"Congratulations!"
Next, the media congratulated Maël before conducting interviews, all happy for the young man.
"A simple question, how do you feel about winning the Mid-Season Best?" asked a reporter from the famous media outlet 442, which releases its EFL Championship Mid-Season and Season's Best Lineups every season.
Their lineups, along with those from Sky Sports, are generally well-regarded by fans.
And Maël, who won the Best Player award today, is almost certainly the leader in the Best Lineup, so they naturally came to gather some information.
Aside from that, Maël now has a certain level of popularity, and publishing a report about him at this important moment would be very eye-catching.
"Um..."
Maël thought for a moment, then answered honestly and cleverly, "A simple answer, very good."
"Hahaha," this answer caused a burst of laughter at the scene.
He shrugged, helpless, as he couldn't find any good words to describe his feelings at the moment.
The overlap of wishes and reality? The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment of a young man achieving success? It didn't seem enough... He still had higher goals, grander ideals and wishes.
"What does this award mean to you?" a reporter from Sky Sports quickly followed up, their status from a large platform giving them more confidence to ask questions first.
"An important milestone."
Maël could answer this question, he smiled lightly, "Constantly leaving my footprints on a road, engraving important moments, allows me to move forward with more determination and confidence.
"I might be more optimistic about the future, believing that I can reach the end."
"The end?" This time, a female reporter from a small publication asked, with a professional smile, "I wonder if we have the honor of knowing, where do you think your end is?"
"It varies at different times."
Maël gradually entered the rhythm of the interview, calmly answering their questions, "For the current moment, it's still about playing well this season, striving to leave something behind for this place, and gaining more achievements for myself.
"Not clear enough? Okay, since the team has achieved such a ranking in the first half of the season.
"Then I hope that we can reach the Premier League at the end of the season, that would be a highlight moment to remember for a lifetime, especially when it happens in your debut season.
"Personally, I hope to get the Season's Best commemorative trophy as I wish, be selected for the end-of-season Best Lineup, perfectly end the EFL Championship journey, and go to a higher stage."
"..."
"I certainly don't think I'm talking big, in fact, your statement has no basis, because we are already standing here at the halfway point, and I am holding the Best Player trophy.
"I have every reason to believe in myself, leave everything to time."
"..."
"Sean Long and Graham? I do know them very well, they are two very strong competitors.
"However, I still won this honor, I am proud of my stage success, and I will show a better state in the second half to compete with them."
"..."
"Yes, you can take my words as I am sure I will stay on the team, I am just sure."
After the interview, Maël held the football in his left hand and the Best Player cylinder in his right hand, thanked the reporters, and left.
Many people congratulated him again, and he nodded to signal to them.
After returning to the court, he handed the Best Player cylinder to Ava to play with, chatted with his aunt and uncle for a while, and then packed up and went home.
He was too tired today, he needed to rest well, and take his family out for a walk tomorrow during the holiday.
"17-year-old Maël wins the EFL Championship Mid-Season Best with an amazing record of 15 goals and 14 assists! Breaking the record! He is the youngest player to receive this honor in all levels of English leagues." - BBC EFL Championship Column
"EFL Championship Best Lineup released, Queen's Park Rangers 4 players, Norwich 3 players, Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest 2 players each, 17-year-old Maël and Sean Long lead!" - 442 Best Lineup
"Maël and Janu Hans were named Mid-Season Best Players, the two combined to create 44 goals in the first half of the season!" - Sheffield Football Newspaper
"Want to lead Sheffield United to Promotion to the Super League? Arsenal youngster Maël makes a bold statement, it is rumored that he has attracted the attention of many giants." - Sky Sports
"EFL Championship history 'first person', with the age of 17, Maël has broken many 'young' records this season, such as players winning the Season's Best Player, will have the highest value in the history of EFL Championship players!" - Transfermarkt Official
The next day, the mid-season ended.
