Becoming a football god from Arsenal

Chapter 160: Deschamps' 180-degree turn in attitude! League Cup advances to the quarterfinals! Acquisition of "Football Record"

This is a tragic day for all Marseilles, especially for Deschamps.

After the game, he sat on the sidelines, his arms folded in front of his knees, staring at the court with a dull look for a long time without leaving.

"Didier." A shout came from the side and Wenger came over.

"what."

Deschamps seemed a little mentally exhausted. After a start, he propped himself up and stretched out his hand to Wenger: "I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking, I didn't go over to shake hands."

Wenger waved his hand to indicate that it was okay, looked at Deschamps, thought for a moment and said: "You have been very successful in Marseille, it's time to end this journey.

“Even though this may be an unhappy ending, it is good to end the wasted time as soon as possible, change the environment and strive for new goals.

"We are all waiting to see you take the next step. You are the best candidate."

Deschamps didn't say anything, he knew what Wenger was referring to. He nodded slightly and patted Wenger's shoulder, indicating that he didn't want to talk about this topic at the moment and wanted to be alone for a while.

Just now in the game, he was confused and angry most of the time, and there were many things he hadn't figured out.

Now, it's time to think alone.

Wenger left tactfully, leaving Deschamps alone on the field.

"OhYeah!"

When Deschamps looked towards the left side of the field, the faint cheers seemed to ring out again, as if time had gone back, and he saw Maher galloping on the wing again.

He saw the opponent stop the ball perfectly, dribble past two people, and shoot into the goal from the middle, and saw him celebrate passionately.

We also saw the opponent's powerful impact repeatedly destroyed their left-back and provided assists to Walcott and Van Persie.

Finally, he closed his eyes and seemed to enter Maher's body, rushing past Djimitri Traore in a fiery atmosphere and completing an unstoppable and brilliant solo goal.

Suddenly, Deschamps opened his eyes, and a certain heartstring trembled violently. He looked to the north, which was the direction of Paris.

"Mr. Deschamps." The assistant coach who received the call from the French Football Association before the game came over and said with a smile: "Will you make a new decision? I have to tell you that I didn't make that call to the French Football Association."

"No?"

Deschamps looked at him in surprise, and the thought in his heart became stronger, "Why?"

"Because," the assistant coach's answer was simple and impeccable. "I like Maher very much."

Deschamps looked at him, this simple but smart coach, and couldn't help but smile.

He turned around with his hands behind his back and scratched his nose, "So are you ready to start a new journey with me?"

"Before I get the honor, I can put the idea of ​​getting married on hold." The teaching assistant answered with a firm voice. He must have a strong sense of conviction.

"it is good."

Deschamps turned and walked towards the player tunnel, and this time he went straight to the media area.

Sitting here again, although there was no smile on his face anymore, there was a different kind of determination in his expression.

"First of all, I want to apologize to the fans who support us. We messed up the game and not only did we not achieve the expected result, but we fell far short of it.

"The players were not in good shape and I did not make effective adjustments. I should take responsibility."

"."

After apologizing sincerely, he leaned his arms on the table, crossed his hands, and answered other questions seriously.

"."

There was another round of torture and harassment from the media reporters. Although Deschamps showed impatience on his face, he also knew that he had to endure it if he had done something wrong.

He answered each question one by one, without missing any. He had already thought about the direction of public opinion tomorrow.

Ok?
Will this defeat affect his appointment as head coach of the French team? Will the Football Association no longer trust him?

Deschamps' expression suddenly changed, and he sat in his seat thinking about this possibility, not even hearing the questions from a Sky Sports reporter.

He has to admit that this position is crucial to him now. He has been unable to take this step before. One concern is the current personnel configuration of the French team, and the other concern is how much power the French Football Association can give him.

As long as he can have one less worry, he can step out of his comfort zone without hesitation, take over as coach of the French team and lead the team onto the international stage!
After watching Maher's game live, there is no doubt that his worries about the first point have almost disappeared.

He actually hadn't realized how big of an impact Maher had brought to him today.

Is it to loosen his mind or make him feel that the position of head coach of the French team has become a hot commodity.

Now that he felt a sense of urgency, he realized that it must be the latter!
He has to go!
If you don’t go, you’ll lose everything!

