Chapter 17: Preparing for the Leap

After the international break, on the first day of the team's gathering, Hyung-min went out to the entrance of Burnley's training center to welcome his four new signings.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to Burnley Football Club!"

"Coach! No, I mean, Manager! You sound like a tour guide!"

Karim Adeyemi, a young German striker with curly hair sticking out and a height of 180 cm, approached Hyung-min with a friendly tone.

At his teammate's joke, Nicholas Seiwald, a 179 cm Austrian midfielder of the same age with neatly trimmed blonde hair, chuckled.

"Hehe. You were like that back at Salzburg too. Anyway, congratulations on officially becoming the manager!"

Karim Adeyemi, a promising attacking talent from RB Salzburg, and Nicholas Seiwald, the midfield maestro, approached Hyung-min, greeting him warmly with handshakes and hugs.

Behind them, two slightly more hesitant players stepped forward.

"Hello, sir! I'm Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa!"

Jacob Ramsey, an English player with a 180 cm frame and short, curly hair, introduced himself loudly.

"…Uh, we're with Burnley now, right? I'm Hannibal Mejbri. Burnley's new midfielder."

Next to him, Hannibal Mejbri, a French-born Tunisian with a mane of hair that could be mistaken for a lion's or a reggae style, greeted Hyung-min with a sly grin.

For some reason, despite Hannibal's 183 cm height, he seemed smaller than the 180 cm Jacob Ramsey—perhaps due to his cheeky demeanor, Hyung-min thought with a smile.

"Welcome, Jacob and Hannibal. Let's get along well from now on."

After shaking hands with the remaining two, Hyung-min led the four into the training center.

"Karim and Nicholas were together with me at Salzburg, and Jacob, you've already met them, right?"

Hyung-min asked as he explained the facilities while walking.

"Yes, though we didn't have much time to talk," Jacob replied stiffly.

Karim snickered beside him.

"Manager, this guy's so uptight!"

"Hey, don't say it like that."

Nicholas Seiwald intervened to stop Karim Adeyemi's teasing.

Watching the exchange, Hannibal asked, "Wait, why do three of them already know each other?"

"Oh, since we came from Salzburg, the club arranged a boarding house nearby for us. And Jacob said it'd be tough to commute from Birmingham every day, so he's staying with us. It's super close to the training ground," Karim Adeyemi explained proudly, skipping over some context.

Hannibal suddenly shouted, "I want to join the boarding house too!"

"Uh? No, there's no need for that… You're with Manchester United, so Burnley isn't that far from home, right?"

Hyung-min, flustered, tried to dissuade him, but Hannibal insisted firmly.

"No! I want to live with my teammates and build camaraderie!"

"Uh… if you really want to?"

"I really want to!"

---

*[That guy… he's trying to suck up to the manager, isn't he?]*

While changing in the locker room for morning training, Karim Adeyemi muttered in German under his breath.

Nicholas Seiwald, who had spent the past few years with his same-aged friend, shrugged as if used to it.

*[So what? He's not even your positional rival. As long as he's good, it's fine.]*

*[Hey, aren't you worried? You're a midfielder, and he's a midfielder too!]*

*[Our roles are different. And you know the manager isn't the type to be swayed by that kind of thing.]*

*[I know. I know that well. That's why we came to Burnley in the first place.]*

Karim Adeyemi grumbled but clicked his tongue, still seemingly displeased.

*[Well… he's supposed to be one of Manchester United's prized prospects, so he's probably got some basic skill at least.]*

"What are you all doing? Hurry up and get changed! No point in dressing up nice—there aren't any girls here you'd want to impress!"

Arthur, the senior coach, banged on the locker room door and shouted.

Both the new recruits and the existing players quickly finished up and headed out to the training ground under the stern British old man's orders.

It was a September morning in Burnley, with sunlight finally starting to break through.

After a light warm-up, the Burnley players, as they were accustomed to, split into groups of three to practice short passes.

Since this was a drill Hyung-min had introduced back in his Salzburg days, Karim Adeyemi and Nicholas Seiwald didn't need any time to adjust.

"Hmm, spatial constraints. And performing pass-and-move within those limits?"

Hannibal Mejbri tilted his head as he observed the training ground lined with cones and markers, quickly grasping the drill's purpose with his genius-level insight.

