The Next Big Thing
Chapter 127: New Coach IV

Chapter 127: New Coach IV

David’s eyes widened in shock as he sat there, gripping his phone tightly. His thumb hovered over the screen, just a fraction of a second away from tapping on the notification that had just popped up. His heart pounded in his chest, anticipation flooding through his veins.

But before he could fully process what he was seeing, Zoey’s voice cut through his thoughts.

"What are you doing? Exit that already! Let’s get the match going! Or are you scared?"

Her tone was laced with playful mockery, a challenge wrapped in teasing. Normally, David would have had a witty comeback, something sharp to throw back at her, but this time? This time, he was silent. Completely, utterly silent.

His voice came out quieter than usual, almost as if he was speaking more to himself than to her.

"Manchester’s new coach has been confirmed," he muttered, his grip on the controller loosening. The gamepad slipped from his other hand, landing on the couch beside him with a dull thud.

Zoey, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately perked up, excitement bursting through her words.

"Quickly! Who is it? Who is it?" she asked, her voice almost frantic, her anticipation mirroring his own.

David couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. It was infectious, the kind of excitement that made moments like this even more thrilling.

Without wasting another second, he finally tapped on the notification, pulling up the tweet that had sent shockwaves through the football world.

—

[Fabrizio Romano ✔️]🚨 Here we go! 🚨 Erik ten Hag has been officially appointed as the new head coach of Manchester United. Contract signed, with an official announcement coming soon. 🔴✍️ #MUFC #TenHag

The Dutch manager joins from Ajax, where he built an exciting, dominant team, earning the trust of the United board to lead their new era. They believe he is the right man to restore the club to glory.

🔁 64.3K Retweets ❤️ 220.8K Likes 💬 47.5K Comments

💬 Top Comments:

DotGov 🗣️: What’s this? Where is Zidane? Who is this guy? 🤡🤡 #GlazersOut

MizuKen 🏆: Erik ten Hag is a great coach! He wins trophies, exactly what we need. A proper coach at last! 🔥👏 #MUFC

Adir_Azran 🤣: See that bald head? You just know he’s good! Watch out, Pep. Don’t play! 🏆👀 #BaldBall

Silver_Savant 🤯: Dude, what did I just see? We are getting Ten Hag?? Are you serious? 😳 #MUFC #TenHag

Roy_cost 📌: Click here to see Ten Hag’s achievements—it looks like Manchester United have gotten themselves a real winner! 🔴🔥

➤ Andreas_Gustafsson_1003 📝 (Replying to @Roy_cost):

From 2018 to 2019, Erik ten Hag and Ajax won:

🏆 2018–19 Season:

Eredivisie (Dutch League) 🏆 – Ajax won their first league title since 2014.

KNVB Cup (Dutch Cup) 🏆 – Ajax defeated Willem II 4-0 in the final.

Johan Cruyff Shield (Dutch Super Cup) 🏆 (2019) – Beat PSV 2-0 in July 2019.

🔥 Additional Achievements (2018–19 UCL Run):

Reached the Champions League semi-finals after eliminating Real Madrid & Juventus.Almost made the final but lost to Tottenham in the last seconds. 😭

#UnitedEra #TenHagBall

David didn’t really know much about the coach, but judging from the comments, he seemed like a good one. Scanning through the reactions online, he muttered, "The coach is someone from the Eredivisie... Erik Ten—"

Before he could finish, Zoey’s voice cut in through his headphones.

"Ten Hag. I know, I’m looking at it now," she said, her tone focused as if she were already doing a deep dive into his history.

David simply nodded. "It seems like he’s a good coach from what I’m seeing," he remarked, watching more comments flood in about Ten Hag’s tactical prowess and ability to develop players.

Zoey’s voice crackled again. "I’m checking up on him now. I’m not really well-versed in the Dutch league, so I don’t know much about him," she admitted.

David nodded again, understanding her position. He knew about Ajax’s incredible Champions League run the previous season—that much had been hard to miss—but beyond that, he wasn’t exactly an expert on Dutch football either. Still, he had a simple philosophy when it came to managers.

"He wins trophies, so I’m sure he can’t be bad," he said matter-of-factly.

Zoey, however, wasn’t satisfied with that reasoning.

"David, for someone like you, it’s not just about a coach being good at winning trophies. What matters more is how he works with young players. Does he actually use them? What’s his playing style? Is he attack-minded, or is he more like Mourinho?" she asked, her voice sharp with curiosity.

David leaned back in his chair, considering her words. "Yeah, that’s true," he admitted.

The truth was, he didn’t particularly care what kind of style a manager preferred. He was confident in himself and believed he could thrive under any system—whether it was an all-out attacking philosophy, a counter-attacking approach, or even Mourinho’s infamous "park the bus" tactics. At the end of the day, every team, every manager, no matter their philosophy, still needed to score goals. And as long as there were goals to be scored, he was good.

But he understood why it mattered to others. Some players needed a system that suited them. And while he was adaptable, he knew he would be far happier playing under an attack-minded coach rather than one who prioritized sitting deep and grinding out results.

The second point Zoey raised, though—that was crucial. How was he with young players? That was something that could directly impact him.

Zoey’s voice broke through his thoughts again.

"Well, as I suspected, since it’s Ajax, and they’re known for producing young talent, he seems to be really good with youngsters. His captain last season was a 19-year-old, so I guess he’s not prejudiced against young players," she said.

