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Chapter 37: Forged In Sweat
🕑 Added 2025-05-16 15:47:58 +0000 UTCKai enjoyed his conversation with Zheng Xin. Being able to converse in Mandarin with a fellow countryman oddly felt liberatingly nice.
Kai returned to Billy’s place, took a shower, and headed back to his room.
...
In Arsenal’s equipment room, Kai was lifting weights under the watchful eye of assistant coach Pat Rice.
Iron work, resistance band drills, and ball control sessions.
Of course, Kai still participated in the full team training. But once that was done, he stayed behind to go through a specialized regimen under Pat’s supervision.
"Three more sets!"
Pat stood to the side, arms crossed, and a faint smile in his eyes. He was pleased with Kai's commitment.
He liked that Kai never questioned the plan—just put his head down and trained.
Even when the drills were exhausting or painfully repetitive, not once had Kai complained.
The Kai of today was very different from the one who had first walked through the doors eight months ago.
Stronger, more muscular, and noticeably taller—he’d grown five centimeters and now stood at 1.87 meters, weighing in at 85 kilograms. In Premier League terms, that was solid.
For comparison, Drogba, who was known for physicality,” stood just a couple of centimeters taller and weighed only six kilos more.
Kai’s fitness stats were inching closer to that level of physical dominance.
Of course, all this came with trade-offs.
He had sacrificed some agility. His bar drills were slipping, and the added muscle made him a little stiffer in movement.
But Pat didn’t see it as a problem.
Kai wasn’t the kind of player who relied on slick dribbling or lightning footwork.
What made him special was his ability to intercept the ball and deliver that one killer pass.
In recent training matches, Kai had shown glimpses of this—passing moves that could change the entire flow of the game.
Under Arteta’s setup, every now and then, Kai would produce a pass so incisive, it cut through defenses like a blade.
He didn’t do it often, but when he did, it was devastating.
And he was getting better at it. His passing range was growing—long diagonal balls, daisy cutters, and the occasional through passes that split the entire backline.
It gave the coaching staff high hopes.
He still struggled to organize play on a broader level, but that could be developed with time.
With Arteta still in the squad, there was breathing room. If Kai kept progressing like this, Pat was convinced he’d be a starting player by the middle of next season.
He smiled at the thought.
Wenger had made bold calls in the past—selling Vieira to build around Cesc, for instance.
Now, it seemed he was seriously considering moving Alexander Song and slotting Kai into that role.
And Kai wasn’t just giving them quality on the pitch.
Over time, the coaching team had come to admire another aspect of his game—his sense of timing.
He had this knack for showing up when it mattered.
In scrimmages, when the game hit a crucial point, Kai would come up with a key interception, a sharp pass, or even the occasional aerial duel that led to a goal.
It was a rare trait.
Wenger hadn’t thrown him into matches just yet, but that was about to change.
Bang!
The barbell hit the floor with a heavy thud.
Kai, dripping in sweat, rolled his shoulders. His chest and back muscles shifted visibly with the movement—he looked every bit the part now.
“Coach, are we doing this again tomorrow?” he asked between gulps from his water bottle.
Pat didn’t look up from his clipboard. “What else do you want to train?”
Kai shrugged. “Just saying… maybe something new? Kinda getting bored of the same drills.”
“This isn’t a restaurant menu,” Pat replied flatly. “You don’t get to pick and choose. Each item is tailored for you. Until you hit the target numbers, you’re not moving on.”
“Fine,” Kai sighed. “But at least tell me what’s next on the list?”
Pat finally glanced up, a teasing grin on his face. “You really want to know?”
The moment he saw the expression, Kai’s face changed.
“...Flexibility training.”
Kai hazarded a guess.
If strength training was tough, flexibility training was actual torture—especially for someone built like him now.
Pat chuckled. “Relax. The flexibility drills will be pretty light. Your current frame wouldn’t allow for an extreme range of motion anyway.”
Kai glanced down at his bulk and sighed. “I’ve put on over ten kilos. If I had to face my old self, he’d probably get knocked out.”
“Exactly,” Pat nodded. “This is the Premier League. Most physically intense league in the world. Without a solid frame, you’re just one tackle away from a hospital visit.”
He snapped his notebook shut and added, “Explosiveness training starts tomorrow.”
Kai blinked. “Wait—I thought we were doing flexibility?”
“That’s the third phase. First, we build explosiveness. When you’re up against fast attackers, you need to close down space quickly. If you're a step late, they’re gone. You need the burst to keep up.”
Kai grinned. “So, leg day?”
“Calves,” Pat said ominously.
And every footballer knows the pain that comes with calf training.
...
The next morning, Kai's new training module kicked off.
Morning and evening sessions now include explosive movement work.
In the gym, he performed barbell calf raises, standing upright and pushing off his toes.
Out on the pitch, it was shuttle runs and sprint drills. And as always, Pat pushed him to the limit.
But Kai’s recovery rate was impressive. No matter how brutal the session, he adjusted within time.
That gave Pat even more reason to ramp it up. If the kid could take it, why hold back?
Of course, Kai had weekly checkups to ensure he wasn’t at risk of injury.
The team doctor’s verdict was clear: his body was in excellent condition.
Pat was thrilled.
Nine months ago, he thought Kai had potential. Now? The kid was putting in real performances in training matches, and the ceiling looked even higher.
This kind of player was every coach’s dream.
Lately, Pat had made it his mission to uncover Kai’s full potential—as if opening a mystery box, never knowing what new quality might emerge.
After a few surprise headers, he even toyed with the idea of trying Kai up front.
But that was just a thought. Aside from his positional awareness and aerial ability, Kai lacked the pace, finishing, and instincts for the role.
...
Arsenal had just wrapped up their 34th match of the season with a 1-0 home win in a full capacity Emirates stadium and were sitting slightly comfortably in third. Song put on a masterclass in the first half with two crucial tackles to prevent Wigan from taking the lead early and doubling it.
They’d leapfrogged Spurs after beating Manchester City at home a couple of weeks back and had followed it up with another solid win.
2011/2012 Premier League Table (after 34 rounds):
Manchester United – 26W, 4D, 4L – 82 pts
Manchester City – 24W, 5D, 5L – 77 pts
Arsenal – 21W, 4D, 10L – 67 pts
Tottenham Hotspur – 18W, 8D, 8L – 62 pts
Newcastle United – 18W, 8D, 8L – 62 pts
Chelsea – 16W, 9D, 8L – 57 pts
The traditional Big Six were holding strong—United, City, and Arsenal occupying the Champions League spots.
Liverpool, on the other hand, was having a forgettable season, languishing in eighth with a record of 12 wins, 10 draws, and 11 losses.
The Reds had a long road ahead if they wanted to return to Europe.
Arsenal, meanwhile, had secured a 5 points cushion above fourth place.
With the pressure easing, Wenger finally felt he could breathe.
It was time to give the young guns their shot.
Earlier in the season, the focus had been entirely on securing points. But now that the path was clearer, Wenger was ready to rotate—and he already had someone in mind.
Kai.
Wenger had wanted to give Kai his Premier League debut for a while now.
That brief FA Cup appearance wasn’t enough for his growth, and he knew it.
With the schedule loosening up, Kai would be seeing the pitch again—most likely within the next four matches, as long as the results allowed.
And that next match?
It just might be Kai’s long-awaited return to the squad after a three-month absence.
