Football giants

Chapter 809 The Second Betrayal

Londonderry Street Independent headquarters.

A phone call went directly to the office of Whitham Smith, editor-in-chief of The Independent.

I heard the veteran of the British newspaper industry hum for a while, and after hanging up the phone, he pressed the internal phone code again.

"Let Sam and Simon in!"

Sam Wallace and Simon Hughes, these are the two most famous pens of The Independent.

Since Glenn Moore was fired, they have become two of Whitham Smith's most important generals.

In less than 2 minutes, two Britons in their early thirties knocked on the door and entered.

"Whitham, what do you want us to do?"

Whitham Smith sat upright behind the desk, raised his head, looked at the two generals, and nodded.

"Just now Southampton's news department called and invited us to the Glory Stadium tomorrow morning to attend the press conference and signing ceremony for new players. I plan to arrange for you to go."

"New player?" Sam Wallace and Simon Hughes looked at each other, and they both noticed the surprise in each other's eyes.

It even seems to be able to catch a trace of panic in the other party's expression.

Whitham Smith sighed deeply, nodded and said, "Yes, if I'm not mistaken, it's him!"

Although Whitham Smith did not name his name, everyone present knew that he was talking about the long-rumored former Arsenal captain and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

"It's impossible, isn't it that the team wants to use the buyback clause?" Sam Wallace was a little excited.

Simon Hughes couldn't help shaking his head, "Yeah, such a player, such a cheap price, why doesn't Arsenal want it?"

Influenced by editor-in-chief Whitham Smith, The Independent has always been a clear-cut gunner's party.

Even within the British newspaper industry, everyone knows that the Independent is the mouthpiece of Arsenal.

They can always get some internal news about Arsenal that the outside world can't get, or receive some news in advance.

Of course, they always try their best to justify and cleanse Arsenal.

The most interesting thing is that I heard that the first commandment of The Independent when hiring editors and reporters is to only accept Arsenal fans.

Whitham Smith shook his head and smiled bitterly. As an Arsenal fan, especially an Arsenal fan at such an age, he sees many things more thoroughly than these young people in their thirties.

Wenger has been in charge of the Gunners for so many years, and his influence on Arsenal can be said to be deep-rooted.

Needless to say, let's talk about this idealism.

But all Arsenal fans are more or less idealistic.

Therefore, when Cesc Fabregas switched to Barcelona, ​​they couldn't accept it, and scolded him desperately, and even gave him a nickname, called the upside-down method.

But actually?
How deep is the hate, how deep is the love!

In the past few years, Cesc Fabregas has been in a bad situation in Barcelona, ​​which makes Arsenal fans gloat on the surface, but in fact they feel very uncomfortable in their hearts.

It's a bit like my girlfriend who has been in love for many years but married someone else, only to encounter domestic violence and cold treatment from her husband.

As a man, he would want to say, if she had chosen him at that time, then he would have cared for and loved her in every possible way, why did he treat her like this?
Moreover, there are more or less thoughts in my heart, thinking that she will quickly leave the clutches of her husband and return to her embrace.

Arsenal fans feel the same way about Cesc Fabregas, cursing him, but looking forward to his return in their hearts.

The media hyped Fabregas to leave Barcelona again and again, and the hearts of the Gunners fans deepened their desire and expectations for his return time and time again.

Because Fabregas is not only a world-class midfielder, but also represents Arsenal's past glory!

But now...

"I can't believe that he will join a team other than Arsenal in the Premier League!" Simon Hughes said quite sentimentally.

When Cesc Fabregas played for Arsenal, he was just a fledgling reporter. He was fortunate enough to interview him a few times, and he talked about it for several years. Even after Fabregas switched to Barcelona, ​​everyone scolded him, but Simon Hughes still said a lot of good things for Fabregas, but now...

Whitham Smith also let out a long sigh, shook his head and said, "The team now has Ozil, Ramsey, Wilshere and others. We don't need Cesc Fabregas!"

"But, Whitham, these players are not as good as Cesc, you know that!" Sam Wallace retorted, still very excited.

This group of Arsenal midfielders are well-known when it comes to their names, but in terms of strength, there is still a big gap with Cesc Fabregas, even Ozil.

"Then you should know how tense and urgent the current situation in the Premier League is. Good steel must be used wisely. Arsenal's transfer budget cannot be spent on a dispensable position. Otherwise, what will be used to fight for the top four in the new season?"

Whitham Smith's rhetorical question was also sonorous and powerful.

This is also true!
But Simon Hughes still shook his head, "But, I still can't accept it!"

Whitham Smith laughed, "No one wants you to accept it now. I just want to say that you will go to Southampton tomorrow to attend the press conference. If you have any questions, you can ask them in person. I believe he will answer."

