"Premier League Standings: 1st - Arsenal, 16 wins, 3 draws, 51 points! 2nd - Manchester United, 14 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss, 46 points! 3rd - Manchester City, 14 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses, 45 points!"
"Manchester United suffer a huge upset in the 19th round of the league! They lost two to three against Blackburn Rovers, further widening the gap with Arsenal! Ferguson was furious after the match!" – Manchester Evening News
"Both stumble? Manchester City lost zero to one against Sunderland in the last match of the first half! The point difference with league leader Arsenal has reached 6 points!" – London Evening Standard
"If the winter transfer window brings effective reinforcements and they continue to maintain such a hot streak in the second half, Arsenal has a chance to end the Premier League title race within 36 rounds!" – Football Record
"The closest moment to the Premier League title in 7 years! Arsenal fans in London set off fireworks in the streets on New Year's Eve, celebrating the team's unbeaten first half of the Premier League season!" – The Guardian (UK)
The next day, as time entered January 1st, stepping into the new year, the hot topics in English Football World were almost all related to Arsenal.
Unbeaten in the first half of the season!
This was a remarkable achievement, and the ratio of wins to draws was also very impressive, totaling 51 points! Unprecedented!
"The powerful attack is the foundation for this team's achievements. The five-to-five battle with Manchester United illustrates this well. If you can score five on me, I can score five on you!"
"The hot form of Van Persie and Maël is also the reason for their unbeaten first half of the season. Although they didn't produce too many Van-Mael Connection plays, the two combined for a staggering 40 goals in 19 rounds!"
"This is the highest first-half score in Premier League history. Arsenal has raised the competitiveness of the Premier League this year!"
"Yes, in previous years, which team had more than 50 points in the first half of the season? And if Manchester United hadn't lost a game at the last moment, there would have been two unbeaten teams this season."
"Manchester duo are strong (smirking)!"
"The winter transfer window has opened, let me suggest Arsenal's signings. First of all, Gibbs at the left-back position needs to be adjusted, it's a weak point. Secondly, in the midfield position, I think defense needs to be strengthened."
"Kyle Walker? Henderson?"
"These two are difficult."
While most neutral fans were sending praise to the team, some Arsenal fans showed a completely different attitude.
They slightly nervously put away their sharpness, not daring to praise the players too much online.
This was a habit brought about by many years of 'selling captains'. The better the team's players performed, the more flustered they became.
Sure enough, on January 2nd, the second day of the winter transfer window opening, several players in the team had transfer rumors with other teams.
"Several players in the team have only 1 year left on their contracts at the end of the season, including key players such as Van Persie, Alexandre Song, and Walcott. Arsenal plans to start a wave of contract renewals." – Football Record
"Manchester United turns to pursue Van Persie? After the pursuit of Maël has been delayed, Ferguson seems to have set his sights on the Netherlands striker!" – 442
"Real Madrid plans to offer £40 million for Maël as the first round of attempts. Mourinho may use his relationship with Mendes to lobby Maël! It is rumored that the Old Man has prepared at least £60 million for this deal!" – AS
"Barcelona contacts Alexandre Song? Does Guardiola's team still want to sign a midfielder? An incredible transfer rumor!" – Marca
Seeing these messages, the reactions of Arsenal fans were polarized. Some became more silent, and some angrily spoke out.
"£60 million to buy Maël? Why not £80 million? Why not £100 million? If you have money, buy him for £200 million."
"Alexandre Song to Barcelona? Manchester United offer for Van Persie? Hard to understand, want to poach our captain again?"
"51 points in the first half of the season, the hope of winning the championship is very high, who would leave at this time?"
"Is this bullying? Whenever this happens, I want to whip Kroenke and Usmanov!"
"What is Wenger doing? Is he so focused on financial balance?"
"…"
For several consecutive seasons, Arsenal had performed poorly in the transfer window, which made the team's fans extremely fragile, and they would react immediately to the slightest disturbance.
But no matter how loud their voices were, in the end, only the Arsenal decision-makers could influence the whole thing.
January 2nd, meeting room.
Wenger and a group of assistant coaches and club staff were either standing or sitting, all gathered around a tactical board, on which were all the players in the team for each position.
