In Germany, they prefer tall attackers. Oh, you seem to be quite tall, too.”

“What, a little? I did 180. That’s why I told you not to run until the detailed test results come out.”

“Hanul!”

Then, all of a sudden, the conversation is interrupted by a call from the main base camp building. I turn my head and see Tilman Bockhorst, the physical coach, making a phone shape by his ear.

“why?”

“It’s an urgent call, so check your cell phone.”

“……who?”

“Yes, your agent.”

The feeling of uneasiness only lasted for a moment.

I regain my composure in an instant when I hear that Alex Pasek has contacted me.

But why are you in a hurry?

He’s not the kind of guy who would openly contact you during training.

The answer is found naturally in the locker room, after searching through the bag and checking the cell phone.

“hello?”

[Hanul.]

“Yeah. What’s going on?”

[I’m contacting you urgently because I need to talk about transfer.]

“Didn’t you organize that last time? Until the offer comes in-”

[The Cologne board has concluded negotiations between the clubs. Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea. All three clubs seem to have agreed. Now it’s our turn to decide. The baton has been passed.]

“… … .”

[Hanul?]

What the hell is this?

But reality, no matter how unbelievable it may be, never changes.

He ends the call after telling me that he’ll be flying straight to Mallorca, and I stand there blankly trying to sort out what I just heard.

Less than two days before the summer transfer window opened, Cologne’s leadership signalled they were open to reaching an agreement with the player on personal terms.