Deschamps raised his head, the change in his expression reflected the huge change in his mentality. Even the pain of the crushing defeat was much less, and his attention was "forced" to divert.

"What did you just say?" He looked at the reporter who had just spoken, and his tone changed a lot.

"What kind of player is Maher?" The Sky Sports reporter saw Deschamps come to his senses and repeated the question.

"what"

Deschamps sighed and prepared to talk big, but he knew that he was still the head coach of Marseille and had just experienced a big defeat, so he couldn't talk too much about the opponent's players.

He looked at the reporter and said in a serious tone: "The entire European football world knows that he is a rare talent and a gift from God to the French team.

"He will be the answer to France's offensive line in the next 10 years. His talent can help the team a lot."

He chose to cut in from the French team to offset the sadness of the Marseille fans.

"I remember saying this a long time ago, but no one cared. Of course, the media is like this, selectively reporting because of different positions."

The reporters from major media outlets below were all lost in thought. Some pinched their chins and frowned, trying hard to recall, but in the end they still looked up at Deschamps with a confused look on their faces.

Have you ever said that?

The Marseille assistant coach sitting nearby pretended to be calm while sitting there, his cheeks slowly puffed up and he made eight small movements in one second.

"The trouser leg seems to be torn."

Deschamps turned around with an 'excessive' determination and pointed at his trouser leg.

"what?"

The assistant coach subconsciously glanced at his trouser legs, then looked up at Deschamps and quickly lowered his head, "Oh, oops!"

"There are rumors that you will coach the French team? Will this defeat change your decision?"

The reporters had no choice but to continue asking questions: "Or will it change the French Football Association's decision?"

"Ha ha."

Deschamps laughed dryly and shook his head, "No, the 93 generation is the golden generation of French football, with players like Mahre and Pogba already emerging.

"Talented people should work together. Well, this may be regarded as arrogant by you again.

"But it's okay. You have always called me the Marseille Madman. Even the president of the French Football Association, Le Graet, calls me that. By the way, he trusts me very much, which is fortunate."

"We have the same football philosophy, the same dreams and beliefs. We vowed together to bring the French team to where it should be."

The reporters were silent, but his assistant coach started to mutter, "Why is the right leg rotten? The quality is not good."

On the other hand, Maher took half a day off and planned to take this opportunity to visit Aix.

He has been in this world for a long time, but he has never returned.

He got into his uncle's car, held Ava in his arms, and drove away, admiring the sea view of Provence all the way.

The south of France is a very beautiful place. Various flower towns, ancient churches and medieval buildings all give people a sense of tranquility.

After just going through a big battle, it's quite pleasant to relax like this.

Maher looked at the beautiful scenery for a while, closed his eyes and lay back in his seat, enjoying this rare slow-paced life.

Uncle Clement looked at him through the rearview mirror and couldn't help but smile.

"Focus on driving." Aunt Betty, who was sitting on the passenger seat, patted him on the shoulder. After that, she couldn't help but turned around and stared at Maher for a long time.

The eldest sister and the second brother didn't even have the courage to look at Maher at this time. They deliberately turned their heads to the other side, as if they were unfamiliar with him.

I haven't seen Mael for half a year, and he has changed again. Not in appearance.

He is not the same guy now as the young man who played for Sheffield United back then.

They see a lot of news on the Internet every day. Even if they don't search deliberately, they will find that news related to Maher pops up on the Internet from time to time.

This is not just the case as the influence of various match reports has increased. Many people not only pay attention to Maher on the court, but are also happy to explore Maher's life and some interesting stories outside the court.

Of course, the media will meet their needs. Many reporters have taken photos of Maher in various locations and released some photos of Maher's life.

These things, in the eyes of Clement and Betty, are extremely interesting.

There are still many printed photos of their daily life in their house, and they will take a look at them when they have free time.

They felt very strange seeing their nephew who grew up with them being hotly discussed for every move. Clement was a glory person, he thought it was a good thing that his nephew had become completely famous.

Betty is a worried person. She is afraid that these people will disturb Maher's life and make her nephew's life difficult.

Half an hour later, they arrived in Aix and came to the street near their home.

It was almost evening, the sky had darkened, street lights were turned on, and there were very few people around.

"Wake up."

