Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 42

“My only goal is West Ham’s victory… My only goal is West Ham’s victory… My only goal is West Ham’s victory.”

“······?”

That unfamiliar yet familiar voice was coming from somewhere. Johan frowned and looked up from his breakfast.

“Oh? Ah, it was my phone.”

The source of the voice was in Ban Seok-ho’s pocket.

“Hello? Ah, yes.”

“······”

Johan stared at his dad with a dumbfounded expression.

What is this?

That’s definitely his voice, and from what he could hear, it seemed to be what he said during yesterday’s interview.

Did he set that as his phone’s ringtone?

How did he do that?

Did his brother do it for him?

“Yo, good morning. Oh, what’s this? Who is this?”

“···?”

This time, Rohan came into the kitchen, looked back and forth at Johan, and tilted his head.

What’s wrong with him?

Why is my brother acting like this?

“Dad. Is he Dad’s son?”

“Huh? No. He’s not my son.”

“Then who is he?”

“He’s West Ham’s son.”

“Ah, I see!”

His head was spinning.

Did these people eat something wrong?

“Hey, Johan. You planned that, didn’t you?”

“Planned what?”

“That was a comment to kill [impress] West Ham fans. The neighborhood was buzzing because of your words yesterday.”

“What are you talking about?”

“What do you mean! The fans were moved by your loyalty! There’s never been a player so full of heart like you.”

“Heart?”

Rohan nodded, taking only half a bowl of rice and sitting at the table.

He was already full because of Johan, so half a bowl was enough.

“Yeah, heart. The heart of a player who took over West Ham’s striker position following in his father’s footsteps. And that kind of player gave a reporter who was trying to trick him a taste of his own medicine. Saying he’s only devoted to West Ham.”

“······”

Hmm.

Is that how it was perceived?

The intention was a bit different, but whatever.

In the end, it’s true.

“Honestly, it’s always been like that. Our team has had a lot of good youth players. There have been many players who debuted in the first team and performed at a league-top level.”

Rohan said with a sigh.

West Ham’s academy wasn’t famous for nothing.

From the 2000s to the 2010s, West Ham had consistently produced young and promising players.

“But, there weren’t any players who stayed with West Ham until the end… right? Yeah. There weren’t.”

But among those many promising players,

there were few who could say they spent their prime at West Ham.

No, it was fair to say there were almost none.

As soon as you think of West Ham academy youth players, you think of Ferdinand, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, and so on.

All of them are remembered as legends of other big clubs, not West Ham.

Well, that was only natural.

West Ham was a selling club.

A selling club that raises promising players and sells them to big clubs that don’t hesitate to spend big money.

“I don’t not understand it, though.”

You couldn’t necessarily say this was a bad thing.

If you can’t beat the big clubs no matter what you do, then doing business well could be seen as a way to survive.

In fact, even when West Ham wasn’t doing so well in the league, they didn’t have any difficulty in securing good prospects because of that.

The young players knew that West Ham was a good stepping stone.

If they couldn’t go straight to a big club from the start, going through West Ham was a good option for them.

However,

In any case, the die-hard West Ham fans couldn’t like this.

The fans wouldn’t be interested in the club’s coffers being full.

Because they weren’t using that money to make big signings.

A club that just raises good players, sells them, and is satisfied with defending a decent ranking.

Could there be fans who are completely satisfied with such a club?

Of course not.

“So everyone can’t help but be anxious. Because you’re doing so well. The better you do, the more anxious they are. They think you’ll leave even faster than the others.”

West Ham fans couldn’t help but be proud of Johan’s performance, but on the other hand, they couldn’t help but be anxious.

When a useful prospect comes out, West Ham fans worry about how many seasons he’ll play and then go to a big club.

But,

Johan was performing at a league-top level as soon as he debuted, and even in the striker position, which big clubs wanted so badly, so the anxiety was even greater.

But, to those West Ham fans.

What Johan said at the official interview yesterday was a great comfort.

No, it was more than comfort, it was moving to the point of tears.

Has there ever been a player who has shown such affection for the club, even if it’s just words?

Besides, his goal is to win the championship. Win the championship.

It was a comment that showed his ambition to make West Ham a big club.

So,

The fans couldn’t help but send crazy cheers.

‘Was the message bomb because of that…’

Johan recalled Gordon’s message, which was close to terrorism.

He wondered why he was so obsessed.

Maybe West Ham players wouldn’t feel much different from the fans.

If you think about it, that’s right.

Coach Schmidt took a big risk in preparing for this season and created a team.

It was a composition centered on Johan.

He organized the squad, planned training, and planned game tactics to use Johan effectively.

And it’s still in progress.

You could say he’s creating a team just for Johan.

So his teammates, and maybe even coach Schmidt, might have been worried.

If Johan left, the remaining people would be left in the lurch.

“Why is everyone so worried…”

Johan shook his head and focused on his meal again.

People live so annoyingly.

Worrying about the future that hasn’t even come yet is all because they’re diligent.

But,

Johan didn’t have the energy to worry as diligently as them.

He was just running towards one simple goal.

He’s not going anywhere until he retires.

So,

[A message has arrived.]

Please stop being so obsessed….

* * *

The A-match week [international break] ended on Wednesday.

All the players who were called up to the national team that week were given a break.

Jacob Buckley, who went to Scotland, and Jeff Huurichel, who went to Norway.

Of course, Johan was also included in the break.

Because of this, West Ham played the weekend league game without Johan, and they lost their first league game 0-1 to Wolverhampton.

It was shocking and understandable.

It was surprising that West Ham, who had been undefeated for 6 league games and even caught Tottenham, lost to Wolverhampton.

But when you think about it, West Ham without Johan was last season’s West Ham, and it wasn’t unusual for that West Ham to lose to Wolverhampton.

