As we enter August, the Premier League and the Championship are about to begin.
Arsenal Colney training base, head coach's office.
Wenger kept a cigarette in his hand and leaned against the window, puffing away at the smoke. His face was filled with worry and a rare look of depression.
Assistant coach Phyllis stood behind him, looking at the scraps of paper and tactics board scattered on the ground, and sighed.
The atmosphere in the office was extremely depressing.
"The ten-year plan is gone just like that."
Felice finally spoke with some distress. Things were still brewing. Arsenal was at a disadvantage in the game with Barcelona and Fabregas. "There's no end in sight. What should we do?"
"Let's continue to appoint him as the captain in the new season and make a final attempt."
Wenger turned around and looked at the outline of the ten-year plan that he had torn up not long ago, his heart bleeding, "If there is no other way, then..."
He couldn't utter the following words. After taking two steps, he felt pain in his chest and a nausea in his stomach at the same time, and even felt dizzy for a while.
This ten-year plan contains all his expectations for Arsenal's future!
There is a detailed proposal covering economic aspects, team building, honors, etc., and he has been working towards it.
The main figure in the plan is Fabregas.
Once he is gone, everything will become a bubble and disappear.
"Mr. Wenger!"
Phyllis went up to support him, gritted his teeth and said, "Let's find another Fabregas!"
"Don't talk about him anymore."
Wenger sat down at the tea table by the window, waved his cigarette twice, and said, "Let's talk about other things."
Phyllis thought for a moment, then came to Wenger's office, plugged in his USB drive, and retrieved a set of data. "Here is a monthly report on loaned players. Sir, you should take a look at it."
He quickly clicked print, waited until the printer beside him stopped moving, sorted it out, and handed it to Mr. Wenger.
But his right hand did not stop.
He quickly copied the "Ten-Year Plan Outline" that was still in the most conspicuous place on the desktop and saved it in his own USB drive.
This is actually no secret.
But the most detailed one is in the hands of Mr. Wenger, which contains many of his personal annotations and detailed insights.
He wanted to save it and leave some hope for the club.
What if the team still needs this plan in the end, even if it's only for one, two or three years?
"From Jolson: Maher and Gilbert have made rapid progress, especially the former, who has shown that he can establish himself in the Championship.
"He is liked by Gary Speed, who is about to take over as Sheffield United manager. Perhaps he will get a chance immediately when he takes office."
After watching for a while, Wenger read out a report that surprised him, and then he looked at Phyllis, "What do you think of these two people?"
"It was finalised by Mr Wenger at the time."
Phyllis laughed awkwardly and said ashamedly: "I have never seen them play football, so I am not familiar with them."
"There should be quite a few idle scouts in the team."
Wenger flipped through the report at the back, put it on the table, and made arrangements: "The new season is about to start, please help me find someone.
"Tell him to rush to Sheffield every time Maher and Gilbert are selected for a match and give me a detailed report."
"Do this"
Phyllis said something extra, "Isn't that a bit too special?"
Wenger looked at him deeply, fatigue and helplessness flashed across his eyes, and finally he held his breath.
Cherry Street, Sheffield.
The days filled with hard work and fun continue.
Maher did not stop his pace. His world was filled with sweat during training and comfort during relaxation. Time passed by him like flowing water. On August 8, Sheffield United faced the opening match of this season's Championship League.
They will play at home against Queens Park Rangers, who have strengthened their team in many areas this season and are aiming for the championship!
At six o'clock that evening, Maher and Gilbert, who had just finished extra training, came home, turned on the TV and tuned into the Championship broadcast channel.
"I still don't know."
Gilbert has been complaining all the way, "Why weren't you selected for the roster? Coach Kevin always praises you, and his eyes are full of appreciation for you, why didn't he even give you a chance to be a substitute?
"Honestly, Maher, even a fool can see that if you are given a few games in the Championship, you can squeeze out the main left winger Mark Artes."
Maher seemed very calm and didn't dwell on the issue. "Let's watch the game. We are very close to Bramall Lane. Maybe we can hear the cheers of the fans inside."
It's not that he doesn't want to be included in the roster, but he has something more to be happy about today - his cross has reached level 3!
[Skill: Precision Arc lv3]
[Proficiency: (1/800)]
[Effect: With a lot of practice, your crosses will reach the level of professional team crossers. With a little adjustment on the wing, you can make a beautiful arc and create an aerial threat! ]
This is his second level 3 skill, which raises his overall ability to a higher level!
There is really no need to let something that cannot be changed affect your mood and frustrate your will to keep moving forward.
"OhYeah!!"
Not long after, there was a faint cheering sound outside the room. It sounded very small, but it felt like an earth-shaking cheer.
Gilbert immediately got up and ran to the window, opened it and listened carefully.
There was a delay in the TV broadcast, so they didn't know which team scored the goal.
"It's Queens Park Rangers."
Maher judged that Bramall Lane had a capacity of 30,000, and the home team had more than 20,000 spectators in every game.
If they roared together, the sound would be much louder than this.
Soon, a goal appeared on the TV screen. Sheffield United made a mistake in the backcourt, giving the opponent's center forward a one-on-one opportunity, and the opponent scored immediately.
"Oh!"
Not long after, the familiar voice came again.
This time Gilbert could also hear that it should be Queens Park Rangers who scored a goal again.
He paced around the room anxiously, a little worried that the team would be in trouble.
It's not a pleasant feeling to watch your group being swallowed up by shame.
No one likes seeing their team lose, especially when there is nothing you can do or nothing you can do.
"Yeah!!" When the small but majestic voice came again, both of them could not wait any longer.
Everything seemed to be happening right in front of them. Their familiar teammates were fighting on the court, but they were still just spectators.
The anxiety gradually spread to Maher's heart.
There is anxiety about the team's situation as well as anxiety about one's own future.
Human desires continue to grow after leaving the Arsenal youth team.
They saw a wider world, came to a higher level, and got higher salaries.
No one wants to stay where they are, especially when you gradually feel that you are capable of doing something.
"Let's go down and take a walk."
Maher took out his headphones, called Gilbert, then opened the door and walked outside.
Gilbert quickly took out his headphones and followed his steps.
After they went downstairs and walked for a while, they just took off their headphones to relieve the heat in their ears when they happened to hear a familiar cheer coming from them.
No need to look, the team is trailing 0-4!
Not long after, they saw many fans wearing Sheffield United's red and white striped jerseys taking to the streets, apparently leaving the stadium early.
They either smashed the hats with the team logo on them or threw away their scarves, shouted a few curses, and walked to the bar to drink bitter wine.
Both of them felt very depressed. That night, Sheffield United's true strength was exposed to the general public.
Their fig leaf was torn off coldly by Queen's Rangers Park and shattered at the slightest touch.
(End of this chapter)