"Arshavin's transfer negotiations with Zenit have reached the final stage. They are willing to buy back the player for 14 million euros."
Wenger crossed out Arshavin's name from the squad. He observed other positions for a while, and finally focused on Chamakh.
The Moroccan striker scored 11 goals and 8 assists in all competitions last season, close to a double-double of excellent results.
But this season, with the arrival of Maël and the explosion of Van Persie, he has almost lost the opportunity to be a substitute and rotate. If he could help Arsenal exchange for a rich transfer fee, Wenger would be willing to sell him.
"Knock, knock!" Wenger tapped Chamakh with the tip of his pen and asked, "Are there any offers for him?"
He was wearing glasses today, standing in front of the tactical board with extreme seriousness, really resembling a university professor.
"We do."
A staff member brought a list and said, "West Ham United and Crystal Palace are both interested in the player, but their offers are around 6 million euros."
"No." Wenger shook his head, thought for a moment, and said, "Try to negotiate for more than 8 million euros, keep in touch with them, and if necessary, I will talk to the opposing coach."
After saying this, he didn't consider selling players anymore. The current bench depth was already average. If he sold more players, he would face a shortage of troops.
The next topic should be the purchase of players and contract renewals.
"Kyle Walker."
Soon someone brought up this name. This kind of strong, defensive full-back is what Arsenal needs most now.
If he could be bought to replace Gibbs, Arsenal's back four would have no weaknesses.
Coupled with Arteta and Alexandre Song, this defensive combination of six would be very solid.
"The player's current Transfermarkt value is 24 million euros, but at the age of 21, and with 3 years left on his contract with Tottenham, buying him might require preparing 35 million euros."
An analyst gave a budget, and finally raised his eyebrows and said, "Moreover, Tottenham is our arch-rival after all. Their players joining Arsenal will face great public opinion and moral pressure."
"The management may release him for profit, but whether the player wants to come is another question... We can try, after all, we have a chance to win the championship this season."
Wenger listened to his analysis and nodded slightly, "Then let's try our best to buy him first. If we can get him, we won't need any other signings in the winter window. If not, we'll discuss it again."
He suddenly thought of something and immediately added, "Isn't Kyle Walker Maël's teammate at Sheffield United? What do you think, would it be hopeful to have Maël assist in the persuasion?"
"I think so." Philip followed closely with a nod, "If they were just ordinary teammates who had worked together, the hope of persuasion might not be great."
"But they won the EFL Championship together, broke records together, and completed important achievements... Kyle Walker also knows deeply the changes and help that Maël brings to a team, which will increase the success rate of persuasion."
"Then ask Maël to help at that time." Wenger made a decision, and then thought about the contract renewal issues of several key players in the team.
"I don't think Van Persie and Alexandre Song will have a strong desire to renew their contracts."
Someone made a guess, shrugging his shoulders and saying, "They don't lack buyers, they can completely play this season with the team and see how it goes, and make a decision when there is only 1 year left on the contract at the end of the season."
"At that time, whether to start contract renewal negotiations or stay for another year and leave as a free agent, they will have more chips and choices."
"How can there be such a good thing?"
Philip's face was not very good, and he said coldly, "Why not tell them clearly, either choose to renew the contract now, and we will offer the most generous contract to express our sincerity."
"Or directly put them on the market in the winter window and wait to negotiate personal contracts with other teams, and don't even think about the championship this season."
If it had been before, he would not have dared to propose this suggestion to put pressure on the players.
But the team's record in the new season, and Maël's fiery state, supported the coaching staff's backbone, giving them the courage to do so.
"Don't be impulsive."
"Don't play that game."
Someone denied it, while Wenger leaned against the table, pinching his chin and thinking for a while, "Talk to them, we can give them some pressure."
"But the focus is to make them understand that we have the best opportunity this season, and we hope they will actively renew their contracts to maintain the stability of the team."
"Otherwise, the team will inevitably be in a state of panic in the second half of the season, and if the momentum in all aspects takes a sharp turn for the worse, it will not be good for anyone."
After saying this, everyone unanimously focused their attention on Maël. In the previous conversation, they had repeatedly felt how important this player was to them.
He can not only help the team on the field, but also off the field.
"I estimate that we will soon receive offers for him. Mendes has been maneuvering between us and other clubs."
