Becoming a football god from Arsenal

Chapter 84: Signing a new contract! Returning home in glory! First meeting with Wenger! [15]

In front of the Colney training base, the players who have been promoted to the Arsenal U18 team are waiting here.

Not only them, but some players from lower-level youth teams also mixed in with them, their eyes full of expectation, completely different from when they had seen the two off.

"coming."

Hans saw a business car approaching and adjusted his tie at the lapel. He appeared here in the best condition again today and even brought his wife with him.

"Not this one."

His wife stood beside him, somewhat skeptical. She had been dragged out by her husband today and had even taken half a day off.

“They probably don’t have a driver’s license.”

Hans explained, worried that his wife would look down on Maher and Gilbert, and added: "If she did, she would definitely come back in a luxury car."

Even though he is the head coach of Arsenal U18, he usually trains with the first team at the same base.

But to be honest, the youth training coaches of top teams are often not as good as the first-team players of top teams. Not only in terms of salary and popularity, but there is also a big gap in status.

It was difficult for him to get to know the first-team players, and he even brought his wife along to show off his power. Most of the stars would just nod in response to him.

"team leader!"

"Come down, come down!"

"team leader."

In front of the business car, Gilbert got off first, and the Arsenal U18 players quickly became excited.

However, some people could still shout "Captain", while others were in mixed emotions and could no longer shout.

Gilbert, who had 6 goals and 3 assists in the Championship that season and was about to break 10 goals, had a gap with them that was more than just the gap between a player and a captain.

"Hello you all."

After Gilbert got off the car, he held his head high and greeted everyone. He smiled brightly and said, "I haven't seen you for half a year. Did you miss me?"

However, most people just smiled at him, and even those who used to have a good relationship with him found it difficult to have the confidence to answer him.

In the eyes of Arsenal players, Gilbert now has a different temperament, which is the calm aura honed by countless fierce professional games and the confidence nurtured by his millions of pounds worth.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Hans walked forward with mixed feelings. He had only been with Mahel for 6 months, but with Gilbert for 5 years.

He came up and patted Gilbert on the shoulder, sighing, "You've changed a lot. You're stronger than you look on TV. You must have practiced with Maerjia a lot, right?"

"Ah."

When Gilbert saw his old coach, he walked up to him with deep emotion and took the initiative to hug him. Both of them patted each other's backs.

At this time, Maher and Jolson got out of the car together and closed the door.

"Mael"

"The long-range shot king of the Championship, I came here just to see him!"

"I heard that after he came back and signed a new contract, his weekly salary is almost the same as some of the first-team players."

"Supernova, some say he is the new Henry, much better than Gilbert."

"That's him. Let's take a photo with him later!"

Suddenly, a noise broke out in front of the base gate. It was made by younger children who did not know Mael.

The Arsenal U18 members who knew Maher were in even more complicated emotions than before.

They watched Maher and Gilbert play every week and agreed long ago that it was a pride to be teammates with such players and it was an honor for us.

Before leaving, they had expressed encouragement and congratulations to Maher and did not look down on or ignore him at all.

Logically, they should treat Mahel at least as they had just treated Gilbert.

But no, although most of them were breathing rapidly and looking around and looking at people, no one spoke.

What a huge change in identity!
If we say that Gilbert has widened the gap with them over the past six months, making them feel that they are far behind him.

Maher was like a rocket launched into space and then came to them, making them feel as insignificant as a firefly in front of the bright moonlight.

"Long time no see, brothers."

Maher greeted them and looked for Ian, but found that he was no longer in the team.

Someone from the U18 team just smiled and waved at him, then put their hands on their heads awkwardly, as if they were touching their heads. The scene was a bit awkward for a while.

"Mael, can we take a picture together?"

"I got a pen and paper, please sign for me!"

"Me too!"

Fortunately, the young players came out to help, surrounded Maher, and made a lot of noise, which livened up the situation.

Maher enjoyed being surrounded by kids. He had experienced that before when he was at Sheffield United, but not the feeling of returning home in glory like today.

He agreed to their requests one by one, without missing a single one.

When it was over, Hans came to his side, smiling with excitement.

He had been looking forward to this day for a long time, and finally he could meet Maher.

"This is my wife."

As if he didn't know how to start, he pointed at the woman next to him and introduced her to him, then brought the topic back to the topic: "If you play for the first team in the future, I will bring her to watch your games every week."

"What an honor."

Maher said something polite, shook hands with the woman next to him who seemed a little embarrassed, and then hugged Hans.

Seeing Hans didn't say anything, he took the initiative to ask: "Where's Ian? I didn't see him. Did he leave?"

"Yes."

Hans nodded, looking at Maher who already had the aura of a star player, knowing that their identities and status had been reversed, and even their relationship would never return to what it was before.

He could only follow Maher's words and try to chat a few more sentences, "After you left, he changed, especially after you scored in the Championship League, his personality changed a lot, he became taciturn and strict with himself.

"My match form gradually improved. Although I was not selected by Mr. Wenger for the first team, I was soon signed by a League One team.

"I have also been following him and he has made nine appearances this season."

"Things and people have really changed." Maher was also quite emotional. This should be regarded as the butterfly effect after his arrival.

"Are those sneakers still there?" He looked at Hans and mentioned this with a smile.

"Here I am."

Hans smiled and took a bag from his wife. "I brought it today. I want you to sign it and keep it at home as a souvenir."

Maher took out his sneakers from the bag and couldn't help but think of the first time he practiced long-range shooting. He saw a pen in the bag, which must have been prepared long ago. He picked it up and signed his name, "I was thinking of asking you to come."

"Do not."