Maher was awakened by his uncle and aunt, and followed them towards a familiar place in his memory, and soon walked into a warm little home.

This is a house of about 100 square meters. It is a little messy, mainly because there are many things in it, and it looks like it has been carefully organized.

The sense of memory came back to him, even the smell was so familiar. Maher walked in and lay down on the sofa, feeling more relaxed than he had felt in a long time.

He stood up quickly because he saw that the opposite wall was covered with photos.

From his childhood, to when he was a little older, to his debut in his career, goals, etc., and finally some photos of his daily life, which seemed to be candid photos taken by reporters, some of which he had never seen.

Do uncles and aunts also have the habit of collecting photos?
Maher was suddenly moved. He also saw his own growth trajectory here, and it was more comprehensive.

He had not imagined that more than a thousand kilometers away from London, his uncle and aunt had been recording these thoughts and concerns about him so strongly.

"Some are in your room."

Aunt Betty came over, smoothed out the photos with bubbles with her hands, and said with a smile, "We will keep hanging them until the whole room is full."

“Photos are really great things.”

Maher touched the photo wall here and couldn't help laughing when he saw some of the photos. "This... Why am I holding a box that looks like a refrigerator? And this photo of me accidentally kicking and breaking the glass. Was that photo taken when I slipped that day? Ah?"

"Haha!" The whole family laughed together, and the atmosphere was very warm.

In the evening, Maher chatted with his uncle and aunt for a while, then returned to the house where he used to live and slept for the night.

He wouldn't say anything like sleeping here is more comfortable than sleeping in his mansion. But returning to this place where he has been away for a long time, a place that he has always cared about, is really a different feeling.

He seemed to see his past self, which made him accept this body and all these identities even more strongly, gradually approaching perfection.

The next day, before departure.

Maher was a little reluctant to leave his uncle and aunt when they hugged each other. He said with anticipation, "I told you about the plan for the Hall of Fame yesterday. When I win more championships and can arrange a display case, I will take you there."

“Okay.” Clemont didn’t know what to say, but smiled with a flushed face. “I’ll wait for that day.”

"come on."

Betty patted his shoulder, noticing that her nephew was a little emotional about leaving, "Don't be too tired."

Maher waved to them, got on a business car arranged by the club, and left Aix. On October 10, the penultimate game of the month kicked off, with Arsenal hosting Bolton Wanderers at home.

This is a League Cup quarter-final, and the winner will advance to the quarter-finals of this season's League Cup.

Due to the three consecutive games, most players felt a little exhausted, so Wenger chose to play with a full rotation lineup in this game.

Shamakh, Benayoun and Arshavin form the three forwards, and the midfield is Coquelin, Chamberlain, Frimpong and Nick Yannaris.

The defense line is Squillaci, Vermaelen who has just returned from injury, Mikel, and goalkeeper Fabianski.

Maher and a group of core players sat on the bench waiting for the next call. He was a little disappointed and afraid that they would lose the game to Bolton Wanderers.

It's not that he has obsessive-compulsive disorder and he fantasizes about winning all the time this month. It's mainly because he has shown before that he wants to win the championship on this front.

Bolton Wanderers is not a slutty team, it is a relegation team in the Premier League and has some strength.

Before the game, they should have guessed that Arsenal would rotate the lineup, and chose most of the main players. It was obvious that they wanted to move forward on this line and hope for a miracle.

"Oh!"

In the 47th minute of the second half, as expected, the opponent's midfielder Muamba scored a goal with a header.
Maher glanced at Wenger to see if he had any intention of making a substitution, and found that Wenger was standing calmly on the sidelines.

He was not angry with Wenger. It was normal for the head coach to have different ideas from him on certain issues. He and Wenger were already very compatible.

The opponent's idea should be to compete in the Premier League and FA Cup with all their strength, and try to move forward in the Champions League. As for the Carabao Cup, just play it casually and see where they go.

Judging from the results of past seasons and the depth of the bench, it is actually very bold for Wenger to have such an idea.

But Maher may be bolder, or he has not yet experienced the torment of the top teams' devilish schedule in the second half, and his vision is limited.

"bang bang bang"

Not long after the restart, Arshavin suddenly dribbled the ball in from the left at high speed. This was originally a wing attack that did not seem to pose much threat.

