Chapter 7 :– Le Professeur

Kai knocked on the door, feeling a pleasant thrill.

"Come in."

A familiar voice came from inside.

Kai carefully opened the door and stepped in.

A welcome silhouette he hadn't seen in a long time.

The moment he saw the man's face, his nervousness melted away.

The embodiment of Arsenal itself, the manager who had written the club's glorious history—

Le Professeur, Arsène Wenger.

Meeting him again brought a wave of emotions.

Wenger, who had been reviewing some documents while seated, looked up at Kai and smiled warmly before getting up from his seat.

He slowly approached Kai.

"So, you're Arata."

"Yes, coach."

Wenger shook hands with Kai, adjusted his glasses, and gestured for him to take a seat.

"Have a seat. Let's talk."

"Thank you."

"Did you come straight from training?"

"Oh, yes. That's right."

"Any trouble adapting?"

They started with small talk, easing into the conversation.

From the weather to recent updates, their chat flowed naturally.

As they conversed in a friendly atmosphere, Wenger observed Kai's composed and articulate responses with admiration.

'Huh. This is quite unusual.'

Most young prospects felt extremely nervous in front of him.

They would either stammer out "yes" or "no" repeatedly or freeze up, unable to speak properly.

But Kai Arata was different.

"Do you enjoy cooking, coach?"

"My parents run a restaurant. It's quite famous in the Islington district. You should visit sometime if you have the chance."

"There's a big age gap between me and my teammates, but they treat me well, so I haven't had any difficulties adjusting."

Instead of simply answering questions, he engaged in the conversation and even asked questions back, maintaining a natural dialogue.

It was as if Wenger was speaking to a seasoned veteran rather than a teenage prospect.

'He's certainly not an ordinary player.'

Wenger had started with small talk to help Kai relax, but seeing how composed he was, there was no need to drag it out any longer.

He got straight to the point.

"Arata, the reason I called you here today is that I wanted to know how you've grown and what kind of thoughts you have."

"I see."

"How's training with the reserve team?"

Kai responded calmly.

"It's not much different from the drills I did at the academy, so I haven't had much trouble adjusting."

"How's your relationship with your teammates?"

"They treat me well despite the age difference."

Wenger nodded approvingly.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I've had a lot of help from Emmanuel Frimpong."

"I've received reports that you two are close."

"Haha. Is that so?"

Kai chuckled awkwardly.

Since they were practically inseparable both on and off the training ground, it was no surprise.

Of course, he didn't mind.

Frimpong had been the first to approach him, and he was the kind of person who kept the atmosphere light, bringing energy and laughter to the team.

Kai was genuinely grateful for his friendship.

"You've been a big motivation for Frimpong."

"Oh, I heard he increased his personal training. He must be working hard."

"He's talented, but his laziness was a concern. It's a relief that he's finally feeling challenged."

Though Kai didn't show it on the outside, he completely agreed.

Frimpong was a natural talent.

He had excellent learning ability and could apply what he learned effectively.

'He has an instinctive sense for the game.'

He knew exactly how to make opponents uncomfortable.

His football intelligence was quite high.

Kai believed that if Frimpong truly committed to improving, he could become a solid midfielder for a mid-to-upper-tier Premier League team.

'His problem is laziness and overconfidence.'

Even though he saw Jack Wilshere as both a friend and a rival, he didn't push himself.

He relied too much on his natural ability rather than putting in the effort.

The club was frustrated with him.

But after witnessing Kai's relentless work ethic firsthand, Frimpong started changing.

He increased his individual training and became more active in tactical meetings.

The reserve team's coaching staff was thrilled with his transformation.

As Frimpong changed, the attitude of the other players also shifted.

They became more proactive in training.

Many started recognizing their weaknesses and working to improve them.

A healthy competitive spirit was emerging.

Wenger had also noticed the change within the reserve team, and he expressed his approval.

"It's a good sign. The right amount of competition benefits the team."

"You're absolutely right, coach."

"This season, we might see quite a few call-ups to the first team."

"The boys would love to hear that."

Wenger smiled at Kai's response and naturally thought about the current state of the first team.

A sigh escaped him.

His captain and key player, Cesc Fàbregas, had informed the club of his desire to leave for Barcelona.

Samir Nasri was also looking for a way out.

The club had been struggling to sign reinforcements, often losing their targets to rival teams.

The atmosphere was anything but good.

To turn things around, a drastic change was necessary.

'Should I bring Arata up to the first team?'

There was no doubt about his talent.

Just a few days ago, Wenger had reviewed video footage of Kai, and he was in awe of what he saw.

'It was absolutely breathtaking.'

It sent shivers down his spine.

Passing, dribbling, ball control—he could hold his own against senior players.

'And most importantly… his play is beautiful.'

How many young players could maintain their style and confidence among seasoned professionals?

He wanted to bring Kai into the first team immediately and watch him closely.

But reserve team coach Banfield was strongly opposed.

'He said the boy still needs time to adapt.'

After much consideration, Wenger decided to respect Banfield's opinion.

Kai had just turned 16 and had only been with the reserve team for three weeks.

He still needed further evaluation.

