From Arsenal to the Ball God

He consecutively bypassed Ward and the pursuing Zubal, and before Carl slid in, poked the ball towards the space behind the opposing defender line.

”Bang!”

There, Arshavin cut in from the wing and played the ball horizontally, evading all defenders.

”An astounding central breakthrough! Ma’el single-handedly tore open Wolves’ defense! Arshavin is cutting into the box, looking to finish!

”He needs one more step to skip past the goalkeeper directly! Hennessey dives to save, but can’t reach the football! The goal is open!”

”.....”

”Bang!”

Arshavin bypassed the goalkeeper and pushed the ball into the net, completing a brilliant double.

His whole body shook as he ran to the edge of the field, spreading his arms and sticking out his tongue, listening for the last few times to the cheers at Emirates Stadium, ”Yeah...!”

Ma’el excitedly followed him, the rhythm boosting his immediate combat strength beyond his imagination.

He had never felt dribbling so effortlessly; he now truly had the capability to disrupt opposing defenses single-handedly!

And with fancy skills?

Surely it would only get better!

Even more unpredictable!

Common abilities, once trained, usually require a game or two to adapt, but rhythm seems different, instantly demonstrating a high level.

Whenever he wants, he can use breakthroughs to target the opponent’s weak areas.

In the second half, Premier League teams without defensive full-backs and defensive midfielders are in trouble!

”Come on...!”

Arshavin reached the edge of the field, excitedly pumped a fist, then turned around to tightly embrace Ma’el who had followed him, ”Thank you! I’m about to leave, back to Zenit, thank you for your passes!

”After I leave, the wing will have only you; the other kids can’t really carry the load. You must lead this team to the championship throne; I’ll always be watching over you!”

The two, who hadn’t spoken this season and had numerous rumors of discord, seemed to have endless words at this moment.

”Keep pushing forward in the future too.”

Ma’el heavily patted his back, sensing Arshavin’s tearful impulse, ”Your Arsenal career was a success. I’ll set your goal count as my initial target.”

”Haha.....!” Arshavin and Ma’el separated, one hand holding Ma’el’s head, couldn’t help but ruffled Ma’el’s hair.

At the field’s edge, Wenger stood up to celebrate briefly with Philip, it’s four-two, there won’t be any surprises in this Boxing Day battle.

Win this one, then overcome Sheffield United, they’ll become the mid-season champions undefeated!

It’s been so many seasons since they won this honor again; this season has so many firsts in seven or eight years... could it be possible to win the league title again after 7 years?

”After Arshavin and several others leave, what do you plan to do with the money?” Philip asked beside him, as they hadn’t internally discussed this issue yet.

Wenger’s gaze focused on Ma’el on the field, contemplating for a while before saying, ”Buy a forward, and then... break through the salary structure.”

Philip turned sharply, ”You were serious about this? I thought you were joking, haha, it seems some people really are special to you.”

”Even you think I’m stubborn?”

Wenger’s expression showed slight displeasure, ”Of course I understand that keeping top players requires top salaries. If we don’t break this salary system, Arsenal will forever not be a top team.

”Nasri left, Klich also left, too many have gone for higher wages... my heart continually bleeds.

”It’s just because the shareholders are unwilling to invest, and they also request me not to break the salary structure. You can’t forget, back then we paid All England’s highest salary to Bergkamp.

”That money seems little now, but at the time, it was a very bold move, a gamble.”

Philip was silent; he arrived later, knowing only that the team’s poor performance in the transfer market was linked to Kroenke and Usmanov’s equity struggle.

Unexpectedly, maintaining the salary structure was also related to this... Wenger had always been criticized for this, ultimately taking the blame.

”And this time?”

Philip already had great respect and sympathy for the professor, not expressing much else but just inquiring about the current situation.

”I told them I would leave with Ma’el.”

Wenger finally showed a smile, his tone carefree, ”They relented. If I can reclaim the money through transfer operations, I have the authority to freely allocate it.

”I can choose to buy other players, or choose to break the salary structure using it.

”They’re afraid of me leaving with Ma’el, afraid of being labeled as villains in English Football and Arsenal... If either of us leaves, they wouldn’t budge.

”But if both of us leave together, everything changes, the club would collapse instantly!

”The taller the building constructed on this season’s achievements, the stronger the collapse will be; Van Persie and others would soon depart too.”

Philip also smiled, but with a hint of a bitter smile, ”So they still don’t want to invest?”

”This is already good enough.” Wenger seemed accustomed to it, laughed, ”Moreover, isn’t there a curious point worth noting? Both are afraid that investing in the club would boost the other’s equity value, increasing the full acquisition difficulty.

”They’ve been stalling for years, countless times ripping each other’s faces in front of me, showing their exhausted sides.

”But Ma’el’s unexpected emergence made their stalling futile, just he alone brought over 100 million pounds in value to Arsenal.