During the meal, Maël and Mendes finalized some contract details, planning to complete the signing today.
What kind of partnership this will be, no one knows yet; only time will tell.
Let's sign it like this for now, and when we have a pleasant collaboration in the future, we'll order a couple of bottles of red wine and sit together to slowly savor and celebrate.
"I'll go print the contract."
Halfway through the meal, Pepino, seeing that the two had settled the details, returned to the hotel first, "Excuse me."
"Are you having some hesitations?"
Mendes understood players well. In his conversation with Maël just now, he detected this from the details in his words, "Regarding your career plans, especially for the current season?"
"Yes."
Maël didn't plan to hide anything. After the conversation, he actually wanted to consult Mendes on this, "I have two choices before me: return to Arsenal, or stay at Sheffield United and finish this season."
"Let's talk about the first one."
Mendes leaned forward, solemnly saying, "Arsenal is currently fourth in the league, already 6 points behind Manchester United. With Old Sir Ferguson's stability, he basically won't give anyone else a chance.
"As for the League Cup and the upcoming FA Cup, they haven't been eliminated yet, but the chances of winning are very small.
"If you want a championship, then there's obviously no need to rush this half-season, because going back won't offer much of an opportunity. I hope you won't be angry at what I'm saying.
"But if you want a stronger influence and attention, then it's best to go back. Playing for a top team, as long as you make it through, everything will increase exponentially, and you'll quickly enter the mainstream spotlight."
He picked up the coffee cup next to him, took a sip, and said, "Let's talk about the second option: Sheffield United, where you've already gained a firm foothold, and you could even say you've conquered it.
"Staying here is the safest choice. Your position is very stable, and your data output is also very stable.
"The disadvantage is that its influence is a level below the Premier League, and the attention isn't as high..."
Maël nodded, still waiting for Mendes to get to the point. He already knew the previous analysis, and just treated it as a prelude.
Mendes took another sip of coffee, casually adjusted his tie, and his expression became serious, "However, there's one thing that can bridge the gap between the EFL Championship and the Premier League, and that's the ultimate individual honor."
"Golden Boot, Assists Leader?"
Maël asked, Gareth Speed had said these things to him, and he had thought about them privately.
Mendes smiled and nodded, his tone becoming enthusiastic, "If you can maintain this state, win the EFL Championship Golden Boot or Assists Leader, and lead the team to promotion, then everything will be different.
"From the moment you ascend to the top league, everything you've been missing will be returned to you exponentially.
"You'll be regarded as a hero, and all the media will publicize you extensively!
"People will look for your wonderful performances and passionate moments from the season, understand everything about you, and frantically explore what kind of legendary season you've experienced!"
At this point, he suddenly changed the subject, "But that's difficult, and if you don't get promoted, the losses will be great."
"I want to try."
Maël finally had a certain inclination in his choice. He stopped talking about football and instead chatted with Mendes about lighthearted family matters.
In the afternoon, he took leave from the club and completed the signing of the agency contract with Mendes at his hotel.
"Take a picture of us."
Mendes handed the phone to Pepino, smiling radiantly, "In three years, we'll know what kind of moment this will be."
Pepino took the phone, stood in front of the two, and kept clicking the shutter to take pictures.
"Happy cooperation."
Maël finally shook Mendes's hand, anticipating, "I hope it will be a moment that will be remembered as a legend."
...
On December 11th, Sheffield United welcomed the twentieth round of the EFL Championship.
They visited Barnsley's home stadium and started fighting with their opponents at 7:30 that night.
Barnsley is one of the few teams in the EFL Championship this season with a possession-based style, which has also left them with some hidden dangers.
For example, in the selection of full-backs, they can't find players with strong one-on-one defensive abilities to resist Maël's breakthroughs.
After much deliberation, the Barnsley coach finally gave up and sent two attacking full-backs, deciding to use offense instead of defense.
Or to put it another way, decide to withstand Maël's impact head-on, placing the hope of victory on the attacking players, hoping to score more goals than Sheffield United.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
This is a highly entertaining match, with both sides playing an open, attacking game, the pace of play extremely fast.
"Trippier, an English homegrown full-back, is only 20 years old this year and can be considered a promising talent! He has excellent free-kick and cross abilities, but today he has met an even more outstanding young player, Maël, and they are directly matched up."
"..."
"Keith O'Brien's long pass! Colace enters the penalty area, controls the ball beautifully, and shoots towards the far corner!!
"Goal! Barnsley takes the lead at home, Sheffield United's defense has leaked! Steven lost track of Colace, giving him an easy opportunity to handle the ball! One-nil! The Barnsley lads can celebrate to their hearts' content!!"
"..."
"Maël receives the ball on the wing, facing Trippier's defense. This is a full-back who is not good at defending, and he should have difficulty stopping Maël.