But somehow, he suddenly slipped into the penalty area from the baseline and came to a dangerous position.

"Oh?" Maher stood up from the bench earlier than other coaches.

Then, when he saw Arshavin volley the ball into the near corner, he jumped up before everyone else, "Yeah!"

One to one!

He rushed past Wenger and celebrated on the pitch as if he was the Arsenal manager
Wenger looked at him with a little surprise, then raised his hands high to celebrate the goal.

Three minutes later, Nick Yannaris's low shot from outside the penalty area caused the goalkeeper to lose the ball, and Benayoun made the follow-up shot into the net.

"Pretty!"

Maher was more restrained this time, but there was still amazement on his face.

Two to one!

Actually overtook!
Janaris' shot. If I remember correctly, these were the first batch of players planned for the Chinese national football team.

He still looks very smart and energetic. If he persists in playing in Europe and is more self-disciplined, there is hope.

"Their strength is unexpected." Maher said with emotion to Van Persie who was standing beside him. The other party nodded slightly and looked at him with surprise in his eyes.

"Mael." Van Persie couldn't help asking, "Do you have any ideas about the League Cup?"

"Don't you have any?"

Maher asked him back, Van Persie's bonus contract should be similar to his, doesn't he want to get a little more?
"Yes, yes."

Van Persie bit his lower lip, thought for a moment and said: "But think about it, the Premier League and FA Cup schedules are already enough for us to deal with, and we have to play well in the Champions League as well.

"If there's one more, it's bound to be a bit tiring, right? This is really too difficult."

He smiled and said, "We are not the Barcelona team that won six championships. Their style of play is not prone to injuries and fatigue, and the depth of their bench is extremely strong."

"I certainly didn't think that far ahead."

Maher looked at the court, not knowing how to explain it to Van Persie, so he changed his approach and said, "If we get into the quarterfinals, do you think the professor will go all out to win the championship?"

"It's hard to say." Van Persie shook his head and added: "But if we get into the semi-finals, then whoever it is will have to give it a try."

Maher didn't talk to him anymore, but stared at the court a little nervously until the end of the game.

"Beep! Beep! Beep--!"

Hearing the referee's three long whistles, he stood up, waved his fist excitedly, and high-fived every player in the rotation lineup with a smile.

His attitude made many of Arsenal's core players laugh.

Wenger also smiled and sighed to Philip: "He is ambitious and energetic about everything, right?"

"I'm used to it." Philip shrugged, with some admiration in his eyes. This is the person who is destined to succeed.

After this day, the team still has only three days of rest as they will face Chelsea in the next round of the Premier League.

Fortunately, the main players have had 6 days of rest and are in good shape.

Maher is ready. For him, this is another tour of the big6 teams!

He played against Liverpool and Manchester United in his first month in the Premier League, and against Tottenham at the beginning of this month.

Now, only Chelsea and Manchester City are left to play.

In fact, there was no general concept of big6 in the Premier League during this period. This was Maher’s own impression.

Now, the big4 is more popular, and Tottenham and Manchester City are not included.

Let’s not talk about Tottenham for now. Manchester City has actually become stronger and stronger in recent years. They often break into the top four of the standings.

“This year.”

Maher remembered that this was the year when Aguero scored the winning goal against Queen's Park on 9320//, right?

It was the year that Manchester United lost the championship due to goal difference and never recovered. Sir Alex Ferguson was subsequently "driven away" by the Manchester United management, and a legendary generation came to an end.

"But Queen's Park didn't make it to the Premier League." He smiled again, thinking of the good things he had done last season, and murmured, "It seems that there will be another classic scene missing in football."

He didn't feel any regrets, he would make up for what he had lost.

I hope that this year English football belongs to Arsenal and him.

On October 10, after the afternoon training, Maher received a call from Mendes. The valuation of the Football Record newspaper had come out and he had sent someone to negotiate it online.

The final acquisition price was 1.2 pounds per share, which was a good deal.

Although the newspaper owner Peter said at the time that he would not accept any offer below 180 million pounds, he must have understood that valuation is just valuation and it would have to be calculated separately when it comes to acquisition.

When Maher joined, he brought not only money, but also his star effect and various resources.