Wenger expressed his opinion, with a slight smile on his lips, "He may understand that the player does not want to leave Arsenal for the time being, but he will not tell other clubs this. He will suggest that they try to make an offer."
"And then use these offers to put pressure on Arsenal, forcing us to give the player a better salary contract."
Everyone else was silent. This approach was certainly unfavorable to Arsenal Football Club, but from Mendes's point of view, from Maël's point of view, he did it perfectly.
The whole process will not affect the relationship between the player and the club, letting himself be the bad guy, and then perfectly completing his work.
"A salary increase is certain, as for how much to increase, let's not discuss it for the time being."
Seeing that the others were not speaking, Wenger continued to express his thoughts, "I heard that the player has acquired a newspaper and wants to cooperate with Arsenal's official website to do a column program, but it lacks the team's portrait rights and various copyrights.
"We can give this to him, but we'll use it as a bargaining chip to get concessions from Mendes."
The others remained silent, simply nodding in agreement. It was indeed the best solution.
...
On January 3rd, the day before the second half of the league season began, Maël called upon Alexandre Song, who had some free time, to help him practice his heading.
"Bang, bang... Bang!"
Song continuously sent him long passes, high balls with arc, sometimes aiming for the same spot, sometimes giving him a lead, and sometimes passing behind him, to practice heading while retreating.
His passing technique was quite good, finding the precise spot each time.
After practicing for over an hour, his Heading skill leveled up from lv2 to lv3. Maël clearly felt that he could now accurately judge the timing of his jump in various situations.
[Skill: Heading Power lv3]
[Proficiency: (1/800)]
[Effect: After learning to judge the landing point and the timing of the jump, you begin to improve your power when heading, striving to produce higher quality headers!]
"Phew," Maël exhaled, another skill leveled up. This feeling of slowly strengthening his weaknesses was also quite good.
Alexandre Song walked over from a distance, his nose and chin slightly sweaty.
He looked at Maël with clear eyes, a hint of admiration in his expression. "So this is how you train. It's really boring. It's hard to imagine practicing the same skill for so long."
"Actually, everyone has weaknesses. Like me, my technique and tackling ability are pretty good, but my focus is average. No matter how I try to improve it, it's all in vain."
Maël nodded, acknowledging his point, but he could have no weaknesses. "Boring? Why didn't you tell me earlier? We could have chosen some more interesting training exercises."
"Still, thank you for coming today. I'm not even paying you, haha."
"It's very boring," Alexandre Song nodded, truthfully. "I just wanted to take this opportunity to see how you train, to steal a few tricks to practice myself, so I kept at it."
"But after practicing until now, I've realized that I can't endure this kind of training."
Maël smiled and didn't continue the topic, looking at Alexandre Song and saying, "There are many ways to improve, some of them are fun. You just have to find them."
Song lowered his eyelids, not quite agreeing. "Those methods are only suitable for kids. For professional players like us, if we want fun, the improvement will definitely be better than nothing."
"If the improvement is too slow, then there's no point in me practicing. It doesn't meet my expectations."
Maël took out a soda from his backpack and gave him one. They sat on the sidelines, drinking water and chatting.
"Do you know why I still want to improve myself?" Song took a sip of water, glanced at Maël, and hesitated before saying, "My salary is too low. I can barely support my family."
Maël paused in the act of twisting the bottle cap. He remembered Alexandre Song's four hundred-plus relatives and couldn't help but say, "Those people, many of them aren't even your direct relatives. Can't you cut them off?"
"It's perfectly fine to be good to your family, but some people are vampires. They don't do anything and just rely on you to support them."
Alexandre Song shook his head, biting his lip. "I can't cut them off. That's the custom there. If you become successful, you have to support your clan."
"Have you ever thought about what would happen to them if you stopped making money?"
"Go back to work?"
"Haha... No, they'll empty your house, sell your car, and squeeze out every last bit of value from you."
Alexandre Song was silent. He wasn't stupid. He could understand some things, but he was unwilling to believe or accept them.
He lowered his head and complained to Maël, "Do you know that besides those mansions and cars in my hometown, I have almost no money left?"
"In the beginning, I used one-third of all my income to support them. Later, my salary increased, and their demands also increased. Now, I have to spend two-thirds of my salary."
