Harbinger Of Glory

They had only just entered the Wigan administrative building, but Carlo had already adjusted his collar for the 7th time, and Leo couldn’t take it anymore.

”Bro,” he said before slowing down a bit.

”You’ll be fine.”

”Now let’s go,” he said as he continued walking.

”I’m not nervous by the way,” Carlo said to which Leo gave him an unconvinced, ”sure” look!

The duo kept walking as Carlo followed Leo through the administrative corridor of the Wigan complex, past the notice boards and the framed photographs, until they reached the door at the end with the nameplate on it.

Shaun Malone Dawson — Head Coach.

Leo knocked once and pushed the door open at the same time Dawson said ’come in’ from the other side.

The two of them entered to find the manager behind his desk with a cup of tea and the expression of a man who had returned from his vacation, alright, but was still in the vacation mood.

”You’re getting too comfortable,” Dawson said as he looked up at Leo.

”How was the scouting trip?” Leo said, ignoring Dawson’s statement, before settling into one of the chairs in front of the desk.

”The one that was supposed to be a week and turned into three.”

Dawson leaned across the desk to smack him, but Leo leaned back, and the hand found nothing.

Afterwards, Leo straightened up and turned to Carlo, who had been standing just inside the doorway watching the interaction with the expression of a man who had expected a bit more professionalism between a manager and his player, but hadn’t gotten any really.

”Come on,” Leo said, nodding him forward.

Dawson looked at Carlo properly for the first time with a slight narrowing of recognition, trying to place him before giving up at the end, after still not being able to place the face.

”Stop frowning,” Leo said after he spotted Dawson staring.

”And come on. You really don’t remember,” Leo said, to which Dawson shook his head.

”We just played against them a couple of weeks ago. Remember, Manchester City in the FA Cup final. He’s the one who had Darikwa playing like he’d never seen a winger before.”

Dawson’s expression cleared immediately, and he stood and extended his hand across the desk.

”Oh,” he mouthed before leaning forward and then extending his hand!

”Good to properly meet you.”

Carlo took the hand.

”Likewise.”

They sat, all three, or two of them, since Leo had already sat down, and as they did, Dawson settled back and looked between the two of them with the patient expression of a man waiting to find out what had actually been organised in his office without his input.

”So,” he said. ”What can I do for you?”

”Or you,” he said the last bit while glancing at Leo, who in turn glanced at Carlo before beckoning him on.

”Come on, I have to work on my shooting soon!”

Carlo nodded once, more to himself than anyone, and looked at Dawson.

”The reason I am here today, Mister is that I want to join Wigan,” he said.

And at that, Dawson’s brow went up almost instantly.

He looked to Leo on his right, trying to find any shenanigans, even though he knew the latter wasn’t one to do such things, but things had come off a bit suddenly for him not to.

Then he glanced back at Carlo after that.

”You play for Manchester City,” he said slowly, as if confirming the information was still accurate.

”Yes,” Carlo said before realising what Dawson was trying to point at.

”I want to come here!”

”That’s why I asked Leo to set this up. I want to come on loan, and I was hoping he could help make the case.”

Dawson looked at Leo, who was on his phone with the expression of an unbothered passenger on a train.

Dawson looked back at Carlo and was quiet for a moment, then pulled his laptop across the desk and typed something.

He looked at the screen and then back up after some minutes.

”Your minutes have been trending upward,” he said, turning the laptop slightly so the Transfermarkt page was partially visible.

”Gradually but consistently. So why would you want to leave now, when things are moving in the right direction?”

Carlo looked at the screen briefly and then at Dawson.

”Because I think I’m better than those minutes,” he said.

”Not by a little. By enough that it matters.”

Dawson said nothing and then motioned for the latter to go on.

”At City right now I’ve got Grealish and Foden ahead of me,” Carlo continued.

”Both of them established, both of them trusted, both of them getting forty plus appearances a season. To get past them, I need to be better than them. But to prove I’m better than them, I need to play, and playing is the one thing I can’t do while they’re ahead of me.” He paused. ”It’s a loop I can’t break from inside the squad.”

”So you want to break it from the outside,” Dawson said.

”I want to feel like the main man somewhere,” Carlo said.

”Just once. See what I can actually do when the team trusts me enough to hand me some of the keys, if not all of them!”

Dawson considered that.

”And you think that’s here.”

”Yes. It won’t be easy,” Carlo said. ”I know that you just came to the Premier League, but that’s the right set-up for me. If I can do it with you guys, why not them?”

Dawson was quiet for a moment.

Then, ”Like a stepping stone,” he said after a while, and Carlo didn’t flinch.

”Yes.”

Dawson looked at him for a long second, nodding in respect at the latter words.

”I’ll give you that,” he said.

”Most players your age would have dressed that up.”

But then he leaned back in his chair and looked at Carlo.

”I haven’t seen too much of you, but from what I have seen and all that you are telling me, you are a very convincing case. At the moment, you are looking very attractive since we do not really have another left winger aside from James McClean.”

”This might actually work out,” Dawson said as he put his hand on his chin.

”Okay, I am sold,” he said, finally turning to Carlo, who raised a brow at his words.

”We’ll try to contact your club, but since you are here, I hope you’ve told your agent...”

”Wait, wait, wait, wait,” Carlo interrupted.

”That’s it,” he asked, causing Dawson to stare at him blankly.

”Well, I will have to check a few things, like your game footage to see if we are really compatible, but since you already have some experience in the Premier League, it won’t be hard and..............!”

All while Dawson went on, Carlo’s thoughts began to drift as he started to wonder if he had really come to the right club because how were things already progressing that far in one meeting!