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Chapter 158: The Best Midfielder In The League?
🕑 Added 2025-09-26 15:19:54 +0000 UTCLately, opinions on Kai have become sharply divided.
His superb run of form has earned him a wave of new admirers well beyond Arsenal’s own fan base.
Many of these younger supporters have taken to social media, comparing his numbers to those of established stars around the league.
Nothing wrong with healthy debate—except that the chatter quickly escalated into “Kai is the best midfielder in the Premier League.”
Leading the hype was Sky Sports pundit Lee Dixon.
The former Arsenal defender had become a regular on the network, carving out a reputation as an unabashed Gunners loyalist. His trademark? Pure, unapologetic fandom.
Dixon’s praise for Kai bordered on hyperbole.
Kai’s new followers lapped it up. Fans of other clubs, though, were less amused.
The flashpoint came during a recent Liverpool match. Gerrard’s slip in midfield led to a goal, and Dixon pounced.
“Gerrard’s thirty-three now—he simply can’t cover the ground he once did,” Dixon said on air. “You can’t call this the best midfielder in the Premier League anymore. The performances don’t live up to the hype. Look at Arsenal’s Kai: twenty-one league games, averaging nine tackles a match. That’s frightening.”
The backlash from Liverpool supporters was immediate. Gerrard is an icon, their honorary captain—criticism that sharp felt like blasphemy.
Soon, fans began trading spreadsheets of stats, comparing Gerrard’s season to Kai’s. Arguments spread beyond Merseyside, pulling in names like Yaya Touré, Schweinsteiger, and even Robben.
None of this had anything to do with Kai himself, but he bore the brunt of it.
His social media feeds are filled with angry messages and taunts from rival supporters.
At first, he ignored it. But when newspapers started amplifying the feud, he decided he couldn’t stay silent.
That evening, Kai posted a statement:
“Don’t get carried away by the online divide. I have huge respect for Steven Gerrard.
He’s a benchmark for so many midfielders—an example of honor and loyalty.
We’ve never spoken, but I’d love the chance to sit down with him someday.
Players like Gerrard, Yaya Touré, Schweinsteiger, and Robben—they all inspire me. My goal is to learn from them and, yes, try to surpass them.
To my own supporters: if you really like me, please stop the pointless comparisons. Show these players the respect they deserve. On the pitch, we’re opponents, but off it, they push me to be better.”
The measured response cooled tempers almost immediately.
Gerrard himself replied a few hours later:
“Kai, I’m honored you see me as a target to chase. Comparisons only mean I’ve done something right. Thank you for the kind words. Let’s chat at Anfield sometime.”
Kai blinked when he saw the message and couldn’t resist a quick follow-up:
“Careful, my manager might veto that visit.”
It was the perfect touch of humor. Both players’ statements defused the storm before it could flare again.
...
Inside Arsenal’s Colney training base, Kai sighed to his teammates the next day.
“I’m done dealing with the media,” he said, shaking his head.
Kai had finally learned the hard truth about football gossip: a single careless remark could spread like wildfire, but trying to stamp it out felt like chasing smoke.
His measured statement had helped, but so had the quiet work of the club behind the scenes. Arsenal’s communications staff leaned on their contacts, nudging the conversation back toward reason while the PR team worked overtime to calm the noise.
“This is something every player goes through,” Wenger told him in the manager’s office. “Believe it or not, it means your performances are being recognized. If you weren’t making headlines, the media wouldn’t bother. You’ve become box office, and that attracts both praise and trouble.”
Kai nodded with a weary sigh.
Privately, he knew some of the fuss came from Barnett’s brilliantly aggressive image-building campaign. The agent’s marketing had brought in plenty of new fans—but also the odd troublemaker. The bigger the forest, the stranger the birds, as the saying went.
“If it flares up again, I’ll have to speak with Barnett,” Kai murmured.
Wenger gave a small smile. “And I’ll have a word with Dixon.”
That finally drew a grin from Kai. Lee Dixon might be Arsenal’s loudest cheerleader on Sky Sports, but his over-the-top praise had fueled much of the online backlash.
Kai shrugged. “I can’t tell if he genuinely likes me or just enjoys the attention.”
“Either way, leave him to me,” Wenger said.
..
Back on the training pitch, Kai shook off the conversation and focused on the session. With a rare ten-day gap in the schedule—no league games until late January, Champions League knockouts still weeks away—there was time to recover and fine-tune.
He and Suarez took full advantage, working through drills until dusk.
But Arsenal’s injury curse hadn’t disappeared. The next morning came the news: Thomas Vermaelen was out again, his second setback of the season, this one likely to sideline him for a month.
Kai could only shake his head.
“Let’s hope that is only that,” he muttered to a teammate.
…
A day later, Wenger summoned him to the office again.
Waiting there was a young defender with a patchy stubble and the nervous energy of someone eager to impress.
Kai paused in the doorway, sizing him up. Mustafi?
The name clicked. He’d seen the German centre-back’s clips: quick across the ground, fearless in the tackle, if not the tallest for aerial duels. A smart signing, especially against possession-heavy opponents.
Wenger gestured toward the newcomer.
“Kai, this is Shkodran Mustafi—our latest addition. Take him to the dressing room, get him settled.”
Kai stepped forward, hand outstretched. Mustafi shot to his feet, matching the gesture. They shook hands firmly before sharing a quick, welcoming hug.
