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Chapter 40: New Blood, Old Shadows
🕑 Added 2025-05-17 16:08:12 +0000 UTCJuly 14, 2012.
A few weeks have passed since the official start of Arsenal’s pre-season training.
During this time, familiar faces were missing, and new ones had taken their place.
Van Persie ultimately chose Manchester United, chasing his Champions League dream with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Despite previous claims that he would never give his services to a Premier League club, RVP's move to a rival club left many supporters bitter and disillusioned.
Two captains gone in succession—the atmosphere around the club felt increasingly uncertain.
Vermaelen was appointed the new captain.
In just four years, Arsenal had gone through three captains. It was a tough blow to the club's stability.
Some media outlets even joked that Arsenal was cursed—every time someone wore the captain's armband, it marked the beginning of their departure.
The joke was beginning to stick..
Ever since Vieira, this strange cycle had haunted every Arsenal captain.
None had truly embodied the word loyalty; not a single one had retired with the club.
Even Thierry Henry had left.
Though Henry eventually returned, it was only temporarily—Wenger had arranged for his farewell to come at the end of the season rather than in March.
And just like that, all the legendary Gunners of the Invincible Era were gone.
Now, the second generation after that was also quietly phasing out.
A new era was dawning at Arsenal—the third generation of Gunners was ready to rise.
...
Inside the medical examination room, Kai sat bare-chested, his physique as solid as a sculpture, his defined muscles on full display.
"You’ve really been working on your body this past year,” said Gary with a nod. “Your fitness is at monster-level now—one of the best in the squad and dare I say, the league."
Compared to three months ago, Kai’s physique had changed; his muscles were more compact, far more explosive.
He had shed the bulk and now radiated a powerful, athletic aura. Watching him move, even colleagues looked visibly impressed.
Kai rolled his shoulders and slipped on his training top, smiling. “I haven’t exactly been slacking off this year. Mr. Pat is a Drill Sergeant.”
Gary grinned. He had seen Kai every month during his checkups with Pat Rice and had watched his transformation firsthand.
He knew how much effort had gone into sculpting this version of Kai—it wasn’t something an average player could sustain.
Gary lightly tapped Kai’s shoulder with a fist. “Let’s have a big season.”
Kai flashed a confident grin. “Watch me tear it up.”
Gary couldn’t help but laugh.
...
As Kai left the room, Chamberlain approached with a long face.
“My fitness test didn’t pass,” he grumbled.
Kai gave him a teasing look. “That’s what you get for training without a clue. You’re a forward—why the hell are you bulking up?
Chamberlain crossed his arms in protest. “If I don’t bulk up, how am I supposed to hold off midfielders and defenders like you?”
“Then don’t go head-to-head,” Kai said casually. “Avoid me. I never told you to take me on.”
Chamberlain's eyes widened in indignation. “ Oi. Avoid you? I try to! But you keep intercepting the ball! I used to rely on technique. And guess what, mate? Either I eat grass or get the ball stolen.”
Kai chuckled and waved him off. “Go talk to Pat. He’ll tell you what to do.”
“He won’t even look at me!” Chamberlain groaned. “Told me to follow a diet plan by Old Man Tony.”
Kai nearly choked with laughter.
“Drop the pounds first,” Kai said. “Then go back to Pat and Tony. They'll help you out.”
“But I’m not even on the squad list for the warm-up matches!” Chamberlain looked like he might cry.
Kai patted his shoulder sympathetically. “Just lose the weight. You’ll get your shot.”
...
Arsenal’s pre-season warm-up was about to begin. This time, Kai would be joining the team for the tour.
There were three matches lined up:
July 20: New York Red Bulls vs. Arsenal
July 29: Arsenal vs. Benfica
August 3: Arsenal vs. Monaco
The first match, an exhibition in the U.S., was more for show than competition. The rest would be held locally.
Naturally, exhibition matches favored star power—big names meant big money.
Suárez, Walcott, Arshavin, and Arteta all played full 90-minute matches.
Although Kai was in the squad, he didn’t get any minutes in that opening match.
Since these exhibition games were tied to ticket revenue, Wenger chose to showcase familiar faces. More star appearances meant better returns.
Despite now having the backing of a wealthier owner, Arsenal still managed their finances cautiously after years of struggle.
However, Wenger didn’t plan to keep Kai on the sidelines for long.
He was already preparing to make Kai a regular starter by the second half of the season.
But that required actual match time.
...
In the second warm-up match against Benfica, Kai was in the starting eleven and played the full 90 minutes.
He paired well with Arteta, forming a solid midfield partnership. One focused on attack, the other on defense. Together, they anchored the game.
Kai finished with 5 interceptions, 3 tackles, and 2 key passes.
He was a defensive wall.
Benfica’s star forward, Cardozo, had a frustrating night. He was having flashbacks to the duels they had previously had when Kai was in Liga Portugal.
Kai had been shadowing him all match. He barely got a touch on the ball, and when he did, Kai either stole it outright or intercepted it before it reached him.
It was a rough game for Cardozo.
On the Arsenal side, the newly signed Suárez and Santi Cazorla linked up impressively, producing a goal and an assist between them.
Cazorla’s arrival had come as a bit of a surprise.
Wenger had placed high hopes on Wilshere this season, but the Prince of Arsenal had suffered a relapse late last season—and was now facing another full season on the sidelines.
Wenger was visibly losing patience with Wilshere’s fragile fitness.
Still, with Arteta and Santi working the attack, and Kai holding down the defense, Arsenal edged out Benfica 2–0.
Kai was genuinely excited about these two new teammates. Wanting to build rapport, he tried to interact more.
...
In the third game against Ligue 2 side, AS Monaco, Cazorla got a little flashy, trying out a step-over in the final third—but overdid it and lost possession.
Monaco launched a quick counterattack with a long ball over the top.
Germain sprinted to receive it, but as he approached the drop zone, he realized someone was already there.
Kai.
Valere Germain braced himself and shoved.
Nothing.
He pushed harder.
Still nothing.
Kai, barely looking, shifted his stance and nudged his hips back—Germain shifted off balance.
Kai brought the ball down calmly and passed it cleanly to Arteta.
Germain stood there, hands on hips, stunned.
He’d tried everything to move the Arsenal midfielder—not a chance.
Meanwhile, with smooth anticipation and constant scanning, Kai was already locking down the midfield.
Suddenly, Cazorla played a clever low pass, curling around the defense.
Suárez read it perfectly, timed his run, and slotted it home.
Two matches, two goals—Suárez was thrilled. His fears about adapting to Arsenal were fading fast.
Kai clapped from afar. It was a textbook Arsenal goal—fluid, crisp, and perfectly timed.
And honestly? He was enjoying every bit of it.
Everyone envies what they lack.
Wenger was also applauding from the sidelines, clearly satisfied.
He turned to Pat Rice. “How do the shooting stats look?”
Pat flipped through his notes. “We had 9 shots, 6 on target, 1 goal. Monaco had 3 shots, 1 on target, no goals.”
He added, “Most of their attacks were broken up in midfield. Eventually, they gave up and tried long balls.”
Pat grinned. “They’re scared of our midfield.”
Wenger chuckled. “And Kai’s numbers?”
“Four interceptions, one tackle, seven disrupted plays in midfield.”
Pat nodded thoughtfully. “He really is our defensive anchor.”