"And as their demands get higher and higher, I can no longer afford it."
Maël didn't know what to say to him. Some deeply ingrained ideas were hard to change.
He wanted to tell Song the story of 'give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,' but he didn't know how to translate it, so he could only change his approach. "If I were you, I would open a football school, build the best facilities, and hire the best coaches."
"If people in the clan envy me for becoming successful, earning a lot of money, and changing my destiny, then they can send their children to play football and change their lives with their own feet."
Alexandre Song's expression flickered, and he kept this in mind, but having reached this point, it would be difficult to change.
"Let's go for a run."
Maël called out to Alexandre Song, smiling. "Running can help you forget some worries. Let's just run 5 miles. There's a game tomorrow."
He started running. His Stamina lv3 was only a little bit away from leveling up, and he wanted to improve that as well.
Song followed behind him, stepping forward with a heavy expression, seemingly wanting to forget his troubles by running.
After running a little over 4 miles, Maël's muscles suddenly began to ache all over, and a special gas seemed to invade his body, washing over his lungs, making him want to cough.
"Cough cough...!"
Maël stopped, coughing violently and sneezing a few times.
However, he didn't feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, a sense of joy arose. He knew his Stamina had reached lv4! The 4th lv4 physical skill! A veritable Body Monster!
[Skill: Iron Lungs lv4]
[Proficiency: (1/5000)]
[Effect: You believe you can create more opportunities by running, improve defensive ability on the same side, you start running constantly, running constantly, gradually running towards the top, Muscle Endurance and lung capacity are close to the limit of human standards!]
Running constantly, running constantly... Maël chuckled, feeling the discomfort in his body dissipate a little.
This description, for him, wasn't just about training his physical strength, but something he had been doing ever since he obtained the Proficiency Panel! Constantly running, constantly moving forward, gradually approaching the top, approaching the limit of human standards!
Grinding his way to becoming a God of Football!
His goal was clear. After his body recovered a bit, he started sprinting again, quickly catching up with Alexandre Song, who had overtaken him.
"Run! Forrest! Run!"
Occasionally, the line from the classic movie Forrest Gump would appear in his mind, reminding him of the simpleton Forrest Gump, who broke through all restraints step by step and ran out a new life.
Wasn't he the same?
After finishing their run, Maël and Alexandre Song looked at the sweat on each other's faces, revealing joyful smiles.
"'Awesome!' [T/N: roughly translates to 'Awesome!']"
The two shouted together, high-fived each other, and then went to the sidelines to stretch and relax together.
Maël took the opportunity to glance at the Proficiency Panel, finding that it was now full of new skills.
[Skill: Sprint lv4]
[Proficiency: (129/5000)]
[Skill: Brutal Shot lv4]
[Proficiency: (393/2000)]
[Skill: Header Power lv3]
[Proficiency: (1/800)]
[Skill: Fancy Dribbling lv2]
[Proficiency: (541/800)]
[Additional Skill: Fancy Skills lv1]
[Proficiency: (338/1500)]
"Keep moving forward!" He clenched his fist secretly. He encouraged himself like this every time, and every time he could achieve the results he wanted.
January 4th, the first battle of the second half of the season arrived, with Arsenal traveling to the away game to challenge Fulham.
They had 6 games on their schedule this month, but potentially 7.
If they won their FA Cup third-round match against Leeds United on January 9th, they would also face an FA Cup fourth-round match at the end of the month.
In addition, they had 3 Premier League games, the first and second legs of the EFL Cup semi-finals, all of which were extremely important.
"Did you hear? Henry seems to be coming back on loan for 2 months to train with us."
While entering the field, Van Persie said from behind Maël: "He transferred from Barcelona to the New York Red Bulls in the MLS and is preparing to retire there."
"An MLS season lasts a whole year, starting in late February and running until late November."
"The player said he wanted to come and train with the team to maintain his form and also provide a supplement to the team's rotation lineup for these first 2 months."
The Great is coming back? Maël searched his memory, seeming to remember that Henry had indeed returned for a period at the end of his career. He smiled and said, "He must be homesick, wanting to come back and see the place where he fought for many years before retiring."
