Chapter 380: Chapter 54: Pre season begins

Saturday, July 1, 2023

Centro Bortolotti Training Complex

9:00 AM

Morning training arrived the way it always did during pre-season with players showing up fifteen minutes early because Gasperini’s expectations were clear and nobody wanted to be the one who tested them, and Demien walked into the locker room at eight forty-five while teammates were already changing into training gear and the energy was higher than it had been in week one because bodies had readjusted to the daily routine.

Week two of pre-season meant tactical work mixed with physical conditioning instead of pure fitness drills, and Gasperini ran them through pressing scenarios for ninety minutes with high intensity and realistic game situations.

Demien operated in his usual central midfield role and when the opposition center-back prepared to pass forward he read the body shape and stepped into the passing lane half a second before the ball was struck.

「STATS IN EFFECT」

Defensive Awareness: 73 | Interceptions: 82

His 82 Interceptions meant anticipating passes was something his body understood at an instinctive level, and the ball ran onto his foot cleanly while the intended receiver continued his run into empty space behind him.

Possession won. Quick transition. Pass to Éderson on the left who drove forward immediately.

The pattern repeated for forty minutes with different scenarios and different pressing triggers, and Demien’s performance was professional rather than spectacular because training sessions during pre-season rewarded consistency and tactical understanding more than individual brilliance.

When a pressing situation arrived with two opponents closing from different angles, his Press Resistant trait activated and his body adjusted before conscious thought could form a response.

「TRAIT ACTIVE」

Press Resistant

First touch directed the ball into the space between both pressers where neither could reach it without committing too heavily, and his second touch found de Roon in the channel with a pass that kept possession moving forward instead of sideways.

The session ended at eleven o’clock and Demien headed to the ice bath room for recovery protocol, and the room was empty when he stepped into the cold water while his breathing stayed controlled through the initial shock.

Sitting alone in the ice bath with water numbing his legs and the room quiet around him, his mind drifted to yesterday’s Chelsea meeting without intending to, and three complete offers now existed with all the information he needed to make an informed decision.

System notification appeared in his peripheral vision.

「ALL THREE TRANSFER OFFERS COLLECTED」

「COMPREHENSIVE COMPARISON AVAILABLE」

「AGENT NEGOTIATION PERK: FINAL ANALYSIS」

「Would you like to view three-way comparison?」

Demien mentally selected yes because the system’s analysis had helped him understand each individual pitch and seeing all three together might reveal patterns he’d missed while processing them separately.

Large panel materialized showing all three offers in detailed comparison format.

「THREE-WAY OFFER COMPARISON」

「LIVERPOOL FC」

「Wages: £190k/week → £220k/week (Year 5)」

「Exit: AUTOMATIC buyout £75M at 18mo」

「Timeline: Year 2 for regular starts」

「Strength: Best exit protection + Klopp’s proven record」

「Weakness: Slowest pathway, lowest wages」

「MANCHESTER UNITED」

「Wages: £220k/week → £250k/week (Year 5)」

「Exit: CONDITIONAL at 18mo」

「Timeline: Year 1 target 20+ starts」

「Strength: Highest wages + immediate opportunity」

「Weakness: Weak exit, high pressure」

「CHELSEA FC」

「Wages: £215k/week → £245k/week (Year 5)」

「Exit: CONDITIONAL at 18mo」

「Timeline: Year 1 target 20-25 starts」

「Strength: London (1h20m Milan) + young squad」

「Weakness: Not competing immediately, weak exit」

「DECISION FRAMEWORK」

「MONEY → Manchester United」

「SECURITY → Liverpool」

「OPPORTUNITY → United or Chelsea」

「LIFESTYLE → Chelsea」

「DEVELOPMENT → Liverpool」

「YOUNG SQUAD → Chelsea」

「SYSTEM ASSESSMENT」

「No objectively superior offer」

「United = Max money + immediate impact」

「Liverpool = Max security + proven development」

「Chelsea = Balance of opportunity + lifestyle + young squad」

「NEW MISSION ACTIVATED」

「MISSION: Make Transfer Decision」

「DEADLINE: July 15, 2023」

「REWARD: 300 SP」

The panel held for five seconds before fading, and Demien sat in the ice water while his mind processed the comprehensive comparison the system had laid out.

System was right. No wrong answer existed because each offer optimized for different things, and the decision came down to which priorities mattered most when he thought about the next five years rather than just the next season.

United paid the most and needed him immediately but gave weak exit protection if things went wrong.

Liverpool protected his exit and developed patiently but paid less and required waiting longer for regular starts.

Chelsea offered London location and young squad chemistry but shared United’s weak exit language while being honest about not competing for titles immediately.

He stepped out of the ice bath after ten minutes and the contrast shower came next with hot water followed by cold in thirty-second intervals, and the system notification appeared when he finished.

「PRE-SEASON TRAINING SESSION COMPLETE」

「Session Type: Tactical Work + Physical Conditioning」

「Performance: Professional Standard」

「REWARDS: 10 TP」

「UPDATED BALANCE: 310 TP | 11 SP | 13 MP」

Session rewards earned and pre-season accumulation continuing at ten TP per day, and first pre-season friendly was seven days away on July eighth when system missions would activate for actual competition.

Saturday Evening

Demien’s Apartment

7:00 PM

Marco called while Demien sat on his couch with the television off and the city moving through its Saturday evening outside his windows.

"All three clubs called me today," Marco said. "They know you met Chelsea yesterday. They’re all asking for your decision timeline."

"What do I tell them?"

"Tell them July fifteenth. Two weeks from today. That gives you time to train, clear your head, think properly. They’ll accept it because they want you badly enough to wait."

"Okay. July fifteenth."

"I’ll communicate that tomorrow morning. In the meantime you focus on Atalanta. First friendly is July eighth against local opposition, then July fifteenth against Serie B team, then July twenty-second against Serie A mid-table team. Play well and let the football guide the decision."

The call ended and Demien marked July fifteenth as the deadline, and two weeks felt like enough time to gain clarity without dragging the process into August.

Text from Sophia: How did Chelsea go?

He replied: Strong pitch. Young squad focus, London location. Now I have all three. Deciding by July 15th.

Her response: Two weeks is good. Don’t rush it. The right answer will reveal itself.

He set the phone down and his mind turned over the decision one more time.

Liverpool patient development. United immediate opportunity. Chelsea young squad project.

Security versus money versus lifestyle.

The choice existed and the information was complete and now it was fourteen days of letting the answer emerge naturally.