"Easily bypassed! Maël used just one Bicycle Kick to completely beat Trippier, who is still unwilling to give up and uses his hands, a clear pulling action! The referee blows his whistle, a foul, and Trippier receives a yellow card! As a player matched up against Maël, receiving a yellow card so early in the game is a cause for concern for his defensive performance in the second half."
"..."
"Free kick! Maël curls the ball, aiming for the far post! Gilbert!! "Goal! Gilbert scores with a header! Scoring his fourth goal of the season! Creating more than 5 goals!
"Set pieces have become an important scoring method for Sheffield United this season, especially after Maël became the main taker, his crosses are always tricky and accurate!"
"..."
"The first half is about to end, Maël is rushing over again, he has already beaten Trippier twice, will it be a third time?
"Trippier is constantly retreating, he is nervous and serious, but in football, these alone are not enough."
On the field, Maël's instep quickly touches the ball, not to say how good his ball control is, at least he won't stumble.
Trippier lowers his center of gravity, his upper body almost pressing against Maël's waist, he really doesn't want to be beaten.
"Pa."
Maël suddenly accelerates, pushing the ball towards the outside, making a preparatory movement to Cut Inside.
Trippier wasn't actually fooled, he just subconsciously took a step, he knew that Maël's next move must be to step over and go to the byline.
As he expected, Maël uses the inside of his foot to hook the ball, accelerating towards the byline, while constantly observing the situation in the center.
Trippier quickly turns around, sprinting to chase, but watches helplessly as Maël gets further and further away from him.
Beaten again!
This is probably the most helpless thing, you can clearly guess what the other person is going to do, but you just can't keep up.
"Bang!"
Subsequently, Maël sweeps the ball towards the center, and Evans, standing in the open space at the far post, rushes over and slides the ball into the net.
Two to one!
Taking the lead!
"Yeah!"
The fans cheer, Evans hugs the ball and comes to the sidelines, burying the ball in his clothes, paying tribute to his pregnant wife in front of the TV.
Maël rushes over and puts his arm around his back, jokingly teasing: "Raise your child well, maybe when he reaches my age, I'll still be playing football."
Evans didn't react for a moment, and when he realized that Maël was saying he was old, he looked indignant: "I'll definitely make him tackle your old bones."
"That's in the future."
Maël waves his hand, not caring: "Now, you are the old bones."
He jokes around with Evans and the others, relaxed and full of vitality, which makes the Barnsley players very envious.
Trippier stands self-reproachfully on the byline, feels guilty for a while, and then returns to his defensive area.
"Maël! Bicycle Kick! Still a burst of speed! Trippier has lost his position again, he tripped Maël! This is already the second time he has fouled Maël since the start of the second half, and he already has a yellow card, if it happens again, he is likely to be shown another yellow card, turning two yellows into a red and leaving the field! Barnsley's coach had better choose to substitute him, he can't risk playing with one less player for Trippier's attacking ability!"
"..."
"Lotton's low shot! The ball deflects, the goalkeeper has no chance! A lucky goal, Sheffield United three to one! They are having a multi-pronged attack today! It seems to be an assist from Gilbert, this kid is in great form today, already with 1 goal and 1 assist!"
On the field, while everyone else ran towards Lotton to celebrate, Maël stood with his good friend Gilbert, exchanging a high-five.
"One goal and one assist, I'm going to catch up to you."
Gilbert patted his chest, boasting, "Just you wait, I'll win a Monthly Best one of these days."
Maël raised an eyebrow and made a face, indicating he didn't believe it at all.
He had two assists to his name today, and this performance put him in a good mood to tease his teammates.
On the way back, a sudden sense of dizziness arose in his brain, causing him to stop and buffer the lightheaded feeling.
[Skill: Judgment of Situation lv3]
[Proficiency: (1/2000)]
[Effect: Clear mind, clearer Observation of the situation on the field, possesses excellent ability to read the game! All details are difficult to escape your eyes, anti-Judgment ability is improved!]
Observation has improved! When Maël came back to his senses, a burst of excitement rose in his heart. He took a few breaths and looked around.
His brain was indeed much clearer. He could process information on the field more efficiently, especially the capture of details, which was particularly accurate.
He could even judge the emotions of the opposing players at this time, see who still had fighting spirit, and who wanted to get off work early.
Not to mention, when it came to open play, the discovery of open spaces and the capture of teammates' runs!
"Better late than never."
Maël suppressed his excitement. He valued this ability very much. It was a soft skill that could be considered an all-round enhancement for him.
Without Observation, he would not have been able to get so many assists in the first half of the season, appearing reasonably in the right position every time.
"Beep!"
After restarting the game and running again, Maël had a new match experience, initially possessing a certain degree of control.
He didn't give up his pursuit of goals and assists. The first half of the season was about to end, and he still wanted to rely on his performance this month to compete for the Mid-Season Best.
It should be noted that excellent performance close to the selection is more likely to make the judges give him a high score.
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