Promotion

Komi dropped Izan off at the academy a day after the Alboraya match. He stood at the entrance for a while, his thoughts scrambled. 

He didn't understand what he had done to warrant a promotion—he had only played a scrimmage match and just one official game for the team.

Shaking off his confusion, he walked in and headed toward Coach Oryazabal's office.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in," a voice called from inside. It sounded like Coach Oryazabal.

Izan opened the door and entered.

"Close the door behind you," Oryazabal ordered. He was sitting behind a cluttered desk covered with scattered papers. In the corner of the room stood a man Izan hadn't noticed at first—until he spoke.

"Hello, Izan."

Izan nearly jumped. "Yo, what the fu—" He cut himself off before completing the swear word.

"This guy should try being a ninja," Izan thought as he sat down.

The man, whom Izan now recognized as Ferran from the youth department, spoke again. "Do you know about your promotion?"

"Yeah," Izan answered.

"We usually don't go through this process for a promotion, but the club sees you as a very valuable asset, so we wanted to discuss a few things," Ferran explained.

"Okay… so what do you want to talk about?" Izan asked.

"Based on your recent match and training performances, Assistant Coach Patricio Moreno—who also oversees the youth side—has deemed you fit to be promoted to the under-19s. 

However, to ensure that another club doesn't snatch you away, we've decided to offer you a contract until you turn 18."

"Of course, the terms can be amended, such as wages, if the club deems your performance worthy," Ferran added.

"The club will set targets—such as goals and assists—that you must meet in order to negotiate better wages. But for now, we'd like to offer you a yearly remuneration of €25,000."

Coach Oryazabal, who had been quietly listening, raised an eyebrow. Wow, the club is pulling out all the stops for him. 

On average, a kid under 16 usually gets between €10,000 and €12,000 a year. But if he plays the way he does now in the under-19s, and eventually the senior team, this will be a steal for Valencia.

Izan thought for a moment before speaking. "I might not know much about football negotiations, but I know there's something called a buyout clause. How much is mine?"

"For now, the club has set your buyout clause at €5 million. Any club that offers this amount or more will have the opportunity to open negotiations."

"Isn't that a bit too much?" Oryazabal asked.

"The club values Izan at least that much," Ferran replied.

"Is there any leeway, or is it fixed? I mean, this is a negotiation, after all," Oryazabal pressed.

"How much leeway are you suggesting?" Ferran asked.

"Not more than €3.5 million for the buyout clause," Oryazabal suggested.

"Done," Ferran said quickly, making Oryazabal regret not pushing for an even lower amount.

"As for remuneration, I think it should go up to €25,000," Oryazabal added.

Ferran thought for a while before nodding. "Agreed. We'll sign an NDA, and this contract will be kept under wraps for now." He picked up the contract and slid it over to Oryazabal. 

"The club also expects at least seven goals and eleven assists from Izan once he's settled in with the under-19s."

"Hey, isn't that a bit much?" Oryazabal asked.

"This is simply a target for him to meet if he wants to renegotiate his wages or amend the contract," Ferran clarified.

Oryazabal looked at Izan, who nodded for him to continue. After reading through the contract and finding nothing harmful, Oryazabal looked at Izan. "Do you want to sign it?"

"Well, my mom told you to oversee it because she doesn't know much about these things. So if it's good with you, then it's probably okay," Izan said.

Oryazabal nodded and passed the contract to Izan, who signed it before handing it back to Ferran.

Ferran smiled. "We wish you a bright future with us."

As he left, Oryazabal turned to Izan. "Well, congratulations. You've been promoted to the under-19s. From today onward, you will no longer be training with us." His expression was somewhat bittersweet.

"Uh, Coach? Why are you acting like you won't see me anymore? Aren't you the assistant coach for the youth team?" Izan asked, smirking.

Oryazabal chuckled. "That's true. But still, it's a big step up."

"The under-19s have training tomorrow. Go home, get some rest, and be ready to join them," Oryazabal instructed.

"Okay, Coach," Izan said. He stood up, exited the office, and headed to the locker room to collect his belongings. Luckily, no one was there, as the players were still on the pitch.

After calling Komi, he stood by the entrance waiting for her. A few minutes later, she arrived, and he got into the car.

Locker Room Reactions

After training, the players returned to the locker room to shower. As they chatted, Huévés spotted a piece of paper pinned to the notice board. He walked over to read it.

A few seconds later, he shouted, "No f-ing way!"

The players turned to him.

"Izan got promoted to the under-19s."

"What rubbish are you talking about?"

"Hey, how could that happen?"

"Let me see."

Adeyemi pushed past Huévés, who was being bombarded with questions. He took a closer look at the notice and confirmed it.

"It's really true."

"Not you too, Adeyemi!" the players groaned.

"See for yourself," Adeyemi said, taking the paper off the board and showing it around.

"But how? He only played one match. I admit he's very good, but isn't this rushed?" one player questioned.

Sosà smiled upon hearing the news. I'll be there soon, he thought with determination.

Coach Oryazabal entered and cleared his throat. "I see you've all heard. Izan has been promoted to the under-19s and will no longer be with us. I hope this motivates you all to train hard and play well—you could be next."

With that, he left. Some players still couldn't believe it, but others put it aside and returned to the pitch for extra training. Oryazabal, watching from afar, was pleased.

That evening, Izan sat with his mom and sister and told them about the contract.

"Really, Miura? You're going to get paid?" Komi said, a bit surprised. She knew that players under 16 usually didn't earn much, yet her son was getting €25,000 a year.

They talked more about his future. Izan was about to start senior high school, which meant juggling football with studies.

"It'll be tough, but I'll manage," he said with a grin.

"Wow, I feel so sorry for you," Hori said sarcastically, knowing full well that Izan was thrilled.

After dinner, Izan went to his room, scrolled through his phone for a while, and then went to bed.