The Next Big Thing
Chapter 78: Betrayal?

Chapter 78: Betrayal?

2020—a year where the entire world shut down because of COVID, a disease that claimed millions of lives and suspended billions from the activities they loved. In the UK, a place so deeply ingrained in its lifestyle of football, the birthplace of the sport, where citizens eat, breathe, and sleep football, the impact of the suspension was felt keenly.

But now, all that was coming to an end. While the lockdown was still in place around the nation, something happened that brought joy to the UK population—football had returned. The Premier League kicked off once again on June 17th, 2020. What a day it was, as Manchester City faced Arsenal, beating them 3-0 with goals from Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, and their very own star boy, Phil Foden.

But sadly, despite the amazing show by Manchester city the previous day, the league had already been decided before the break, with Liverpool going clear. The Reds had built an impressive 25-point lead, thanks to the high-flying attack of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and their main man, the Egyptian King himself, Mohamed Salah. Add to that the tight defense of Virgil van Dijk, the man who no one could pass 1v1 all season along with his tactical genius and cautious yet effective defending and also the Brillance of Alisson Becker, widely considered the best goalkeeper in the world at the time. Another key figure was their 21-year-old Liverpool-born superstar, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

His crosses and vision redefined what it meant to be a full-back thanks to them and the rest of the team and last but not least the gen gen pressing master himself Jurgen Klopp the man who brought Liverpool out from the abyss winning the champions league the season before and now winning the league their first since 1990 also it was their first since the rebranding of the premier league from its previous name where they had won 18 before adding this one they would soon win it would be their 19th league trophy making them the team with the second most league title in the country only behind their sworn rival Manchester united by 1 .

Thanks to the successful showing of the premier league the lower leagues were also about to start, and joy filled the air again.

Wayne Rooney, on his way to work as player-manager of Derby County, was thinking about his future. As his team had been gaining praise for their recent form, Wayne found himself considering a full-time managerial role. Should he hang up his boots for good? Arriving at Pride Park Stadium, he felt a sense of relief. It had been a while since he’d been at the stadium, with the demands of home life—his beautiful but exhausting wife and four young boys—keeping him away. Now, with football back in full swing, it felt good to return to what he loved. The Championship was back too, albeit with strict measures in place: no fans, regular testing for players and staff, and minimal staff attendance at matches. Substitutions were increased to five, and extra breaks were added to help the players regain match fitness.

Wayne made his way through the eerily quiet stadium to his office, where he sat down at his desk. A picture of his wife and kids sat in front of him, and he admired it before turning his gaze to another photo—one of his first match as manager at Derby, a win over Barnsley. In the picture, he stood proudly at the center, flanked by his squad, including a young player who had quickly become his protégé—David Jones. Just as Wayne was reminiscing about that match, the door to his office swung open.

"Wayne!" Philip Cocu, his assistant coach and interim sporting director, called as he entered the room. "I’ve been trying to get your attention for a while now."

Wayne smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry, I was thinking about our next match. Have the players arrived yet?"

"No, but the board wants to speak to us," Philip replied.

Wayne, now curious, followed Philip down the hallway toward the boardroom. He’d rarely had direct interactions with the club’s board, so he wondered what this meeting could be about.

"Do you know what they want?" Wayne asked.

Philip leaned in, a puzzled expression on his face. "What? I can’t hear you."

Wayne, now slightly fed up, pulled off his mask and said, louder this time, "I said, do you know what they want us for?"

Philip, startled, quickly said, "Put your mask back on! What’s wrong with you?"

Wayne rolled his eyes. "I don’t have COVID, the test showed that."

Once they reached the conference room, Philip made sure his suit was in order while Wayne opened the door. Inside, three people were seated around the table, maintaining a safe distance. Wayne immediately recognized them: Mel Morris, the club’s owner and chairman; Stephen Pearce, the CEO; and John Vicars, the finance director.

Wayne nodded a greeting as he took a seat at the end of the table. Philip entered, gave a polite bow, and sat next to him, looking eager. Wayne couldn’t help but smile beneath his mask, amused by Philip’s clear ambition for a full-time role.

After a moment of silence, Stephen Pearce spoke. "We apologize for the short notice, but we have some matters to discuss."

John Vicars took over. "Before the suspension, Derby was finally making some financial progress—thanks to ticket sales and jersey sales from our good form. We were selling out home games, and the club’s shirts were flying off the shelves. But now, with no fans allowed in stadiums, that revenue stream is gone. If we continue like this, we risk undoing all the progress we’ve made. We’re in danger of falling back into financial trouble, so we need to explore other options."

Wayne nodded. "I understand. So, what are you proposing?"

John glanced at Wayne before continuing. "We’re considering selling some players."

Wayne raised an eyebrow. "Selling players? Who do you have in mind?"

"Well," John said, "Sheffield United are interested in both Jayden Bogle and Max Lowe. They’ve offered £6 million for both of them."

Wayne frowned. Those two were key starters for him—his right and left full-backs. But the list kept going.

"Swansea are interested in Chris Martin. Millwall wants Mason Bennett, and Chelsea wants to retain Mason Mount, who’s currently on loan from them."

Wayne’s mind was racing. "Wait, hold on. Manchester United made an inquiry about David Jones?"

Wayne’s temper flared. "You’re talking about selling three starters? Well, tell them they’re not for sale."

The board exchanged uneasy glances. Stephen Pearce spoke up. "Wayne, it’s not like that. We need the money, and we’ve identified some cheaper options to reinforce those positions."

After a couple minutes with them explaining why it was needed Wayne took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "I understand the need to sell but David Jones is not going anywhere—not yet at least."

The three board members looked at each other, clearly a bit ashamed. Then Stephen spoke again. "David Jones is one of the players we want to sell."

Wayne’s eyes widened. "You’re joking, right? Do you even watch our games? David has been the major reason for our recent success."

Stephen, trying to explain, added, "We’re thinking of getting Kamil Jóźwiak from Lech Poznań. He’s fast, like David, and has fancy footwork."

Wayne, now visibly frustrated, removed his mask. "Well, let Manchester United buy him, then! Listen, David Jones is indispensable. At least for now."

John then said "the money Manchester united quoted would really go a long way it could help save us for this window at least"

Wayne Rooney who was already angry that the club would risk their teams achievements for quick cash spoke " if it’s about money look at this David has only played how many games and Manchester united want to buy him imagine we keep it at least one more season the money that would be quoted would be at least double this going on by his performance if we keep him we even have a shot of being promoted next season"

Philip who had been quiet till now said "his contract would end next season so it would be prudent to sell him well this window or we could lose him going for free"

Wayne Rooney just looked at him and said, "and whose fault is it that we didn’t sign him longer" he said staring daggers into Phillip

After calming down Rooney then smiled and said, "it doesn’t even matter I’ve spoken to him already, and he’s not going anywhere."

There was an awkward silence as the board members exchanged looks. Finally, Mel Morris, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

"Wayne, I don’t know how to tell you this, but David Jones and his agent asked us to approve for him to leave and with the money quoted we have no reason to keep him here."

Wayne froze for a moment, the shock of the news hitting him hard. He turned sharply and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. As he walked through the corridor, he saw just who he wanted to see there he was David Jones, smiling and walking with his teammates, heading in the locker room direction. Wayne ignoring Phillip who ran after him calling out to him, His focus was on David who was laughing with Jason knight. Finally, Wayne reached him.

"David!" he called. His voice very low and deep filled with anger

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