Chapter 65: They Will Compromise [Third installment]

Arsenal has entered the race for the English Premier League title!

This came as a surprise to many media pundits.

However, a number of football experts analyzed the situation across various television programs and newspapers.

They concurred that it was hardly strange for Arsenal to return to the title contention.

The reason was simple: they possessed a remarkably efficient forward.

Robin van Persie had been highly efficient.

In thirteen league matches, Van Persie had scored nine goals.

Yet, Li Mo's efficiency was even greater.

He had already netted eleven goals.

Therefore, although Arsenal had let Van Persie go, their attacking prowess had suffered little to no loss.

Centering their tactics around Li Mo, Arsenal had forged a highly effective attacking system—even if there were still vulnerabilities in their defense.

Yet, this was the Premier League.

In this tumultuous realm of the English top flight.

Arsenal had performed so admirably in clashes against the heavyweights, proving their capacity to handle grueling battles—after thirteen league matches, Arsenal had essentially played against nearly all the elite teams.

They had defeated Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Manchester United, while drawing with Liverpool.

In the so-called Premier League "Big Six" mini-league, Arsenal currently sat at the very top in terms of points accumulated.

Meanwhile, the opponents awaiting Arsenal for the remainder of the first half of the season were predominantly mid-table and lower-tier sides.

If they maintained their form, embarking on a direct winning streak was entirely within the realm of possibility.

Consequently, the North London media were now enthusiastically eyeing Arsenal's title prospects.

If they could hold steady through the first half of the season, inject a surge of adrenaline into the second half, and remain within striking distance of the summit during the final few rounds...

Who would ultimately claim the crown remained entirely unpredictable.

"Do not forget... Professor Wenger has experience in winning titles!"

Speaking on a London Sports Television broadcast, Arsenal legend Wright stated with absolute confidence that Professor Wenger certainly possessed the ability to lead Arsenal in a charge for the championship.

"We have Li Mo! A Li Mo even better than Van Persie!" Wright proclaimed with considerable pride.

The Premier League schedule remained quite congested.

Just three days after the conclusion of the thirteenth round of fixtures, Arsenal were set to travel away to face Fulham.

In fact, because the match against Fulham was scheduled for a noon kickoff, the entire Arsenal squad essentially had a little over two days of rest.

It could virtually be described as a back-to-back fixture.

Therefore, on the day following the match against Manchester United, the entire Arsenal squad was granted a day off.

Wenger did not arrange any training sessions.

As the frantic December Christmas schedule approached, one could hardly expect any systematic training.

With matches coming at a relentless pace of every three to four days, ensuring the players got proper rest and avoided injuries meant victory had already been half won.

However, Wenger and his coaching staff were given no such respite; they immediately had to formulate strategies to counter their next opponents.

Deciding which players to rest, who should start, and what tactics to implement—all these required meticulous planning by the coaching staff.

Upon arriving at the London Colney training ground, Wenger soon received a familiar phone call.

"I am sorry, Arsène. I forgot to invite you for a drink last night."

Sir Alex Ferguson's voice resonated from the other end of the line.

Hearing such an unusually polite tone from his counterpart, Wenger instantly grew vigilant.

"Say whatever you want to say, Alex."

"It's nothing... I just wanted to talk to you about Li Mo..."

"Don't even think about it!"

Wenger immediately hung up the phone.

His expression turned fiercely guarded.

This old fox.

Luring Van Persie away was one thing.

Now he wanted to poach Li Mo as well?

This was simply beyond tolerance!

On the other end of the line, Ferguson helplessly put his handset down.

Though he rarely uttered words of praise for Li Mo in public, facing a center-forward who was young, prolific, and brimming with potential, Ferguson naturally harbored a deep envy.

Initially, he had felt immensely thrilled about snatching Van Persie right out from under Arsenal's nose.

Yet Wenger had immediately countered by signing Li Mo.

That swift retaliation now left Ferguson feeling rather uncomfortable.

Van Persie was already twenty-nine and fast approaching thirty.

And Li Mo?

He was merely seventeen years old!

By comparison, poor Van Persie suddenly felt like yesterday's news.

"Arsenal certainly won't sell Li Mo right now; he has only just joined them..." Mike Phelan remarked, believing Ferguson's probing was an utter waste of effort.

"That is hardly certain..." Ferguson said, lowering the phone and narrowing his eyes.

As Li Mo's fame continued to grow day by day, he was bound to attract the attention of more elite clubs...

Of that, Wenger had not the slightest doubt.

Furthermore, Li Mo's relationship with Arsenal was not like that of Jack Wilshere.

He was a youth product of AC Milan.