"I think so too." Van Persie smiled. "I still remember the days when I partnered with him, a very beautiful time... But now that he's back, he can only be your substitute. He's old."
Maël didn't speak, stepping onto the field. From the bottom of his heart, he was quite looking forward to Henry's return.
Such a superstar, an Arsenal legend, coming to the club at the end of his career to complete the changing of the guard at the striker position with himself, would definitely be a good thing.
"Bip!"
The match then kicked off, with Fulham deploying a 442 diamond midfield formation, playing with considerable effort.
Maël gained significant room to maneuver in this match. The opponent's back line defense was somewhat loose, and the single defensive midfielder configuration couldn't provide much help to the full-backs and center-backs.
Often, when he got the ball, he could create a significant threat. After his Stamina reached lv4, he also began to try running back more to relieve pressure on Gibbs, while also creating more sprinting space for himself.
In the 19th minute, he powerfully broke past Kelly on the wing, shook off Riise who came to cover, and sent in a cross.
"Pa!"
Their goalkeeper Stockdale touched the ball in the middle, and the ball rolled back into the penalty area, where it was cleared out of bounds by the Fulham defensive midfielder.
Corner kick.
"Peng!"
Ramsey then took the corner kick, and the ball flew towards the center with extremely high speed.
Maël stood near the penalty spot this time, judging whether to go forward for a header or retreat for a long shot based on the trajectory of the ball.
Seeing that there was a teammate at the ball's landing point, he took a few steps back.
"Peng!" As a result, Koscielny headed the ball into a perfect corner, the ball heavily impacting the dead corner of the opponent's net, causing a burst of excitement among the Arsenal fans.
One to zero!
"Oh!" The Arsenal players laughed and rushed to the sidelines to celebrate. Maël sprinted up, leaped, and jumped onto Koscielny's back.
He couldn't properly celebrate in the last game, so it was time to let loose in this game.
However, the subsequent course of the match was indeed somewhat unexpected. In the 35th minute, Arsenal's rotated center-back Djourou received a yellow card.
Just 6 minutes later, he received his second yellow card and was sent off, digging a big hole for the team.
Mr. Wenger stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, wondering if he should sell Djourou as well. He had given this young man many opportunities, but his growth rate was too slow, making it difficult for him to carry the flag.
Vermaelen came on, Walcott was substituted off, and Maël's position was forced back to the center. They switched to a 432 formation.
Fulham gradually began to exert their strength, taking advantage of the chaos in Arsenal's midfield and defense to launch a fierce offensive.
"Peng!"
In the 63rd minute of the second half, Sidwell's curler from outside the penalty area caused Szczęsny to fumble, and Senderos, following up, pushed the ball into the net with a shot, tying the score.
"Yeah!" The home fans cheered. Senderos was full of fighting spirit. After scoring, he didn't even celebrate, running to the goal to grab the ball and heading towards the center circle.
They were vowing to break Arsenal's unbeaten record and leave their names in history!
In the 71st minute, Maël intercepted Sidwell's ball in a tracking back, turned around, and began to sprint and break through, launching an attack on the opponent's defense.
After Djourou was sent off, Arsenal's attacking threat in the frontcourt was not greatly affected. Both he and Van Persie were the kind of players who could take on multiple opponents, and it wasn't impossible for the two of them to break through a defense of three or four players.
But most importantly, his departure stirred up the fighting spirit of the Fulham players and disrupted Arsenal's midfield and defense, which was very troublesome.
"Peng peng peng!"
Maël tried to break through the opponent's midfield defense, but seeing that passing to the side was easier, he kicked the ball to Sagna, who was coming up from behind, and then rushed directly past the opponent's midfield line.
Sagna dribbled the ball all the way to the baseline and sent in a cross towards the middle.
The ball fell at the back post, at about the same height as the top of the head of the opponent's right-back Kelly.
"Peng!"
Maël had already entered the penalty area at this time. He hesitated slightly as he watched the incoming ball, then leaped up and used a side volley close to a bicycle kick to kick the ball towards the net.
Sweeping with unstoppable momentum, the ball was firmly nailed into the upper corner of the far corner of the goal, leaving goalkeeper Stockdale helpless.
"Oh!!"
