Becoming a football god from Arsenal

Chapter 80 The best team! The surge in influence! Wenger's complexity and struggle! [25]

"Congratulations!"

Next, before conducting the interview, the media congratulated Maher and they were all happy for the young man.

"A simple question, how does it feel to win the best half-time team?" asked a reporter from the famous media "442". They will rank the best half-time and season lineups in the Championship every season.

Their ranking, as well as that of Sky Sports, are generally more accepted by fans.

Maher, who won the best player today, is almost the leader of the best lineup, so they naturally have to come here to collect some information.

Putting this aside, Maher now has a certain popularity, and publishing a report for him at this important moment would be very eye-catching.

"Um"

Maher lowered his head and thought for a moment, then answered honestly and cleverly: "A simple answer, very good."

The answer "Hahaha" caused a burst of laughter at the scene.

He shrugged. There was nothing he could do. He really couldn't find any good words to describe his mood at the moment.

Can wishes and reality overlap?
The contentment and sense of accomplishment that comes from being successful at a young age?
As if that was not enough. He had higher goals, grander ideals and aspirations.

"What does this award mean to you?" The reporter from Sky Sports quickly took up the topic. The identity given to them by the big platform made them more confident to ask questions first.

“An important milestone.”

Maher can answer this question. He smiled and said, "Continuously leaving my footprints on a road and carving important moments can make me move forward with more determination and confidence.

"I might be more optimistic about the future and believe that I can make it to the end."

"The end point?" The question was asked by a female reporter from a small publication. She smiled professionally, "I wonder if we would be lucky enough to know where you think your end point is?"

“It’s different in different periods.”

Maher gradually got into the rhythm of the interview and calmly answered their questions, "For now, it is better to play well this season, try to leave something here, and achieve more for myself.

"Isn't it clear enough? Well, the team has achieved this ranking at the halfway point.

"Then hopefully we can get into the Premier League at the end of the season, which would be a lifetime highlight, especially if it happens in your debut season.

"Personally, I look forward to winning the Player of the Season trophy, being selected into the end-of-season team, and finishing my Championship journey perfectly to move on to a higher level."

"."

“I certainly don’t think I’m bragging. In fact, there’s no basis for your words because at the halfway point, we’re already standing here with the best trophy in my hands.

"I have every reason to believe in myself. I'll just leave everything to time."

"."

“Sean Long and Graham? I do know them well, and they are two very strong competitors.

"However, I still got this honor. I am proud of my staged success. I will be in better shape in the second half to compete with them."

"."

"Yes, you can take my words as my confirmation that I will stay on the team. I am just sure."

After the interview, Maher held the football in his left hand and the best player cylinder in his right hand, thanked the reporters and left.

Many people congratulated him again, and he kept nodding to them.

After returning to the court, he handed the best player cylinder to Ava to play with, chatted with his uncle and aunt for a while, and then packed up and went home.

He is too tired today, so he needs to have a good rest and take his family out for a walk tomorrow during the holiday.

"The 17-year-old Maher won the best player in the first half of the Championship with an amazing data of 15 goals and 14 assists! Breaking the record! He is the youngest player in all levels of leagues in England to receive this honor." - BBC Championship column

"The best team of the Championship is released, with 4 players from Queen's Rangers Park, 3 players from Norwich, 2 players each from Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest, led by 17-year-old young players Maher and Sean Long!" - "442" best team

"Mael and Januhans were named the best players of the first half. Together they scored 44 goals in the first half!" - Sheffield Football News

"Want to lead Sheffield United to the Premier League? Arsenal youngster Maher made a bold statement. It is rumored that he has attracted the attention of many top clubs." - Sky Sports

"The first player in the history of the English Championship, at the age of 17, Maher has broken many 'young' records this season, such as winning the Player of the Season and having the highest value in the history of English Championship players!" - Transfermarkt official

The next day, the halfway mark came to an end.

People who often pay attention to mainstream football media have found that many media have reported news about the Championship.

As long as it is about the Championship, Maher's name will most likely appear in the headline, or at least be mentioned in the main text.

Gradually, people found that this seemed to have become a name that could not be avoided in the English professional football league.

"Who's Maёl?"

Just like when Wenger first came to the British Isles, many people asked this question on social media.

Although many people have been paying attention to Maher for a long time, after all, the majority of people are unaware of him, and more people need scientific knowledge from insiders.

"Magical genius!"

"New Ronaldo!"

"New Henry!"

"The French monster that came out of Kearney!"

“The devil who creates more than one goal per game!”

"Don't be fooled by the immaturity on his face. He is very fierce on the field. I have never seen any Championship defender pat his chest and say that he is not afraid of him at all."

What’s different from before is that after achieving the best performance in the first half, those people who didn’t dare to brag before now dare to do so.

All kinds of new words were coined, such as demon, lizardman, and monster, which were all added to Mahel, which gave a sense of mystery to people who had not seen his game.

Especially when they looked up Maher's data, they felt that this man was somewhat unfathomable, as if he had known how to play football since he was in the womb.

23 games, 15 goals, 14 assists!
Who wouldn’t be confused after watching this?
A large number of people found his account, clicked to follow, and left messages below expressing their anticipation for the day when he lands in the Premier League.

Since the player has not yet entered the top league, fans have little understanding of him and most of them will not watch his games, so the doubts at this time are relatively small.

The comments section was full of peace, as if everyone had become gardeners who cared for the flowers and plants, hoping that the children would grow up healthily. At the Kearney training base, winter had arrived, and there were few people walking outdoors.

Hans was wearing a dark black suit coat and walking on a road lined with pine trees. He was shivering from the cold and rubbing his hands constantly, but his steps were strong, as if something happy was happening.