Hans shook his head and smiled, "I don't want to give it to you. Even if I did, it was definitely not my intention."

"Hahaha."

After signing his name, Maher laughed twice, and then added a sentence "Represents a new beginning" on the shoes, indicating that the shoes represent the beginning of his career.

Hans will never forget his old friendship. When people are at their lowest point, they always remember those who helped them in times of need.

He will repay Hans in the future and cannot lose their friendship.

When Hans saw the letter, he trembled all over, quickly put it away, and said excitedly: "Mr. Wenger is waiting for you in the media room, go quickly."

Maher nodded and went to the media room first, while Gilbert stayed there for a while. He was no longer a young boy and knew that many things could no longer be done together as before.

In the media room, a dozen cameras were set up at the back and the preliminary filming had already begun.

Wenger was sitting in the main seat. When he realized that the filming might disturb his private conversation with the players, he stood up and said, "I'll go out and wait. Everyone wait a moment. They should be here soon."

He walked all the way to the door of the administrative building and stood there waiting.

"Mr. Wenger."

The girl at the front desk immediately brought him a stool, fearing that he would stand there too long.

"Need not."

Wenger waved his hand to refuse, nodded and thanked him, then paced back and forth with his arms folded.

Soon, he saw a figure walking towards him from a distance. As he was not wearing glasses and was severely myopic, he could not be sure, but his heart beat faster.

His intuition told him that this was Mahel, and judging from his body shape, it was also true.

Maher finally saw the legendary coach up close. He was wearing a conspicuous red tie and doing the gesture he often did. The suit he wore looked a little thin in this season.

He is very tall and gives people a sense of elegance, but he does not make people feel weak. He seems to be a man who has experienced countless storms.

He is indeed like that.

"Sir, you should wear more clothes."

Maher walked up the steps of the administrative building, came up to him, shook hands and hugged him.

"Big day."

Wenger smiled, unable to hide his admiration for Maher. "It's okay to be cold for a while. There are cotton coats in the office."

"Mendes can't come."

Maher explained to him that he learned the news two days ago, "His uncle passed away, and unfortunately, the funeral happened to be today."

Wenger made a regretful expression and said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "I should be happy that he is not coming, but I still mourn for his uncle."

He led Maher to the media room, walking slowly along the way, as if he wanted to chat more privately: “I have been paying attention to you since your first appearance, until now.

"At first, I would just look at the scouts' reports on your games, then I would watch the scouts' edited videos, and now I almost always take the time to watch your entire games.

"My wife knows this, but of course I won't bring her to the club to clarify this with you."

"Hahaha" Maher and Wenger smiled together. They had a good feeling when they first met. It might be because he already had a filter for the old coach in his heart.

"Used to it in Sheffield?"

Wenger looked at him and didn't want to talk only about football today. "I mean, in terms of life, do you have a girlfriend?"

"not bad."

Maher nodded first, then smiled and shook his head: "I haven't found a girlfriend yet. I'm very busy and don't have many social activities."

"That's no hurry."

Wenger raised his eyebrows and gave his own comment on the matter, "The girls in London are better. I have been here for more than ten years and I can confirm that they are the most enthusiastic girls in the UK."

"Sir, you are very experienced." Maher took note of this and jokingly spoke in a cryptic manner.

"I am a loyal person."

Wenger was not in a hurry to prove himself, and said calmly: "Whether it is for the team or for the family."

Maher believed it instantly. There was no way around it. When he talked about the team and combined it with the reality, it was hard not to be convinced.

Apart from the first sentence, Wenger never said how much he valued Maher, and the latter did not express his thoughts on the club or himself.

But both of them had a feeling that they should be quite compatible with each other. They had an unspoken understanding and sometimes they could tell a lot from just a glance without having to say it all out loud.

"Please come in."

Arriving at the media room, Wenger made a gesture of invitation, Maher stepped in first, and the flash lights started flashing from that moment on.

The two men sat down, opened the two contracts on the table, pretended to look through them, then picked up the pen next to them and wrote their names in several places on the contracts.

This means it’s officially signed!
Maher breathed a sigh of relief. This was an important moment for him. He got his first lucrative contract.

From the moment he wrote his name, he has received a signing fee of 75 pounds. Next, he will receive a salary of about 5 pounds per minute, 310 pounds per hour, and 7440 pounds per day.

"We are looking forward to your arrival."

Wenger stood up from his seat, stretched out his hand to him, and smiled expectantly: "I hope that our cooperation will not only be pleasant, but also great."

This represents his highest expectation, and he does not mind saying this in front of the media because he believes in Maher's future.

"I also hope that."

Maher shook hands with him, and the two then picked up an Arsenal jersey that did not have a number on it and looked forward, leaving behind a precious commemorative image.

After walking out of the media room, the two walked all the way to the entrance of the administrative building.

"There's a league match tomorrow."

Wenger is very busy and he managed to squeeze out some time today to sign a contract. "I won't keep you here for dinner or a chat, you are still in the season.

“I believe this rush is only temporary, and after the season is over, we will have many opportunities to get to know each other.

"Keep going, your goal is clear now. If you can accomplish it, I will come to your current location to congratulate you in person."

Maher wanted to say, in a way, I know you better than you know yourself, but that was not accurate. He said confidently, "Yes, I will wait for Mr. Wenger in Sheffield."

The two men parted ways. Maher seemed to know that Mr. Wenger must still be watching him from behind, so he didn't look back and kept walking forward.

The first meeting ended like this, but he believed that the bond between the two had just begun and was far from over.

Play well this season, and come back here in a better state in the future, join hands with him to create a new football epic!

(End of this chapter)