Maël was finally able to release himself properly in this game. He clenched his fists and stood up, listening to the wonderful cheers as he ran to the sidelines, put his hands on the ground and did a cartwheel first, then swung his body and did a somersault.
"Vamos!!"
Landing the somersault, he excitedly waved his right fist at the stunned Fulham fans in the stands, then turned around and hugged the players who came up to him.
"Unbelievable!"
Van Persie looked astonished. This was the second time he'd seen Maël score a goal in his style. "Don't even mention Henry in his twilight years. Even if he were at his peak, you wouldn't necessarily be relegated to the bench, would you?"
"23 goals," Arteta said with the same expression. "That's almost more goals than I scored in six years at Everton!"
After Maël hugged them both, he clenched his fists and pumped his arms a few times, shaking off his emotions. It was like he was making up for the celebrations he missed for the first two goals.
The Fulham fans watched him speechlessly, seemingly not understanding why he was making such a show after scoring.
After this goal, Fulham intensified their attack again by making substitutions, trying to take advantage of having one more player to equalize or even take the lead. The pressure on Arsenal's midfield and defense increased.
Maël and Van Persie often dropped back to defend in midfield and frequently chased back across the entire half to intercept the opponent's attacks.
This was very effective. Many times, when the two of them broke into a local attack or defense, they immediately changed the local numerical advantage, and the momentum of attack and defense shifted instantly. The opponent usually had no choice but to pass back.
The game gradually passed the 85th minute, and Van Persie was feeling a bit tired, staying in the front and not coming back.
Thump, thump, thump!
Maël, on the other hand, still didn't feel tired, constantly sprinting back and forth. He was present in both attack and defense, with a high arrival rate.
Mr. Wenger on the sidelines gradually noticed something was wrong and said to Philip beside him, "What's wrong with him?"
"He's on drugs?" Philip joked, then looked at Maël, who wasn't blushing or panting, and became a little nervous. "Could it be true?"
At this moment, the fourth official walked over and informed them, "The player cannot return to the locker room after the game and must accept an investigation and test from the anti-doping organization."
Mr. Wenger frowned and nodded. He also became a little flustered. "The probability should be low, right? He has no reason to do this."
"I think so too," Philip echoed, but looking at Maël's appearance, he couldn't shake off his nervousness.
In the second minute of injury time in the second half, Fulham's forward players created a corner kick through tireless running. This would be the last attack of the game.
"Bang!" Senderos sent the ball out, and it fell at the penalty spot.
Maël marked his opponent at the near post. After seeing the ball pass over his head, he turned to observe his teammates' heading situation behind him.
"Bang!!"
Just as he turned his head, he saw the opponent's high center forward, Zamora, rise into the air and head the ball towards the net with an iron head.
"Swish!" The ball finally passed Szczęsny's hands and flew into the far corner of the goal.
"Wow!!" Tens of thousands of Fulham fans at the scene went wild, everyone dancing and jumping frantically.
Equalizer!
10-man Arsenal conceded a late equalizer!
The English commentator in the studio off the field roared with a red face, and the Fulham coach knelt down and waved his hands frantically.
Arsenal's players stood still in place, as if it was the first time this season they had been equalized in this way, and the feeling was not pleasant.
Maël glanced at the celebrating opponent players, spread his hands helplessly, and could only sit on the ground to convince himself to accept everything.
Fortunately, he didn't give up on pursuing goals after being short-handed, otherwise the undefeated record might really be gone.
He felt slightly fortunate, then came to the center circle to wait for the kickoff.
"Beep! Beep! Beep—!"
After the kickoff, the referee blew the whistle to end the game. Arsenal ultimately secured a draw in the away game with one less player.
Manchester United and Chelsea behind them both won this round, narrowing the gap by 2 points.
"Put your attitude right, understand that the Premier League is difficult, very difficult!"
Mr. Wenger's face was unsightly in the locker room after the game, and he lectured, "Any small mistake can ruin the victory! Ruin the efforts of the entire season! Keep your brains clear at all times! Otherwise, not to mention winning the title undefeated, even winning the title is almost impossible!"
After saying that, he left, presumably to go to the toilet to smoke, leaving the players with their heads down in silence.
On January 6th, Arshavin and Chamakh were preparing to leave. The entire Arsenal team gathered on this day to bid farewell to these two players who had contributed to the Gunner.