As the saying goes, you feel the importance of a person more when they’re not there than when they are.

West Ham fans missed Johan’s absence and hoped that Johan would return to team training soon.

Of course,

That was the same for the West Ham players.

“Damn it, we should have won last week’s game. I have no face to show Johan.”

“I know, right. I’m too embarrassed to welcome him back.”

“We lost as soon as he wasn’t there, so I don’t have the confidence to see his face.”

“We’re really something. We can’t do anything without the kid, it’s ridiculous.”

The players joked as they prepared for training.

Today is the day when the national team members, including Johan, return.

Unfortunately, they lost the previous game, so they have no face to show them, especially Johan.

What will he think of his brothers who play with top-class players on the national team but lose to Wolverhampton?

The players couldn’t hide their pride when they saw Johan wearing the national team uniform and playing.

Johan shone brightly among the star-studded big club players like Man City, Chelsea, and Man U [Manchester United].

His existence alone raised the club’s status.

West Ham is also a club with England national team players.

But even among them, Johan was the most brilliant.

He scored the winning goal in both games even though he came on as a substitute, and he was selected as the MOM [Man of the Match] of the game.

However,

That’s why the players felt a little inferior.

“He looks good there, seeing him there.”

“He looked like he was having fun playing soccer.”

“Hey. What if Johan comes back with higher standards and can’t play soccer with us?”

“What do you mean what if? We’ll have to stand with our hands behind our backs and reflect like crazy.”

Honestly,

Johan playing for the national team felt like he was playing in the right place.

The level of his teammates matched him.

What would it feel like to receive passes from Man City’s top-class midfielders and then come here and receive honest [less refined] passes?

Wouldn’t he lose his affection?

“Hey, damn it. Don’t we look like unemployed boyfriends with working girlfriends?”

“Don’t meet someone like me, meet someone better, something like that?”

“Oh, that X-like [ex-girlfriend] memory comes to mind. I’m about to have PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder].”

Although he said that his goal was only to win the West Ham championship, and his heart was warmed by those words.

Thinking about it calmly, even those words were a burden.

Honestly, is it easy to win the league?

If it was possible, they would have done it a long time ago.

But they’ve never done it. Not even once. For decades.

So, they couldn’t help but feel sorry.

Johan was talented enough to go to a big club and lift a trophy.

They were afraid of holding him back.

“You guys are acting up.”

“Huh? Oh, captain.”

“Hey, you morons. If I were you, I’d be thinking about becoming a teammate that the youngest wouldn’t be ashamed of instead of thinking about that.”

The players scratched their heads, embarrassed by Gordon’s words, who appeared clicking his tongue.

Gordon looked at the depressed players with a pathetic look.

“Hey. If he’s a kid who belongs in a big club, then we can become a big club. What? Don’t meet someone like me, meet someone better?”

“No, that’s not it… I’m just saying.”

“You guys don’t have enough affection for the team yet. That’s why you think of yourselves as nobodies. Learn even half of what the kid has. He confidently says that his goal is to win the championship, but what about you?”

No, why are you getting so angry again?

But that’s understandable,

Because Gordon is the captain.

The captain’s armband wasn’t just worn by skill.

The person who loves this club the most wears it.

“And, everyone saw the kid’s interview. He has affection for our team. So what’s there to worry about? What, are you afraid that he’ll play for one season and then leave because he can’t play with you guys?”

“······It could happen, though?”

“Ha! Then we’ll just send him away. What’s there to be sorry about? Can’t we play soccer without him? It’s ridiculous that the seniors are just looking at the youngest. It’s not good to rely on him too much.”

Gordon snorted.

Looking at Gordon, the players reflected on their thoughts.

Then,

“Oh, it’s Johan.”

Someone said after discovering Johan walking slowly into the training ground.

Then,

“Johan?”

Gordon turned his head.

Gordon, who found Johan, jumped up from his seat and started running towards Johan.

“Hey! Why don’t you look at my texts! What did you do yesterday! Did you have a dinner with the national team kids!”

“······”

And, the players started looking at the captain’s back with dumbfounded expressions.

*

The training ground where Johan returned was more active than ever.

Of course, it’s not just because of Johan, but also because other players, especially Jacob Buckley, returned.

But the biggest reason is probably because the next round’s opponent is last season’s champion, Man City [Manchester City].

Last season, Man City won the championship with 32 wins, 2 draws, and 4 losses in 38 games, with 98 points.

The point difference with Chelsea, who was in second place at the time, was a whopping 17 points, so it was literally an overwhelming victory.

Man City is continuing that momentum this season, winning all 7 games in the previous 7 games.

West Ham is also in good shape with 5 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, but it’s definitely a tough opponent.

Even though this game is being held at home,

It’s a difficult matchup where you’d be very satisfied if you could get even 1 point.

“Hmm…”

“Hmm…”

Coach Schmidt and Jamie Coach were deep in thought, putting their heads together.

Well, even if it’s an opponent that’s almost impossible to win, you still have to come up with a strategy.

However, there weren’t many available cards.

West Ham is also a team that has fixed tactics that can be used in the first place, but you can still give variations if you want.

But,

Against Man City, there was no sign that any trick would work.

From the back to the 3rd line and the 2nd line, there’s no corner to rub against [no weakness to exploit].

“At least the front line and stamina? All of them went to the national team.”

“Hmm…”

“Well, I guess we have no choice but to trust Johan.”

In the end, even after thinking hard, he couldn’t think of anything but trusting Johan alone.

Jamie Coach connected to Hammers.com on his phone to refresh his thoughts for a while.

Then, while looking at various columns,

“Hmm?”

He started reading a column carefully.

The column had a pretty plausible story written in it.