From Arsenal to the Ball God

Chapter 152: Chapter 49: Return to Korney! Officially Reporting to the First Team! Wenger’s Wild Vision! New Position? (Part 2)

”I’ve never said it....”

Wenger looked at Ma’el, feeling somewhat sentimental, recalling what he hadn’t mentioned during their last meeting: ”Honestly, I never imagined that one day, the player who used to frequent the training grounds daily, seemingly average in all aspects, would return before me like this.

”Ma’el, your progress is astonishing.”

The season had ended, and he shed some of the pressure and fatigue. After pausing, he smilingly added, ”Your emergence, too. I did nothing, yet gained such a talented young man for free.

”Sometimes I truly wonder if you were sent by God to rescue me.”

”Haha....” Philip and others shook their heads while laughing. This side of Wenger is rarely seen; he’s usually reserved and serious.

”40 goals and 27 assists.”

The first assistant Philip read Ma’el’s Championship stats, laughing, ”Forget the half; in the Premier League, if you can replicate a third of your Championship stats in a season, you’d be top-tier.”

”Don’t say that, Philip.” An assistant interrupted him, reminding, ”The player just returned, is not yet 18, don’t give him so much pressure.”

”No, no, no.”

An assistant felt the other’s words were also wrong, shaking their head, ”Ma’el is definitely not someone who fears pressure. I believe he can make an impact in the Premier League. We often face Championship teams in cup matches, and are familiar with the level there.”

”Yes.” Another assistant agreed, ”I believe he will sooner or later play at a top level!”

Everyone was encouraging and praising enthusiastically, instantly making the atmosphere lively.

It was Ma’el’s first encounter with Arsenal’s first-team coaching staff, memorizing the faces of the people present.

”Alright.”

Wenger stood up at this moment, walked to the tactical board, ”Attend the club’s morning training at nine-thirty. There will be a welcoming ceremony for you all then.

”Before that, I have an idea I’d like to discuss with you.”

Ma’el walked to the tactical board, standing together with the assistants, listening intently.

”I want to talk to you about Van Persie first.”

Wenger chose an angle Ma’el didn’t expect, picking up a piece representing the forward position in a 4-4-2 formation, ”His finishing ability is top-notch, and his countering ability isn’t bad either. People often consider him a traditional Dutch center forward.

”But.....everyone forgets that at his debut, he was actually known for his delicate ball control skills, his dribbling and passing is also top-notch.”

Ma’el nodded slightly, still unsure of what Wenger was trying to tell him.

”After Henry left, his position kept moving forward, increasingly, gradually becoming a goal poacher.”

Wenger pushed the piece representing Van Persie forward, continuing, ”And we couldn’t find a replacement for him, so he stayed at that position.

”What I want to say is, his performance in that position was good not because it was his best position, but because he is top-tier.”

At this moment, Wenger emphasized his point, a fervor apparent in his gaze akin to a gamble, ”I want him to drop back, to play the Bergkamp position, the second striker. I’ve always felt that’s the position that suits him best.

”And the original center forward position...I want to push you up, change your original position.”

He said this earnestly, without hesitation: ”Not just as a finisher, not just as a breakthrough player, not just as a speed-type forward, I want to develop you into...an all-around center forward!”

Ma’el finally understood the intention behind Wenger’s words, his heart trembling slightly. Before this, he had never considered changing his position.

An all-around center forward?

Images of Ronaldo, Shevchenko, Lewandowski, Harry Kane quickly surfaced in his mind...could he play this position?

Maybe, he could.

If he could indeed adapt well to this position with Van Persie, the forward line formed by the two would undoubtedly possess tremendous striking power!

”Wenger just used Bergkamp to talk about Van Persie, meaning is very clear.”

Philip picked up the conversation, drawing comparisons, ”We need a new Henry, and you’re the most likely young player we’ve seen in recent years to reach that level.”

”New Henry?”

Wenger feared such talk might unsettle Ma’el, smiled and said, ”No, what we need is a top-class all-around center forward; perhaps Henry, or perhaps just Ma’el.

”Of course, this is just one plan. Whether it’s feasible, whether it can appear in next season’s Premier League, requires us to understand you more, observe you in every training session at Arsenal.”

”I understand.” Ma’el nodded, unsure about this matter, leaving it to the more professional coaching team to assess.

Exhibiting his strengths well in training, focusing on securing a starting position first.

Regardless of being placed as a winger or center forward, fulfilling his role earnestly, aiming to contribute to the team is enough!

”Prepare for the training match then.”

At last, Wenger stepped forward, patted Ma’el on the shoulder, smiled for a few seconds and said, ”I hope you can do it, good luck.”

......

At nine-thirty, Ma’el and Gilbert followed closely behind Wenger, heading towards the first team training ground, a welcoming ceremony awaited them.

To the two of them, it was a place utterly different from any training ground they had been to before!

Although they had spent considerable time at the Korni Training Base, they had never set foot on that field, only observing from a distance when there were no first team training sessions.