Arshavin returned to his debut team, Russian Premier League powerhouse Zenit. He came to Arsenal for 16.5 million euros, and when he left, he brought a transfer fee of 14.5 million euros.
This was a successful signing, from any point of view!
Mr. Wenger was very reluctant to say goodbye, and hugged Arshavin for a long time before letting him go.
"Bye-bye!" Arshavin waved goodbye to the players with a final smile, then made a special trip to Maël, embraced him again, and drove off in his sports car, leaving the base.
Before he had gone far, people saw him wiping away tears with his left hand. He never looked back, perhaps because he didn't want people to see this scene.
Maël watched him until he disappeared from sight, and a sigh sounded beside him.
There was no help for it, all feasts must come to an end, and people must always learn to say goodbye.
He hadn't worked with Arshavin for very long, only played a few games together, and didn't feel too much reluctance. But he remembered when he left Sheffield United, he had only stayed there for one season.
And Arshavin had been here for more than 3 years. This departure was not just leaving Arsenal, but leaving the center of the football world.
He could only wish him all the best in his heart, hoping he could have a good end to his career and play happily in the Russian Premier League.
Chamakh was much more normal in every way when he left. He only stayed at the club for one season and never secured a place in the starting lineup.
He came from the Ligue 1 team Bordeaux on a free transfer, stayed at the club for 1 year, and eventually left a transfer fee of 7.5 million euros. This transfer, of course, could not be considered a failure.
He would go to the EFL Championship team West Ham United to look for opportunities to play as a starter in the second-tier league.
"Arshavin and I will come back to visit often. On the day of the championship, you will definitely receive our congratulatory messages."
Chamakh smiled cheerfully, and finally got into a business car with his family and went to the airport.
After sending the two away, Mr. Wenger did not let everyone leave, but stayed in place to wait.
Most people couldn't guess his intention, until soon after, a business car drove up, and a mixed-race black man wearing an Arsenal scarf and a suit got out.
"Oh!" Van Persie covered his mouth and shouted in place.
Maël also widened his eyes. The person who came was Thierry Henry, who had the title of King of Highbury. He was really back! Henry was wearing sunglasses and walking over with a smile. "One day someone told me that a statue of me was going to be erected in front of the Emirates Stadium. I immediately hung up the phone, thinking what's so funny about this kind of joke."
"But when I received a call from Mr. Wenger a few days ago and heard him invite me to attend the unveiling of the statue, I believed it. I immediately expressed to him my desire to join Arsenal on loan."
"Mr. Wenger agreed."
Speaking of this, he searched in the crowd, saw Maël, and smiled: "I know the team already has better players than me, but I still want to come back and see. Thank you, Mr. Wenger, for making it happen."
He walked up and gave Mr. Wenger the first hug. The two mentors and apprentices were filled with emotion. Then came Van Persie and several other old teammates.
Maël also quickly hugged Henry. This was the first time he had seen the team's legend. As soon as he stood here, he seemed to become the center of everyone and suddenly possessed dazzling light.
He knew that it was everything that Henry had left at Arsenal, re-reflected on him. As long as he returned to the team, he would always have it.
I want to become someone like him!
He set a goal for himself. He knew that if he wanted to become immortal at this club, he must surpass Henry.
In terms of performance and data, he may have already surpassed him, but in terms of the honor and long-term contribution he has brought to the club, he is still far behind.
"Originally, the unveiling ceremony was planned for last month, but the results were too good last month, so it was delayed until January."
Mr. Wenger explained at this time, smiling happily, "This is also good, you can rightfully wear the Arsenal jersey to complete the unveiling."
Henry nodded and smiled: "It's unbelievable. I hope you will also have such a statue in the future. There is still a lot of open space outside the stadium, haha."
In this way, The Great joined the team in a burst of laughter, and he did bring a lot of laughter to the team's daily training.
...
On January 9th, the third round of the FA Cup kicked off at the Emirates Stadium.
Mr. Wenger's attitude towards this game was rather vague, and he sent out a lineup of half substitutes and half starters.
Maël and Van Persie were both sitting on the bench to rest, but Alexandre Song and others were on the field continuing to fight hard.