That evening, Maher once again came to the newspaper office in the suburbs of London and entered the office to sign the final contract with Bidde.

"You didn't tell me."

Peter came up and enthusiastically grabbed Maher's hand, sighing: "You still own shares of ins and are one of the major shareholders of this company.

"If you had told me at the time, I would not have been so forceful in setting the flag."

"Haha." Mael sat opposite him, and the red-haired reporter Emilia quickly walked in with a teacup and poured him a cup of tea.

He exchanged a few pleasantries with Peter and then got down to business, "Now that you know what I can bring, do you have any plans for future development?"

"some."

Peter took out a form. He had already prepared it. "We hope to get press passes for some important Premier League and Champions League matches, and have the opportunity to interview at some important occasions.
"I have to admit that sometimes we can't get first-hand resources and information, and we are always a long way behind."

"I'll try my best." Maher nodded. It shouldn't be difficult for him to handle these things. Arsenal now attaches great importance to him, and the French team may be the same.

He hopes to take over not just a part of it, but all of it, as this is the basic channel resource that the newspaper wants to develop.

Having something doesn’t mean it will develop well, but if you don’t have it then it will be useless.

Peter looked at how straightforwardly Maher agreed, and his face brightened up again. "I don't know if this request is a bit excessive, but we also hope that Instagram can provide some traffic support to help our media account quickly gain popularity.

"I have to say, I'm also an Instagram user, and I think it's going to go viral right away, and this is our opportunity."

“Haha.” Maher smiled and shook his head, saying, “How can it be too much? Both companies are my companies, and I have already thought about exchanging resources.

"Instagram will definitely agree. They already owe me a lot, don't worry."

"Okay!" Peter clapped his hands and said the last point, "Also, I hope you can open a column and write about the interesting things in the club when you have time, or upload some training videos, etc.

"It won't take too much time, and it might work wonders. Fans who like you will come to watch, and over time, it will form a habit and they will also pay attention to us."

"No problem." Maher nodded in agreement. This was very easy for him.

When training, just find a college student from a nearby university who can take pictures. It will cost about 300 pounds a week and it won’t affect him at all.

Peter then went on to talk about some details. He was beaming with excitement and seemed to have a very clear plan for the future. He was very enthusiastic.

"If I can give you all of the above help, and even more, how do you think the newspaper society will develop?"

Before signing the contract, Maher asked him this question very seriously, "One more thing, I will most likely be able to include Football Records in next year's European Cup, so that you can enjoy all the popularity.

"Even what happened in the French team, as long as it does not affect harmony and does not hurt others, I will tell you."

Peter's breathing became a little faster. The attention paid to the European Cup was greater than that of the Olympic Games held at the same time.

It would be unimaginable if one media outlet could take up all the heat here!

His eyes swiveled around, and he said in a trembling voice, "Within one year, I am sure that the current turnover can be turned into our profit, or even more."

"it is good."

Maher was not too surprised. He expected more, but neither he nor Peter were the type to keep their word.

Even if you have more distant goals in mind, what you say is only part of it.

They then completed the signing in the office, and Maher officially acquired 93.6% of the shares of "Football Record" for 78 pounds, becoming the actual controller of this media newspaper!

There is no special emphasis on the rest, they are just some customary terms. Dividends are paid once a quarter, 80% of the profits each time, and the remaining 20% ​​is used as a development fund.

"Pleasant to work with."

Maher and Peter shook hands vigorously, both expecting this to be a successful collaboration, and they even posed for a few official photos together in stiff poses.

Afterwards, every employee came in, shook hands and hugged Mahel, and took a few photos with him.

When it was Emilia's turn, she smiled again, showing her two rows of braces. "The interviewer has become the boss? You seem even more distant to me now. I have only one question: will you still accept my interview?"

"Yes."

Maher was still in a good mood and agreed generously: "But it will have to be later. The schedule is too tight recently."

"That's good." Emilia looked at him and smiled, "Then let's set another goal? You can't just make an appointment casually, you must come."

"How many?"

"15 goals in the Premier League."

"Okay."

Maher smiled and shook her hand, "Then I really hope to sit here and be interviewed by you soon.

"Work hard, don't let it be like the Sky Sports incident again, haha."

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(End of this chapter)