Wenger could never guarantee that Li Mo would remain immune to the temptations of other super clubs—leaving aside the sheer stature of those clubs, Arsenal simply could not compete with them when it came to wages alone.

Consequently, upon receiving Ferguson's call, a profound sense of urgency gripped Wenger's heart.

Although he considered the media's chorus of "Arsenal are challenging for the title" to be overly optimistic, Wenger did not deny that if the team could maintain consistency and avoid widespread injuries, this season indeed presented a genuine opportunity.

The multi-team battle for the championship had opened a window for Arsenal to fish in troubled waters.

Therefore, securing Li Mo had now become Wenger's paramount priority.

Renewing Li Mo's contract would, on the one hand, extinguish the designs of rival clubs, and on the other hand, provide reassurance to the rest of the squad, thereby stabilizing morale!

Wenger promptly sought out Ivan Gazidis to discuss the matter of Li Mo's contract renewal.

"The winter transfer window is about to open, and we must give our fans peace of mind. Besides... if Li Mo has not completed his renewal before the window opens, I fear external factors will affect his performances on the pitch and disrupt the stability of the dressing room."

Wenger said with a furrowed brow.

Wenger was frowning.

Gazidis was frowning even deeper.

Spreading his hands, he replied, "Arsène, it is not that we are unwilling to offer him a new contract, but his agent's demands are simply too high!"

"They are actually demanding the highest wages in the squad! A weekly salary of 100,000 pounds! He is only seventeen years old and already asking for 100,000—what will he demand for his next contract?"

Gazidis's expression appeared somewhat exaggerated.

Internally, Wenger scoffed: *His next contract? With such stinginess on our part, he might not even be willing to sign another one.*

Sighing, Wenger said, "Judging by his contributions on the pitch, he certainly deserves the highest salary in the team."

In the competitive arena of sports, performance reigns supreme, not seniority.

"We must act quickly; Manchester United have already begun making preparations... and I estimate there are quite a few other clubs looking to make a move for him."

"In modern world football, top-tier center-forwards are an endangered species."

Wenger reminded him.

A quality center-forward was a scarce commodity indeed.

Especially one who could fit seamlessly into a modern tactical system—such players were rarer than phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. The demands placed on center-forwards were escalating day by day.

Where could one possibly find a center-forward like Li Mo?

Fast enough, possessing height and physical strength, blessed with a natural positional instinct, equipped with sound psychological resilience, excellent finishing skills, and a high level of tactical awareness.

Where would you find another?

Trying to find a center-forward of Li Mo's caliber on the transfer market today would be out of the question without parting with seventy or eighty million pounds upwards.

Moreover... the vast majority of center-forwards at this level were highly unlikely to ever be made available on the transfer market.

In this era, center-forwards were a rare commodity.

Bracing himself, Gazidis eventually dialed the number of Li Mo's agent, Tullio.

Tullio's tone was exceedingly polite, showing Gazidis the utmost respect.

Yet he stubbornly stood his ground regarding the demand for top squad wages without yielding an inch.

"My client's goals account for more than half of the team's total tally; my client is the focal point of the team's attacking tactics, and his transfer fee was merely two million euros. All things considered, the Arsenal club has already profited more than enough... All we are asking for is the highest wage in the squad, Mr. Gazidis."

Tullio said in a mild tone.

Yet Gazidis certainly understood the underlying implication of his final sentence.

At present, all Li Mo was asking for was the top salary within Arsenal.

Should the Arsenal board refuse to budge on this stance...

Well, he might very well accept a salary offered by another club instead.

If nothing else, within the English Premier League alone, the three financial behemoths—Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea—could all easily offer wages far exceeding Arsenal's capabilities!

Not to mention the numerous clubs abroad eagerly waving checkbooks.

To name just one, the newly emerged financial powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain lacked nothing in terms of money.

They were exceedingly, exceedingly, exceedingly well-funded.

And they would undoubtedly be more than happy to spend lavishly.

After hanging up the phone, Gazidis's brow furrowed even tighter.

He knew the initiative no longer rested in his hands.

This was no longer a matter of dragging things out—if the renewal was not finalized before the winter transfer window opened, those elite clubs would undoubtedly swarm in like sharks smelling blood in the water.

By then, even if Arsenal stubbornly refused to sell, it would inevitably plunge the club into a vortex of public opinion, thereby damaging the team's competitive performances on the pitch.

"They are starting to get anxious, Li!"

Immediately after concluding his conversation with Gazidis, Tullio called Li Mo to claim credit.

Although he still represented several Italian clients, some of whom were even Italian internationals, his most promising client without a shadow of a doubt was now Li Mo.

Consequently, Tullio handled all matters concerning Li Mo personally.