This was a very anxious game. Mr. Wenger stood on the sidelines with a frown, looking at the ineffective forward line, somewhat disappointed.
And when Henry, wearing the No. 12 jersey, finished warming up and stood on the sidelines in the 68th minute of the game, the memories of death suddenly began to attack Maël. He looked at the Emirates Stadium at this moment and thought of that classic scene.
"Oh!" In a burst of cheers, Henry touched the turf and stepped onto the Emirates Stadium, returning to his old home after 5 years.
——"Welcome home! Henry!"
——"King of Highbury!"
In the Arsenal fans' very humane banner, Henry waved to those who had supported him with tears in his eyes and a solemn expression.
His Barcelona career was still relatively successful. He won the Champions League title, the UEFA Super Cup title, the FIFA Club World Cup title, and almost all domestic titles there.
After 5 years of chasing his dream, he returned to the home he once loved the most to perform his final farewell.
"Papapa!"
Maël and Van Persie stood together at the sideline, applauding. The former's body trembled slightly, afraid that the scene from his memory would really play out on the field.
In the 78th minute of the match, Arsenal took a corner kick from the right. The ball was cleared by Leeds United at the first post, and Alexandre Song received the rebound.
"Boom!"
Song unleashed a long shot from outside the penalty area. The ball hit the goalkeeper's hand and bounced back into the box, where Walcott got it on the other side. The latter crossed the ball to Henry in the center.
"Boom!!"
The Great Henry shook off his marker and used his right foot to push the ball into the far corner of the net.
Goal! One to zero!
"Wow!! Ohhh!!" Inside the Emirates Stadium, thunderous shouts erupted. People seemed to see the 22-year-old Henry of yesteryear, reappearing in his familiar position.
Still the King!
Still Henry!
"Oh!"
On the Arsenal bench, everyone stood up and raised their hands, cheering for their legendary player.
Maël clapped his hands excitedly. This goal was different from what he remembered, probably due to the butterfly effect brought about by his time-traveling. But what hadn't changed was that Henry still scored the winning goal in this FA Cup match.
At this moment, feeling the heat inside the Emirates Stadium, he truly understood the extent of the fans' love for a player.
He also understood what kind of player deserved to be called a club legend.
Henry's return was meaningful to him. He clearly saw a goal, saw where he should go, and how to surpass him with long-term and efficient performance!
"Henry! He scored!! It's still Henry! A classic right-footed push shot!"
In the commentary box, Zhan Jun's excited voice rang out, "Henry helps Arsenal take a one-to-zero lead!! Fans! Can you hold on?! How can you not be moved to tears! The Great Henry comes to the rescue! This match has been a hard fight for nearly 80 minutes, and in the end, it's still Henry!"
On the field, Henry roared all the way back to the Arsenal bench. He had a clear goal. He immediately gave his mentor, Mr. Wenger, a tight hug.
Mr. Wenger had an excited smile on his face. Their emotions erupted at this moment, and they hugged for a long time.
Maël stood beside them, joining this historic moment and becoming a member of the 'legendary return' scene.
He enjoyed this feeling immensely, because he clearly knew that this was not the last historic moment. He would change everything, allowing everyone on this team to have several more unforgettable moments.
That would be his moment, created by him, brought by him to this team, and also to himself! Maybe that day, he would have already become the King of the Emirates Stadium. He would learn from the King of Highbury, Henry, and hug Mr. Wenger tightly, just like they once gave each other a high-five and made a vow.
"Kid."
After hugging Mr. Wenger, Henry unexpectedly walked towards Maël, pointed at him, winked and smiled, "I couldn't lead this team to win the Champions League, that's the biggest regret of my life.
"In the future, this task will be handed over to you. If that day really comes, you will surpass me, I believe you can do it."
Maël looked towards him, seeing Henry winking and sending electric shocks, seeing Mr. Wenger full of expectations, and all the Arsenal players smiling and applauding.
"I will."
He nodded heavily towards Henry, who quickly walked up to him and smiled, extending his palm.
"Pa!"
Their palms touched lightly at this moment, completing the handover ceremony. Henry handed over all the hopes and expectations that were once placed on him to Maël.
This was a handover between the old Gunner King and the new Gunner King, a major scene, and all Arsenal fans deeply felt its significance.
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