After a pause, Whitham Smith let out another long sigh.

"To be honest, this is professional football. I thought you'd already gotten used to it!"

After finishing speaking, there was a sneer on the corner of his mouth.

But it's not about Sam Wallace and Simon Hughes, it's about the damn reality, and the ideal of irony.

Unexpectedly, Whitham Smith said casually, but Simon Hughes and Sam Wallace took it seriously.

"I will definitely ask him face to face, definitely!"

…………

…………

"Cesc, you should have forgotten me, but it's okay, let me introduce myself, I'm Simon Hughes from The Independent!"

On the second day, in the spacious and bright press conference hall of the Glory Stadium, under the witness of nearly two hundred media at the scene, Simon Hughes, a reporter from the Independent, finally grabbed the right to ask a question.

After hearing his words, everyone in the audience immediately turned to look at this strong British man in his early thirties.

His tone didn't sound so friendly.

Wait, The Independent?

Oh yes, Arsenal's mouthpiece newspaper!
Could it be that this guy is here to mess things up?

Wow Kaka, if that's the case then this drama is hilarious!
For a moment, there was a commotion at the scene, and countless people even turned their cameras to Simon Hughes.

Southampton's press officer also realized that something was wrong and was about to come forward. Unexpectedly, Fabregas answered.

"I remember you, Simon, you did the interview when I scored for Arsenal for the first time, and you did the last interview before I left Arsenal, right?"

Sitting in front of the podium, Fabregas replied with a faint but kind smile.

With just such a sentence, Simon Hughes suddenly had a sore nose and was so choked up that he couldn't speak.

Yes, he remembered, he still remembered!
But why is he refusing to return to Arsenal?
Simon Hughes took a deep breath and looked straight at Cesc Fabregas in front of the podium, "Cesc, yes, I'm glad you still remember, but today I really want to represent all Arsenal fans, ask you, why did you choose to leave Arsenal back then? Now, why did you choose Southampton?"

This question is straightforward, sharp, and difficult to answer.

Everyone present could hear that Simon Hughes' question came from the heart.

In the three years since Fabregas left Arsenal, he has never really explained his behavior in leaving Arsenal.

This left many Gunners fans outraged as they felt betrayed.

And now, he is back and has returned to the Premier League, but instead of choosing to cultivate his Arsenal, he went to Southampton.

This is undoubtedly the second betrayal!

Simon Hughes looked straight at Cesc Fabregas, as if he was questioning him, you answer, you speak!

Cesc Fabregas lowered his head at first, but quickly raised it again.

A few attentive reporters sitting in the front row also noticed that his eye sockets were turning red.

"I am 27 years old. If my life is divided, then the first 16 years of my life belonged to Barcelona. In those 16 years, every time I played football was for Barcelona. I hope that one day, I can play for Barcelona."

"Even... I chose to leave Barcelona and join Arsenal, all in order to realize my dream from childhood to adulthood."

Fabregas spoke very lightly, but the press conference hall became silent.

"I know that many people can't understand. They feel that I should be loyal to Arsenal, but I can't violate the ideals and goals I have been insisting on since I was a child, so I chose Barcelona!"

Many people present were full of sorrow.

In fact, many people know this answer, but they are not willing to believe it.

But listening to this answer now, and thinking about what happened to Fabregas in Barcelona in the past three years, it is really embarrassing.

This is not an exception!

Fabregas will not be the first Barcelona to live up to, nor will he be the last!
All the rich teams in the world, all the teams, cannot satisfy the dreams of all the players who love it.

Because a team has a maximum of 25 people!
"When I chose to leave Arsenal, I believed that I would stay in Barcelona forever. I believed that I could dedicate my football career to the Barcelona I love, but unfortunately, football is always so cruel."

"When I realized that I had to leave, I was sad, but I knew, this is professional football."

Speaking of this, Cesc Fabregas took a deep breath, calmed down, and even squeezed out a shallow, forced smile.

"Arsenal have a buy-back clause in my contract, but they waived the right to let me go back. I know, they don't need me anymore, but I want to continue playing. I am still young, I am only 27 years old."

"At this time, Southampton contacted me. Mr. Yang Huan personally went to Barcelona to ask me to meet. He wanted to bring me to Southampton three years ago. Three years later, he still thinks so."

"During the conversation with Mr. Yang Huan, I found my own value. I am eager to prove my value in Southampton, so I came here!"

"Professional football is always full of changes. I can't guarantee what it will look like in a year or even a few years, but what I can guarantee is that when I played for Arsenal, I was willing to give everything for him. When I played for Barcelona, ​​​​I also thought the same way."

"Now, I'm going to put on the Southampton jersey and I'll do everything for him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience burst into applause!
Many people, especially female reporters, even cried on the spot!

(End of this chapter)