24 save. Pre-Season
Pre-season.
The brief rest period between the end of one season and the start of the next.
While players and coaches rested and recharged, there were those who grew busier by contrast.
Those in charge of transfers at the clubs.
And agents.
Of course, the transfer window hadn't opened yet. But behind-the-scenes work was already underway, and journalists churned out articles about unsubstantiated rumors.
[The Sun] Manchester United eyeing Edinson Cavani?
[Daily Mirror] Manchester United after Bayern Munich's Müller!
Among such rumors, Manchester United was one of the most frequently mentioned regulars. So much so that even fans cursed out the journalists, telling them to stop with the unrealistic articles.
Meanwhile.
Leeds, promoted to the Premier League, was also generating several transfer links.
It involved two players, and the problem was that these were far from pleasant rumors for Leeds.
[Yorkshire Evening] Premier League teams eyeing Ross McCormack and Sin Uison!
As Leeds made headlines with its long-awaited return, it was only natural that the two players who had led the promotion were named in transfer rumors.
Ross McCormack, who had torn apart the Championship.
And Sin Uison, who had played a major role in turning Leeds' shaky defense into an impenetrable wall with a clean-sheet run.
They were practically half the team's strength, so naturally, Leeds fans reacted sharply.
"Why don't you fuck off, bastards?"
"Just kill me instead!"
"If they sell them, I'm done being a Leeds fan."
Sin Uison, in particular, garnered quite a lot of interest.
Because of the nature of the goalkeeper position, experience was vitally important, and a young goalkeeper prospect who had already shown his talent was no different from a high-probability lottery ticket.
Whether teams were truly interested.
Or if it was just journalists stirring the pot.
It was rare to find a player of this caliber who was relatively easy to sign and came with an affordable transfer fee.
If the risk was that low, it wasn't strange for clubs to take a glance, so Leeds fans read the articles with uneasy expressions.
"Though I haven't actually heard anything."
Reading those articles, Sin Uison massaged his right knee. Just a light rub.
Only half a season since his professional debut.
Who would have thought he'd go from a scrap of paper no one wanted to being treated like a lottery ticket?
'But.'
At the same time, Sin Uison felt anxious.
It was clearly his own affair, yet it also wasn't.
The ones selling the lottery ticket were his parents.
'Because that's how it's always been.'
Hadn't they even arranged his transfer to Leeds without asking the player himself?
'That's why.'
Sin Uison got up and picked up his smartphone.
It was time to tie things off for good.
[Call, is it the living room?]
"I suppose I should."
He nodded. Come to think of it, it had been years since he'd called them first.
Roughly speaking, the last time had been before his ACL injury.
Soon the phone began to ring.
Sin Uison swallowed nervously without realizing it.
He was feeling a tension he'd rarely experienced even during matches.
"Hello, Uison?"
The call connected.
It was his mother.
"I was just about to call you, so this is perfect. There's a club that's made contact."
His mother dove straight to the point without even asking how he'd been. Sin Uison scoffed.
Strangely, he felt his tension melt away.
The words he needed to say wouldn't get caught in his throat now.
"So, did you book your flight?"
The ticket wasn't just any ticket.
A family gathering.
There was a day once a year when the family got together.
In truth, they met when his older brother's season ended, but because the promotion playoff schedule ran until late May, Sin Uison had been late this time.
Sin Uison closed his eyes and recalled the last family gathering.
Warm weather.
A splendid house.
A pleasant place to live.
It was a quite different atmosphere from England, where he now lived.
"I'm sorry."
He should have gone there as usual.
But this time, he had no intention of doing so.
"I have things to discuss with my agent this summer."
"What? What on earth do you mean?"
Her confusion came through clearly in her voice. Sin Uison continued with what he'd intended to say.
"Ah, I officially hired an agent a short while ago. I'm a professional player now, after all."
It sounded almost like a declaration that the child had become an adult.
"You don't need to concern yourself with my transfers anymore."
No.
"Let me make this clear. Don't ever interfere in my life again. I'm not livestock that you raise!"
Silence.
There was no answer.
She was probably gaping blankly.
Perhaps, no.
This was essentially a declaration of severance.
All this time, they had bound Sin Uison under the guise of care. It had certainly been necessary when he was young, but now it had become a collar choking him.
A bird cannot stay inside its shell forever.
Eventually, it must break the shell.
And fly away from the parent's embrace.
"I'll hang up now. I'll contact you again when I visit later."
Sin Uison's resolve was already firm.
Continuing this call would only lead to more discomfort.
After ending the call, he let out a long breath in the ensuing silence.
"Haah."
He spoke.
His fingertips trembled.
He hadn't trembled this much even when making his professional debut.
'Is this enough?'
He didn't know. But the fact that he had clearly and properly conveyed his own will—that alone was a huge change from before.
And since he'd tied off one knot.
It was time to start something new.
Sin Uison turned his smartphone screen back on and called someone.
"Hm, so you've sorted everything out?"
As if he'd been waiting for the call, a man's voice soon answered.
"Yes. Now it's your turn to work."
Sin Uison continued in a slightly deflated voice.
"Mr. Raiola."
From beyond the phone.
Raiola's laughter could be heard.
***
That Leeds United, which had finished sixth in the Championship, achieved a dramatic promotion was undoubtedly a wonderful story.