The Reserve League was just as fast-paced and physical as the Premier League.

Wenger told himself not to rush.

Instead, he resolved to pressure Banfield into sending him weekly reports.

Wenger smiled warmly and spoke.

"I've read reports that you have a rough and temperamental personality, but after talking to you, I see that's not entirely true."

Kai let out a chuckle.

Ever since returning to the past, his personality had become a frequent topic of discussion wherever he went.

It was a bit embarrassing whenever people looked at him as if they were wondering if he had turned over a new leaf.

"Arata, if you stay humble and continue to work hard like you are now, good things will surely come your way."

"Thank you, coach."

"Good. That will be all for today. It was a pleasure talking to you."

"The pleasure was mine, coach."

Wenger personally walked Kai to the door, offering words of encouragement.

It was advice that would become deeply ingrained in him.

There was a reason why so many players called Wenger their father figure.

Once you were under his wing, he took full responsibility for you until the very end.

"Arata."

"Yes, coach?"

Wenger smiled kindly.

"Please give my regards to your parents and tell them I really enjoyed the meal."

"Oh! Of course! I'll make sure to tell them!"

After shaking Wenger's hand, Kai headed toward the reserve team's training ground.

Although their conversation had been brief, it had been a successful meeting.

The last time he had spoken with Wenger, he had been so nervous that he barely managed to say anything, just anxiously observing the coach's reactions.

At the time, he thought he had been summoned because of conflicts with his teammates.

"I really left a bad first impression back then."

Because Kai had fallen out of Wenger's favor, he hadn't been included in the pre-season squad or the Asia Tour, instead being stuck with the reserve team.

The only reason he had eventually joined the first team during the season was due to a decision by the club.

When Kai had started disrupting the reserve team's atmosphere, they had forcefully promoted him to the first team.

At the time, he had been ecstatic about the call-up, completely unaware of the real reason behind it.

Looking back now, it was an embarrassing memory.

It had practically been a warning of an impending release.

Kai felt a flicker of anticipation.

"Maybe this time, I'll get a chance to join."

He wasn't even hoping for the Asia Tour.

There was no place for a player his age on that squad.

But he did want to participate in the training camp in Cologne, Germany.

In previous years, the club's most promising prospects were called up for first-team training. However, Kai hadn't received an invitation.

This time, things were different.

He had worked hard to leave a good impression and had made sure to build good relationships with his reserve team teammates, avoiding any conflicts.

He hadn't done anything to disrupt the team's atmosphere.

"I have to be there."

Kai was determined to join the pre-season training for one simple reason.

Making an impression during pre-season would increase his chances of a first-team call-up.

Frimpong had been promoted early for that very reason.

After being included in the pre-season squad, he had delivered strong performances in friendlies, winning over the coaching staff.

Kai dug into his memories, recalling Arsenal's 2011-12 first-team squad.

He also factored in the new signings.

Goalkeepers: Manuel Almunia, Wojciech Szczęsny, Łukasz Fabiański

Defenders: Bacary Sagna, Per Mertesacker (new signing), Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, André Santos (new signing), Sébastien Squillaci, Johan Djourou, Carl Jenkinson (new signing), Kieran Gibbs

Midfielders: Abou Diaby, Tomáš Rosický, Mikel Arteta (new signing), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (new signing), Aaron Ramsey, Alex Song, Jack Wilshere, Emmanuel Frimpong (call-up), Francis Coquelin

Forwards: Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott, Andrey Arshavin, Gervinho (new signing), Marouane Chamakh, Yossi Benayoun (loan), Ryo Miyaichi, Nicklas Bendtner

At first glance, it looked like the midfield was packed.

But that was an illusion.

Arsenal had a huge injury crisis.

Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere were both out for the entire season with long-term injuries.

Tomáš Rosický was struggling with constant minor injuries, causing him to lose form. Aaron Ramsey had only just recovered from a serious injury himself.

Arteta and Oxlade-Chamberlain were new signings.

Frimpong and Coquelin were still unpolished talents with potential but hadn't fully developed.

This meant that Alex Song was Arsenal's only established first-team midfielder.

"There's definitely a spot open."

For young prospects, this was the perfect season to get opportunities.

Kai had already won a starting spot once before in his past life.

Doing it a second time wouldn't be any harder.

"Arata!"

A familiar voice called out.

Emmanuel Frimpong was waving enthusiastically, grinning as he approached.

"I heard you had a meeting with the boss?"

"Yeah, I just finished."

"Wow! That's amazing, man! A one-on-one meeting with the boss!"

"What about you? What brings you here?"

"Me? I'm here for a meeting with him too, obviously. By the way, did he ask you anything important?"

As expected of one of the club's top prospects, Frimpong had also been given a private meeting.

Kai didn't think much of it.

Frimpong wasn't his competition.

They played in completely different roles.

Kai smirked.

"You're asking for free information?"

"Tch. You're such a pain. Fine, I'll buy you dinner."

"Deal."

Frimpong's real competition was Alex Song and Francis Coquelin.

Would he be able to break through and secure a spot in the team?

Would the future change because of it?

Kai was excited to find out.