"Maël! Maël!!"
After the match, the fervor hadn't subsided. Sheffield United's traveling fans poured out of Bramall Lane, raising their hands and chanting Maël's name.
They roared self-composed songs, extremely excited: "Sean Long? Graham? Watch out, Maël is catching up from behind!"
This wasn't their home ground, and there were more Doncaster fans around, but they still couldn't restrain themselves.
Unexpectedly, this behavior didn't provoke strong resentment from the Doncaster fans.
The home team's fans just frowned slightly when they bumped into them and walked away. This might be because Maël's performance had won over the home fans.
After all, even they had applauded the away team's player in the stadium.
Now that they were off the field, were they not allowed to celebrate here?
Philip, the assistant coach from Arsenal's first team, emerged with the wave of Sheffield United fans. He joined in, celebrating with everyone.
Of course, he understood the meaning of the lyrics.
Sean Long had just been surpassed by Maël a few days ago as the top of the EFL Championship's assist chart, and Graham was the Watford player currently ranked first on the scorer's list with nine goals.
It seemed that if Maël maintained this hot streak, reaching the top of both EFL Championship lists wouldn't be a problem.
That would be an incredible achievement!
"Let's go for a drink, mate."
A Sheffield fan who had chatted with Philip inside the stadium put his arm around his shoulder and pulled him towards a nearby pub. "No day is more worth celebrating than today. It's truly an unforgettable day."
After speaking, he seemed to suddenly remember something and added, "Of course, Sheffield United getting promoted to the Premier League again would be even more worth celebrating."
Philip laughed and followed him, but before he could take a few steps, the phone in his pocket rang.
He took it out and saw that it was Mr. Wenger calling. His expression immediately changed, and he walked to a quiet open space to answer. "Mr. Wenger, I just finished watching the match."
Wenger's voice came from the other end of the phone, with a hint of excitement and restraint. "You don't need to come back yet. He has completed the 15-goal salary incentive clause. Stay there and sign the contract with him before returning.
"I'll get the contract ready tonight and have someone send it over tomorrow morning. You should receive it in the afternoon.
"Be sure to read it carefully beforehand. It's not just a raise to 20k; it will still be a completely new contract with many changes."
"Okay," Philip nodded in agreement, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Is there anything else?"
After watching such a one-man show up close, he had been completely captivated by Maël and was eager to bring him back to Arsenal.
"You mean recall him?"
Wenger on the other end heard the meaning and chuckled twice. "The loan agreement stipulates that we can only recall him during the winter transfer window. We'll discuss it with the player then and see what he thinks.
"Sign the contract first to show our sincerity, respect, and importance to him. Don't treat him like a youth team player anymore."
"Understood."
Philip pursed his lips and agreed, then smiled and joked, "Then what should we treat him as now?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end before a hoarse voice answered seriously, "A rising star, Arsenal's hope."
Philip was stunned. The phone hung up with a 'beep'. He didn't think much more about it, found the fan from before, and prepared to go for a drink.
However, he was very clear that Mr. Wenger's heart finally seemed less empty.
...
"After 9 rounds of the Premier League, Manchester United ranks first in the standings with 7 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, followed by Chelsea, and Arsenal in third!" - BBC Premier League Column
"Fabregas has recovered from his injury? It is rumored that he has contacted Barcelona privately multiple times, and the player may leave Arsenal in the winter transfer window." - The Sun
"Liverpool lost to Blackburn 1-2 at home, causing the biggest upset in this round of the Premier League!" - Pigeon Prediction
"A thrilling comeback from two goals down in the 13th round of the EFL Championship! Sheffield United's 17-year-old striker Maël scores a Hat-trick to help the team reverse the score. He has single-handedly created 16 goals in 13 league games!" - 442 Editor-in-Chief
"Arsenal is about to welcome a strong reinforcement? Their loaned player Maël is performing excellently at Sheffield United and is expected to briefly top both the scorer's list and the assist chart before the halfway point!" - The Guardian
After this round of matches, a large number of post-match reports converged on the internet, causing widespread discussion among fans.
Maël's influence was gradually increasing. Most fans who paid attention to the English second division already knew his name.
Even many fans who only paid attention to Premier League news often inadvertently saw reports about him.
This was the improvement in soft power brought about by the improvement in his hard power, and it was bound to happen.
The internet age has arrived, and information travels at lightning speed.
When the words 'Hat-trick Completes Comeback From 2 Goals Down' appeared, when the words '17-Year-Old Prodigy Creates 16 Goals in 13 EFL Championship Games' appeared.
Attracting attention was inevitable.
"His ability to seize opportunities is too strong, this kid has an amazing Long Shot!"
"His Crosses are also good, I feel he at least has the strength of a starting winger for a lower-mid table Premier League team."
"More than that!"
"I'm not convinced, 5 of his 8 goals came from Long Shots outside the penalty area, are the defensive midfielders and defenders in the EFL Championship all useless? Isn't that easy to defend against?"
"I originally had the same question as the person above, until I watched his game. His shots are truly violent, unless you completely shut him down and never give him a chance to shoot, otherwise he is very likely to hit you with a precise strike."
"High accuracy rate?"
"Around thirty to forty percent, the Sky Sports commentator used the evaluation 'King of Long Shots' when talking about him."
More people were discussing him, and under each popular post about him, there were dozens or even hundreds of discussions.
After these people finished discussing here, they would definitely chat with their friends about it later, subtly influencing more people to pay attention to Maël.
...
The next day at noon, Maël and Gilbert went to an American pool hall, played some American 9-ball, and sat on the sofa in a private room to rest.
On a rare day off, they naturally wanted to relax and unwind, briefly escaping from football.
After this day, they would have to return to the exhausting training days and extra training tasks.
"Two coffees, and a dessert platter."
Gilbert, holding the drinks menu, acted like a big shot, taking advantage of the situation to order: "The most expensive one, yes, my friend is paying, he's getting a raise soon."
After the waiter left, Maël looked at him and smiled, "Why not order some more? These things wouldn't even use up the change from my match bonus."
It turned out that after he came to Sheffield United, the bulk of his income really came from goal bonuses and win bonuses.
He did a calculation this morning, and including the £10,500 bonus from the last game, his bonus for this season had just reached £55,000.
This was the after-tax bonus, surpassing his after-tax salary after his raise to 10k.
His savings now amounted to £120,000, enough to buy an entry-level sports car to drive around, and enough to rent a detached villa to live in.
The improvement in material conditions stimulated Maël's desire to spend, which was human nature and unavoidable.
Save some more money, and when he returns to London in the future, he will rent a villa to live in, get a driver's license, and drive a sports car to and from training! Anyway, his salary will continue to rise.
When his financial situation is even better in the future, he can even buy some luxury properties in major cities around the world, and just find a place to go on vacation during the off-season, experiencing the customs of different countries.
"Tch." Gilbert pretended not to care, his face already sour like a lemon, "I'll get a raise too, sooner or later."
"Congratulations in advance..."
Maël picked up a drink, pretending it was red wine, and raised his glass, "Let's congratulate me first, I'm really getting a raise tonight."
Gilbert helplessly pursed his lips, grabbed his cue and leaned over the pool table, smashing the cue ball with a *bang*, sending the golden 9-ball into the pocket.
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