But this was reality.
They couldn't enjoy such dreamlike moments forever.
Top of the odds for relegation in the upcoming 2014/15 Premier League season.
To speak bluntly, that was Leeds' reality.
[Leeds Live] Leeds rejected once again!
Not many players wanted to join such a team.
Promising youngsters with bright futures and superstars in their prime naturally shied away from a team that might be relegated at any time.
Naturally, the players they could realistically sign were either aging veterans past their prime, or unknown prospects—scratching lottery tickets, as it were.
Of course, it was impossible to know how positive that would be for Leeds, who were in dire straits.
[Sky Sports] Leeds' new owner Massimo Cellino brimming with confidence!
Meanwhile, Massimo Cellino, who had begun his full duties as owner, showed no signs of worry about the upcoming season.
In truth, he was about as bad as an owner could get.
His cycle of firing managers just because he didn't like them was extremely short.
He even pulled stunts like hurling abuse and saying insane things through the press.
It was only because the previous owners had been so terrible that Leeds fans had been desperate for a new owner who would at least invest properly.
[Sky Italia] Leeds' Massimo Cellino ready to bring in Serie A prospects on loan!
Massimo Cellino showed interest in Italian prospects he knew well.
It was a loan rather than a permanent transfer, but that wasn't necessarily bad.
For Leeds, it meant they could use outstanding prospects they otherwise couldn't afford for at least one season.
[Leeds Live] Leeds fans worried Sin Uison might leave!
Even amid all this, articles about Sin Uison kept coming out.
At first, it was merely that Premier League teams were watching him with interest, but now specific teams were being mentioned as targeting him.
Naturally, the fans' reaction wasn't good.
Sin Uison wasn't just an ordinary prospect; he was regarded as the one who would shoulder the team's future.
Especially the many miraculous saves that had saved the team in the Championship and through the promotion playoffs were more than enough for fans to grow attached.
[The Telegraph] Arsenal targeting Sin Uison as competition for Szczęsny?
[Sky Sports] Sin Uison appoints Mino Raiola as his agent!
Then an article came out that sent chills down Leeds fans' spines.
Mino Raiola.
He was called a super-agent.
But from clubs and fans' perspectives, he was more often called a money-mad pig bastard, so infamous was his bad reputation.
And.
He was already wielding that ability.
[Leeds Live] Sin Uison rejects contract renewal!
In truth, the renewal offer itself had come as soon as the season ended.
Raiola dragged it out, sometimes rejecting it and leaking it to the press.
After batting it away several times, Raiola demanded several conditions.
Namely, a buyout clause.
A contract stipulating that if another club met the specified amount, the player could transfer regardless of the club's wishes.
Of course, Raiola hadn't recklessly set the amount low.
-If Leeds failed to qualify for the Europa League.
-If, in that situation, an offer came from a Champions League team.
He demanded a buyout that would only trigger if these two conditions were met.
Naturally, it was a demand that Leeds wasn't fond of either.
The contract still had plenty of time left.
No matter what they did until then, Sin Uison was a Leeds player.
Therefore, the board members including Massimo Cellino took a wait-and-see stance. Raiola, too, maintained that there was no rush.
"Are you sure it's okay to do it this way?"
Sin Uison was half-convinced as he watched the situation unfold.
More than whether it was okay, was it right?
"It's a contractual relationship, anyway. Do you think the club will pay you less if you play poorly? Do you think they'll pay you more if you play well? Whether you play poorly or well, in the end, the club and the player follow the contract."
Raiola's answer was clear.
It was simply an act to make that contract better.
"But won't this make things awkward between us?"
"If the contract improves by making the atmosphere slightly hostile, it's worth it. After all, most of the criticism is aimed at me anyway."
He seemed well aware of the primal curses and criticism directed at him.
"Moreover, I think this is a fairly realistic demand."
"Still, I want to avoid friction as much as possible."
"Oh dear, Shin."
It almost sounded like a sigh.
"Don't get emotional. I've been an agent for a long time and I've seen all sorts of situations."
Among them were clubs that appealed to a player's sentiments to lowball him on a contract after he'd played for them for a long time.
"So what do you think happened?"
"...I'm not sure?"
"Haha. I'll tell you what happened."
Even without seeing his face, Sin Uison could easily picture Raiola smiling slyly.
"His form dipped, and he was discarded."
"..."
"Really, that's why this business is so interesting."
Suppose they hadn't included a buyout clause.
The atmosphere would be better.
But even when Sin Uison was highly rated as a player and wanted to move to a better club.
Would Leeds really be gentlemanly then?
It would be a blessing if they didn't demand an absurd transfer fee.
This was exactly why the contract was so important.
"Shin."
Raiola's voice grew low.
"Let me say it again. Don't let your emotions sway you."
The call ended.
In fact, Raiola was probably right. Sin Uison agreed with him to some extent.
He had felt it deeply all along.
Just how cold-hearted the football world was.
Until now, he'd only had to hone his abilities as a player, but the future would be different. As Raiola said, he would face dirty or cruel situations.
'So this is why some players leave everything to their agents.'
Worrying deeply about such things would only leave him feeling dirty.
Sin Uison felt an unpleasant lump form in his chest.
And to forget it.
He threw himself into training even though it was only pre-season.