Those who frequently follow mainstream football media have noticed that many outlets are reporting on the EFL Championship.
And whenever the EFL Championship is mentioned, Maël's name is almost certain to appear in the headlines, or at the very least, be mentioned in the body of the article.
Gradually, people have realized that this seems to have become an unavoidable name in English professional football.
"Who's Maël?"
Just like when Wenger first arrived in the British Isles, many people asked this question on social media.
Although many people had already been following Maël, the majority were still unaware, and more people needed to be educated by those in the know.
"A magical genius!"
"The new Ronaldo!"
"The new Henry!"
"The French monster from Colney!"
"A devil who creates more than 1 goal per game!"
"Don't let his youthful face fool you, he's fierce on the field. I haven't really seen any EFL Championship defenders patting their chests and saying they aren't afraid of him at all."
Unlike before, after achieving the Mid-Season Best award, those who didn't dare to praise him openly before now dared to.
All sorts of new terms were coined, and Maël was labeled as a demon, a lizard man, a monster, giving those who hadn't seen him play a sense of mystery.
Especially after they dug up Maël's stats, they felt that this person was unfathomable, as if he knew how to play football from the womb.
15 goals and 14 assists in 23 games! Who wouldn't be captivated by that? A large number of people found his account, clicked follow, and left messages expressing their anticipation for the day he would land in the Premier League.
Since the player hasn't arrived in the top league yet, fans lack understanding of him and mostly won't watch his games, so there is relatively little skepticism at this time.
The comments section is peaceful, and everyone seems to have become a gardener who loves and cares for flowers and plants, hoping that the child can grow up strong.
Colney Training Base, winter has arrived, and there are few pedestrians outdoors.
Hans, wearing a dark black suit coat, walked on the road full of pine trees, shivering from the cold, constantly rubbing his hands, but his steps were firm, as if something good had happened.
In fact, even without any good news, he has been in a good mood for the past six months, and his temper has become much milder.
This is a rare highlight year in his life. The last time he felt this way was when he first joined Arsenal.
The reason, of course, is also related to Maël and Gilbert.
As a youth training coach, there is nothing more fulfilling than watching his former disciples achieve great success step by step.
Especially Maël, the EFL Championship Mid-Season Best Player, from obscurity to a recognized monster-level genius!
Hans's back has straightened a bit. When his wife asks him to do housework at home, he can finally confidently reply: "Wait a minute, I'm watching Maël's game, doing some analysis, and I'll talk to him about tactics when he gets back."
Speaking of which, he always feels that he has some kind of connection with Maël, connected by those football shoes.
It's not that he's trying to build a relationship, and he doesn't really think he's that important to Maël, but he just thinks that Maël shouldn't forget him.
That's enough. When Maël comes back, he must invite Maël to sit at his house.
On that day, he will call all his relatives and friends and show off to them!
The phone rang, and Hans regained his thoughts and clicked to answer: "Mr. Wenger, I'm on my way."
"Hurry up, Mendes is almost here."
The voice on the other end was anxious and worried, and after a pause, he instructed: "Do you remember what I said before? Only speak when I ask you. If I don't ask you, don't interrupt. We can't make any mistakes."
"Mainly talk about his time in the youth training camp, tell the truth, and exaggerate a little when it's in our favor. You should understand."
"I remember, no problem, sir."
Hans nodded. He received the news yesterday that Mr. Wenger had invited him to attend the final round of negotiations with Mendes at the club.
He picked and chose, and finally went to the street with his wife to buy a suit coat, as this was an important occasion after all.
"If I don't ask you anything, just don't speak and sit next to me."
"Okay."
Hans quickened his pace, fearing that he would be late and affect the negotiation. He wouldn't think of going up and saying a few words to show his presence.
It's good to see negotiations between a top agent and a first-team coach, especially when it involves Maël's contract.
Fifteen minutes later, in the first-team coach's office, four or five people in suits appeared.