"Are they truly willing to give me the highest salary?"

Li Mo found it somewhat difficult to believe.

Everyone knew that the higher-ups at the Arsenal club were notoriously frugal.

"They will compromise, Li. As long as you maintain your current form, they will have no choice but to compromise." Tullio said.

"Because the winter transfer window is approaching!" Tullio smiled down the phone line.

"And the media will be our greatest assistants."

Tullio was entirely correct.

The media would never let slip any news concerning Europe's current hottest property, Li Mo.

In the fourteenth round of the Premier League, Arsenal traveled away to face Fulham.

Having played a high-intensity heavyweight clash just over two days prior, Arsenal rotated a significant number of starting players for this match, and Li Mo was among them.

Li Mo did not even make the matchday squad for this fixture.

Yet throughout the entire game, the commentators probably mentioned Li Mo's name more frequently than they did any of the players starting on the pitch.

In the end, Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw away against Fulham.

The post-match media discourse largely revolved around the narrative that "in Li Mo's absence, Arsenal lost their attacking direction."

Shortly thereafter, numerous media outlets leaked details regarding Li Mo's contract.

"...Li Mo is currently on a basic wage contract at Arsenal, and his agreement is structured as a 2+1 deal—signed for two years with an option for an automatic one-year extension if both parties are in agreement. This means that at the end of this season, Li Mo will effectively have only one year remaining on his contract, allowing him to leave for free after playing at most one more season for Arsenal!"

The *Daily Mail* published an article revealing information that caused considerable panic among Arsenal fans.

A blue-collar basic salary, a 2+1 contract.

With contract terms such as these, how could Arsenal supporters possibly feel any sense of security?

Following the *Daily Mail*'s report, various Fleet Street media outlets quickly followed suit.

For a time, based on the information disclosed by the media, it seemed as though Li Mo could walk away for free as early as tomorrow.

Particularly journalists hostile to Arsenal, such as Richard Hurst from the *North London Evening News*, had been jumping up and down with glee these past few days.

"...It is highly unlikely that Arsenal will be able to retain a player of Li Mo's caliber. The debts incurred from building the Emirates Stadium have restricted Arsenal's spending power, whereas certain other clubs could easily hand Li Mo a weekly wage exceeding 200,000 pounds! That is double the highest salary inside the Arsenal dressing room!!"

Following the conclusion of the fourteenth round of league matches, Arsenal welcomed the fourth round of the League Cup, facing Stoke City away from home.

This fixture was sandwiched between the fourteenth and fifteenth rounds of the league.

Less than forty-eight hours after this match concluded, they would have to play their sixteenth league fixture against West Bromwich Albion, a side that had shown formidable form at the start of the season.

Mindful of the league campaign, Arsenal once again rotated their regular starters for this League Cup encounter.

However, Li Mo was included among the substitutes.

In the pre-match press conference, Wenger had intended to bitterly criticize the unreasonableness of the fixture scheduling.

Instead, the journalists bombarded him relentlessly with questions concerning Li Mo's contract situation.

Wenger could only state that he had no comment before abruptly standing up and leaving.

Li Mo did not feature in this League Cup match.

Arsenal maintained a one-goal lead for eighty-five minutes of the game.

Consequently, in the eighty-seventh minute, Wenger used his final substitution window, sending on Aaron Ramsey to reinforce the midfield defense.

Yet in the ninetieth minute, Stoke City's towering forward Peter Crouch leveled the score with a long-range shot.

With the scores locked at 1-1 after ninety minutes, the match headed into extra time.

Neither side managed to score during extra time.

The match proceeded to a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, Arsenal lost 4-5, resulting in their elimination from the League Cup.

As soon as the match ended, Wenger let out a long sigh of relief.

He harbored no great regret over being eliminated from the League Cup.

The League Cup was, after all, a tournament created by the Professional Football League to rival the FA Cup, which was governed by the English Football Association.

Only professional clubs from the top four tiers of English football were permitted to participate.

Thus, unlike in Spain, Germany, or Italy, English clubs had to contend with two domestic cup competitions.

Traditionally, however, English clubs placed greater emphasis on the FA Cup, whose prestige was held in higher regard.

After all, as the oldest football tournament in the world, the FA Cup held a lofty status in England.

Being eliminated from the League Cup was hardly a loss.

Given the depth of Arsenal's squad, mounting a challenge on all fronts was simply impossible.

Attempting to win everything usually resulted in walking away with nothing at all.

Wenger knew full well that keeping pace with Manchester United and Manchester City in the league required making calculated sacrifices across the cup competitions.

For a burden like the League Cup, getting knocked out was not necessarily a bad thing.