In fact, even without any happy events happening, he has been in a good mood and his temper has become much milder in the past six months.

This is one of the rare highlight years in his life. The last time he had this feeling was when he just joined Arsenal.

The reason, naturally, is related to Mahel and Gilbert.

As a youth coach, there is no greater sense of accomplishment than watching my former students achieve great success step by step.

Especially Maher, the best player in the Championship halfway through, from obscurity to a recognized monster-level genius!

Hans's back became a little stiffer. When his wife asked him to do housework at home on weekdays, he could finally say with confidence: "Wait a minute, I'm watching Maher's game, doing some analysis, and I'll talk to him about tactics when I come back."

Come to think of it, he always felt that he and Maher had some kind of bond, connected by that pair of sneakers.

He wasn't trying to gain connections, and he didn't actually think he was that important to Maher. He just thought that Maher wouldn't forget him.

That's enough. When Maher comes back, he will definitely invite Maher to his home.

That day, he will call all his relatives and friends and show off to them!

The phone rang, and Hans put his thoughts aside and answered it: "Mr. Wenger, I'm on my way."

"Hurry up, Mendes is almost here."

The voice on the other end was filled with anxiety and sorrow. After a pause, he warned, "Do you remember what I said before? You should speak only when I ask you. If I don't ask you, don't interrupt and don't make mistakes.

"Just tell us about his time in the academy, tell it like it is, and exaggerate when necessary if it is to our advantage, you should understand."

"Remember, no problem sir."

Hans nodded. He received the news yesterday that Mr. Wenger invited him to attend the final round of negotiations between the club and Mendes.

After choosing for a long time, he finally went to the street with his wife to buy a suit coat. After all, this was an important occasion.

"If I haven't asked you, you should keep quiet and just sit by the side."

"it is good."

Hans quickened his pace, fearing that his lateness would affect the negotiation. He didn't want to go up and say a few words to show his presence.

It is quite good to see the negotiations between the top agent and the first-team coach, not to mention that it was about Maher’s contract.

Fifteen minutes later, four or five men in suits appeared in the first-team coach's office.

Even though Hans dressed up carefully, his appearance still stood out as dull in front of this group of elites with excellent temperament.

"Mr. Wenger."

Mendes took the initiative to sit on the sofa, crossed his legs and handed out cigars to everyone, "If the signing could have been done a few days ago, maybe I would have accepted the offer of 50k weekly salary and 65k signing fee, but unfortunately it was not done.

"Now, my player has probably appreciated, it's a known fact, he won the Player of the Year award two days ago."

He lit the cigar, took a closer sniff, and smiled, “What an amazing achievement, at only 17 years old. You are a man with a discerning eye for talent, I have said this many times, and I am sure you will not be stingy in this situation.

"From the club's perspective, the most important thing right now is of course to maintain a good relationship with the player, and of course with his agent."

He took the initiative and expressed his own views. "After all, he can be trained as a future core. Even if you say that he can replace Fabregas, I will not be surprised at all."

Wenger sat with Philip, also with his legs crossed, listening quietly to Mendes.

Due to their professional relationship, he certainly doesn't like people like Mendes, and may even dislike them.

He didn't want to discuss this topic again when the other party had said a lot, that would be very passive, so he changed the topic and said, "We'll talk about this later. Let's first talk about whether the players will return to the team in the winter transfer window."

He has not had a good time recently, as his team was equalized in stoppage time by the Premier League underdog Wigan Athletic, losing 2 points.

In this situation, it is easy to have complicated emotions when watching the loaned players winning honors one after another in the lower-level league and making great progress.

Similarly, it is easy to develop an extreme desire for a player, wanting to call him back for training and keep him by your side.

"We've talked about this."

Mendes saw Wenger was trying to change the subject, but he was not in a hurry: "If Arsenal can guarantee 50% of the playing time, I will find a way to persuade the players.

"I don't think this is an excessive request. Remember many years ago? Why did Cristiano go to Manchester United? In addition to the price, it was mainly because Sir Alex Ferguson promised him."

He opened up the scars in Wenger's heart, causing Wenger's emotions to fluctuate violently. He interrupted and said, "Don't mention the past anymore."

Mendes waved his hands to indicate that he had no other intentions, then leaned forward to remove the bullet ash, "Cristiano didn't sacrifice anything, and he was promised 50% of the playing time, while Maher will sacrifice a lot."

Wenger's hand hidden in his left pocket clenched slowly. If he was with another club, he would be willing to do it 5% of the time, not to mention 7%.

But he happens to be leading Arsenal, and the top four position in the league is crucial for them.

If a club fails to enter the Champions League in a season, fails to accumulate Champions League points, and fails to receive generous dividend rewards, it will be deeply in debt.

He was in a very complicated mood. The more optimistic he was about Maher, the more he wanted to keep the club stable. Only in this way could it be attractive enough to players in the future and create a good training environment.

The more he wants the stability of the club, the more he cannot rashly recall players and promise them 5% of their playing time.

An endless loop!
Wenger frowned, just like the expression he often showed, but no one knew what kind of struggle he was facing in his heart at this moment. He always bore tremendous pressure to make choices.

"The club will give up on recalling him."

After a long while, he made a decision, took a deep puff of cigarette and smiled with relief: "We will continue to pay attention to him and look forward to his achievements in Sheffield United and his return to Arsenal in a better state.

“I hope that when we meet after the season, we can both become better and have a wonderful cooperation.”

He still played it safe, but this time, he hoped not to miss out with regret like before.

“We agree on that.”

Mendes smiled and extended his hand to him. After shaking hands, his expression became serious. Next, it was time to talk about the important part.

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(End of this chapter)