Even with Hans's careful grooming, his appearance seemed rather dull compared to these sophisticated elites.
"Mr. Wenger."
Mendes took the initiative to sit on the sofa, crossed his legs, and offered cigars to everyone. "If we could have signed a few days ago, perhaps I would have accepted the offer of a 50k Weekly Salary and a 650,000 pound Signing Fee, but unfortunately, we didn't.
"Now, my player's value has likely increased, as everyone knows. He won the Season's Best Player award two days ago."
He lit a cigar, brought it close to his nose, and smiled. "Such an amazing achievement, at only 17 years old. You have a keen eye for talent, I've said that many times, and I'm sure you won't be stingy in this situation.
"If I were looking at it from the club's perspective, the most crucial thing right now is to maintain a good relationship with the player, and, oh, of course, with his agent."
He seized the initiative, expressing his views. "After all, he can be cultivated as a future core player. Even if you said you wanted to use him to replace Fabregas, I wouldn't be surprised."
Wenger sat with Philip, also with his legs crossed, listening quietly to Mendes.
Due to their professional relationship, he certainly didn't have any fondness for people like Mendes, and might even dislike them.
He didn't want to discuss the issue after the other party had said so much, as that would put him at a disadvantage. He shifted the topic. "Let's talk about that later. First, let's discuss whether the player will return in the winter transfer window."
Recently, he hadn't been having a good time. The team had just been tied by a last-minute goal from EFL Championship underdog Wigan Athletic, losing two points.
In this situation, watching a loaned player continuously win awards in a lower-level league, advancing triumphantly, easily stirred up complex emotions.
Similarly, it was easy to develop an extreme desire for the player, wanting to call him back to train and keep him by his side.
"We've already discussed this."
Mendes saw that Wenger was changing the subject, but he wasn't in a hurry. "If Arsenal can guarantee 50% playing time, I'll find a way to persuade the player.
"I don't think this is an excessive request. Remember years ago? The reason Cristiano firmly went to Manchester United, besides the price, was mainly because Sir Ferguson had promised him..."
He reopened a wound in Wenger's heart, causing Wenger's emotions to fluctuate violently, and he interrupted, "Don't mention the past."
Mendes waved his hands, indicating that he didn't mean anything by it, then leaned forward to flick ash. "Cristiano didn't sacrifice anything and still got the promise of 50% playing time, while Maël will sacrifice a lot."
Wenger's hand, hidden in his left pocket, slowly clenched. If he were managing another club, he would be willing to give not just 50%, but 70% of the time.
But he was managing Arsenal, and a top-four league position was crucial to them.
If they failed to qualify for the Champions League for a season, couldn't accumulate Champions League points, and didn't receive generous bonus rewards, the club would be in a deep debt crisis.
He felt very conflicted. The more he liked Maël, the more he wanted to maintain the club's stability, as only in this way could he provide enough attraction for the player in the future, creating a good environment for leveling up.
And the more he wanted the club's stability, the less he could rashly recall the player and give a promise of 50% playing time.
A vicious cycle! Wenger frowned, just like the expression he often showed, but no one knew the struggle he was facing in his heart at this moment. He always bore enormous pressure when making choices.
"The club will give up recalling him."
After a long silence, he made a decision, took a hard puff of his cigarette, and then smiled in relief. "We will continue to follow him and look forward to his achievements at Sheffield United, so he can return to Arsenal in better shape.
"Hopefully, when we meet at the end of the season, both of us will be better and achieve a wonderful collaboration."
He still chose stability, but this time, he hoped he wouldn't miss out regretfully like before.
"We agree on this point."
Mendes smiled and reached out his hand to shake Wenger's. After shaking hands, his expression became serious. Next, it was time to discuss the important part.
ps: Asking for monthly tickets!! Thank you for your support. Seeing how hard I'm working to update, please don't just keep the book, brothers.
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