She was right. Even though David didn’t know much about Ajax’s recent history, he did know one thing about the club—they were elite when it came to developing young talent.

Not just elite. World-class.

Their youth academy, De Toekomst ("The Future"), was legendary—one of the very best in the world. He remembered being younger, frustrated with his own academy, convinced that they just didn’t know how to handle a talent like him. That frustration had led him to Google the best youth academies in the world, searching for places that had a real track record of developing top players. And sure enough, Ajax’s academy was always ranked near the top.

Their greatest product? Johan Cruyff. A legend. A revolutionary. The man credited with shaping modern football.

Thinking of that, David smirked and said, "Yeah, I know. That’s where Johan Cruyff came from—the founder of Total Football." He leaned back in his chair, feeling good about displaying his knowledge.

But his moment of pride was short-lived.

Zoey’s voice came back almost immediately, cutting through his confidence like a splash of cold water.

"What are you saying?" she scoffed. "Johan didn’t create Total Football. And did you even hear anything I just said? I told you—Ten Hag plays a balanced game, but his players have to press a lot. So I’d advise you to put down the baked goods and work on your fitness more. You hear me?"

David blinked, momentarily caught off guard, before rolling his eyes. Of course, she had to ruin the moment. But he wasn’t going to let her have this one.

"Now, I know I’m not exactly an expert in ancient ball knowledge," he said, leaning back in his chair, "but I know for a fact that Johan Cruyff created Total Football." His tone was firm, unwavering.

David knew football. That much was certain. He followed the game religiously, analyzing tactics, formations, and player performances. But if you started asking him about the old-school era of football—the pre-2000s history—he wouldn’t have much to say. His knowledge of the game was rooted in his generation, the players he had watched with his own eyes. That was why, whenever someone asked him to name the greatest footballers of all time, he never mentioned players from decades past. How could he? He hadn’t watched them play, so how could he judge them properly?

That didn’t mean he was ignorant, though. He knew the true greats—Pele, Maradona, Zidane, and the rest. He just preferred not to rank them. But when it came to Cruyff, there was one thing he was absolutely certain of—his name was synonymous with Total Football.

Zoey’s exasperated sigh crackled through his headphones.

"What are you even saying, dude? I’m literally talking about your future, and here you are, arguing. And blindly, might I add," she said, her irritation evident.

David scoffed. "What about the playing styles? I told you, I’m good. It doesn’t really matter. I can play any style. I’m that good," he said, throwing in a little self-praise because, well, he deserved it.

Then, with a smug grin, he added, "And as for the arguing—I’m not arguing, I’m just stating facts. Johan founded Total Football. You just don’t want to admit it because that would mean Miss Little Know-It-All is wrong for once, huh?"

Zoey groaned on the other end. "Oh Lord, help me with this boy," she muttered before continuing, "You like betting, right? Let’s bet on it. Since you’re so sure."

David didn’t even hesitate. "No, you like betting. But yeah, I’m sure. So let’s bet," he said confidently.

He could practically hear her smirking through the headphones.

"When I win—not if, when—I want you to get me..." She paused dramatically, pretending to think. "Oh, that’s right! The new PlayStation is dropping for pre-order soon. When I win, you have to buy one for me."

David’s head snapped up. "Wait. A new one?"

"Yeah," Zoey said casually. "Didn’t you know? The PS5 is coming out soon."

Shit.

David sat there, suddenly regretting his recent purchase. Maybe I shouldn’t have bought the Xbox. He knew the drill—whenever PlayStation released a new console, Xbox wasn’t far behind. He had barely had time to enjoy his current one before the next-gen wave was already on the horizon.

But there was no backing out now. He shook his head and said, "Okay, deal. Same thing when I win."

Grabbing his phone, he quickly opened Safari and typed in: Who founded Total Football?

As the page loaded, his eyes scanned the words on the screen.

His jaw clenched.

His shoulders stiffened.

His fingers curled around the phone just a little tighter.

It can’t be.

Zoey’s laughter rang through his headphones before she even spoke. "So? What did you find?" she teased, her amusement unmistakable.

David exhaled sharply, glaring at his screen as if the search results had personally offended him.

With gritted teeth, he muttered, "No, Johan Cruyff did not invent Total Football."

Zoey let out a loud, triumphant laugh. "Go on," she urged. "Say it properly."

David clenched his jaw, swallowing his pride. Then, through gritted teeth, he muttered, "Fuck you."

Zoey laughed even harder. "Make sure you order my console, you hear me, boy?" she teased, clearly enjoying every second of this.

David scowled, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. Just say you’re broke and move on."

Zoey only giggled. "Whatever you say, just order my console."

As for the signing of the new coach?

It didn’t faze David one bit. His belief in himself was stronger than any doubt a coach could put on him.

While the world was busy reacting to the big managerial change, David simply shrugged, grabbed his controller, and joined a new match with his online friend.

But the world outside his game screen?

It was on fire. Another breaking news story was already shaking up the football world.

Special shoutout to DotGov for sending me another Golden Ticket—making it 11 so far! That’s more than I’ve ever received in the last two months combined. Man, I can’t thank you enough. I’m truly grateful!

If you’d like to support me, you can donate Golden Tickets, Power Stones (very important—seriously, I see so many people reading this, but my Power Stones are looking small! They really make a difference), and Gifts (P.S. I’ve never received one for this book, so your support would mean a lot and be greatly remembered).

Thank you all so much! The new season is coming soon! 🚀