As if wary of Hannibal, Karim Adeyemi subtly pulled Nicholas Seiwald closer during the group assignments and approached him.

"What's up?" Hannibal asked, noticing the two peers coming toward him.

"Hey, let's be in the next group together. To. Get. To. Know. Each. Other."

At Karim Adeyemi's words, both the challenger and the challenged let out sly chuckles.

"Hehehe…"

*This kind of mind game? I've dealt with it plenty in Paris, Monaco, and Man United. Some country bumpkin from Austria dares to challenge me…?*

*Hah. Manchester United prospect, huh? Let's see you get humbled by the Red Bull system.*

If Burnley's veterans had overheard their thoughts, they'd have been dumbfounded. The two prospects glared at each other.

"Hmm…"

Jack Cork, Burnley's vice-captain and veteran midfielder, let out a low hum.

Football isn't determined by age—he knew that well.

Dwight McNeil, a homegrown attacking talent Burnley had nurtured, was only 21 but already had the skill to compete in any Premier League team.

Still, there's a slight difference depending on the position. Typically, footballers peak in their mid-to-late 20s when physical ability and experience harmonize. After that, as aging sets in, their skills gradually decline. Forwards and midfielders, who rely on high activity levels, tend to fade faster, while goalkeepers, with relatively less movement, have the longest careers.

Of course, generational talents like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi defy age, but most players can't escape time's toll.

Now past 30, Jack had started compensating for his declining physicality with experience. At 32 this year, the drop-off was steepening, and the gaps his savvy could cover were shrinking.

That didn't mean he'd automatically lose to late teens or early 20-somethings with less experience. They had room to grow but often got outsmarted by seasoned veterans.

No matter how talented a prospect, stacking experience isn't easy.

From what he knew: Karim Adeyemi, born in 2002, was 19. Nicholas Seiwald, the same age, was also 19. Hannibal Mejbri, born in 2003, was just 18.

Normally, they'd be in the youth team, hovering around the reserves.

"Where did he find these monsters…?"

As the surrounding veterans watched in awe, the three newcomers moved frantically in tight spaces, exchanging one-touch short passes at a dizzying pace.

Karim Adeyemi used his quick feet to shift positions at lightning speed, sending passes into open spaces. Hannibal Mejbri stretched out his legs—right foot, left foot, instep, outstep, even toe-pokes and backheels—relying on technique and creativity to keep the ball alive with one touch. Nicholas Seiwald, lacking Karim's speed or Hannibal's flair, compensated with solid fundamentals and relentless work rate, keeping the ball in play.

Jack Cork watched with a mix of despair and anticipation.

*Beep!*

"Jacob! That pass was over 5 meters. One fine!"

At senior coach Arthur's shout, Jacob Ramsey—born in 2001, the oldest of the loanees at 20 but not part of that crazy trio—panicked.

"Uh… what's this…!"

Honed in sturdy English football, the young English midfielder floundered in this unfamiliar drill, racking up fines.

Burnley's veterans shook their heads sympathetically at his expression.

"Tsk tsk. That kid's gonna pay a lot of fines early on."

"If he's not careful, by the end of his loan, he might owe the club money instead of earning a wage!"

"Oh, that'd be great! We're short on cash these days!"

---

*[Today's Burnley's first match since officially appointing Kim as manager. They lost Ashley Westwood to Norwich just before the summer transfer window closed, significantly weakening their squad.]*

As usual, the TVs in Burnley homes were tuned to the local football broadcast.

The matchup wasn't big enough for national coverage—just a team from the rural northwest town of Burnley facing off against a club from the countryside village of Watford in central England.

Though Watford, just 15 miles from London, could argue it's more of a suburb than countryside, Burnley had no such excuse.

Naturally, the local caster favored Burnley slightly, and the commentator nodded.

*[Yes, it seems the rumors about Burnley's financial struggles are true. Losing veteran midfielder Ashley Westwood, they've brought in four loanees.]*

The commentator sighed, glancing at the data.

*[Let's see… 20, 19, 19, 18… Honestly, it's embarrassing to call them immediate impact players.]*

*[It looks like Burnley couldn't afford significant loan fees due to their finances. They've filled out the roster numbers, but it feels like they've handed Kim an impossibly tough task.]*