Chapter 811 The Second Betrayal

The Independent newspaper headquarters in Derry Street, Londonderry.

A call was made directly to the office of Whitham Smith, editor-in-chief of the Independent.

The British newspaper veteran was heard to make some mumbling sounds, and after hanging up the phone, he pressed the internal telephone code.

"Let Sam and Simon in for a minute!"

Sam Wallace and Simon Hughes, two of The Independent's most famous pens.

Since Glenn Moore was fired, they have become the two most trusted generals of Whitham Smith.

In less than two minutes, two British men in their early thirties knocked on the door and came in.

"Whitham, what do you want from us?"

Whitham Smith sat behind his desk, raised his head, looked at his two favorite generals, and nodded.

"The Southampton press department just called and invited us to go to the Glory Stadium tomorrow morning to attend the press conference and signing ceremony for the new players. I plan to arrange for you to go."

"New player?" Sam Wallace and Simon Hughes looked at each other and noticed the surprise in each other's eyes.

It even seemed as if he could catch a glimpse of panic in the other person's expression.

Whitham Smith sighed deeply and nodded, "Yes, if I'm not mistaken, it's him!"

Although Whitham Smith did not mention the name, everyone present knew that he was talking about the long-rumored former Arsenal captain and Barcelona midfielder Fabregas.

"This is impossible. Didn't the team want to use the buyback clause?" Sam Wallace was a little excited.

Simon Hughes also kept shaking his head. "Yeah, a player like this, at such a cheap price, why wouldn't Arsenal want him?"

Deeply influenced by editor-in-chief Whitham Smith, the Independent has always been a staunch Gunman.

Even within the British newspaper industry, everyone knows that The Independent is the mouthpiece of Arsenal.

They can always get some internal news about Arsenal that the outside world can't get, or receive some news in advance.

Of course, they always try their best to defend and whitewash Arsenal.

The most interesting thing is that I heard that the first rule of Li Bao when hiring editors and reporters is to only accept Arsenal fans.

Whitham Smith shook his head and smiled bitterly. As an Arsenal fan, especially an Arsenal fan of such an old age, he looked at many things more thoroughly than these young people in their thirties.

Wenger has been in charge of the Gunners for so many years, and his influence on Arsenal can be said to be deep-rooted.

There is no need to say anything else, just this idealism.

All Arsenal fans are more or less idealistic.

So, when Fabregas transferred to Barcelona, ​​they couldn't accept it. They cursed him desperately and even gave him a nickname, "Fabregas".

But what is the reality?

How deep the hatred is, how deep the love is!

In the past few years, Fabregas has been in a bad situation in Barcelona, ​​which makes Arsenal fans gloat on the surface, but in fact they feel very uncomfortable in their hearts.

It’s a bit like your girlfriend, whom you’ve been dating for many years, marries someone else, and ends up suffering domestic violence and cold treatment from her husband.

As a man, he would think that if she had chosen him at that time, he would have taken good care of her and loved her deeply, so why would he treat her like this?

Moreover, there will be some thoughts in her heart, thinking that she will quickly escape from her husband's clutches and return to her arms.

Arsenal fans feel the same way about Fabregas. They curse him in their mouths, but they hope he will come back in their hearts.

The media has hyped up Fabregas' departure from Barcelona time and time again, and the Gunners fans' desire and anticipation for his return has deepened time and time again.

Because Fabregas is not only a world-class midfielder, he also represents Arsenal's past glory!

But now...

"I simply can't believe that he would join a Premier League team other than Arsenal!" Simon Hughes said sadly.

When Fabregas played for Arsenal, he was just a fledgling reporter who had the honor of interviewing him several times. He talked about it with relish for many years. Even after Fabregas moved to Barcelona, ​​everyone was scolding him, but Simon Hughes still said a lot of good things about Fabregas. But now...

Whitham Smith also sighed and shook his head: "The team now has Ozil, Ramsey, Wilshere and others, we don't need Fabregas!"

"But, Whitham, these players are no match for Cesc, you know that!" Sam Wallace retorted, still looking very excited.

This group of Arsenal midfielders are all well-known names, but in terms of strength, there is still a big gap between them and Fabregas, even Ozil.

"Then you should know how tense and urgent the current situation in the Premier League is. Good steel should be used where it is needed most. Arsenal's transfer budget cannot be spent on a dispensable position. Otherwise, how can they fight for the top four in the new season?"

Whitham Smith's rhetorical question was also powerful and resounding.

This is also true!

But Simon Hughes still shook his head, "But, I still can't accept it!"

Whitham Smith laughed. "No one is asking you to accept it now. I just want to say that you can go to Southampton tomorrow and attend the press conference. If you have any questions, you can ask them in person. I believe he will answer them."

After a pause, Whitham Smith sighed again.

"To be honest, this is professional football. I thought you were used to it!"

After saying this, a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

But it's not about laughing at Sam Wallace and Simon Hughes, it's about laughing at the damn reality and the ironic ideal.

Unexpectedly, Simon Hughes and Sam Wallace took Whitham Smith's casual remark seriously.

"I will definitely ask him in person, for sure!"

…………

…………

"Cesc, you may have forgotten me, but it doesn't matter, let me introduce myself, I'm Simon Hughes from the Independent!"

The next day, in the spacious and bright press conference hall of the Glory Stadium, with nearly two hundred media witnessing, Simon Hughes, a reporter from the Independent, finally got the right to ask a question.

After hearing what he said, everyone in the audience immediately turned to look at the muscular British man in his early thirties.

His tone didn't sound that friendly.

Wait, The Independent?

Oh, by the way, Arsenal’s official newspaper!

Could it be that this guy is here to cause trouble?

Wow, if that’s true, then this play would be so interesting!

For a moment, there was an uproar at the scene, and countless people even turned their cameras to focus on Simon Hughes.

Southampton's press officer also realized something was wrong and was about to step forward, but unexpectedly, Fabregas answered.

"I remember you, Simon. You did the interview for my first goal for Arsenal. You did the last interview for me before I left Arsenal, too, right?"

Sitting in front of the podium, Fabregas answered with a faint but kind smile.

With just this one sentence, Simon Hughes suddenly felt a lump in his throat and was choked with sobs, unable to speak.

Yes, he remembered, he actually still remembered!

But why doesn't he want to return to Arsenal?

Simon Hughes took a deep breath and looked directly at Fabregas at the podium. "Cesc, yes, I'm glad you still remember, but today I want to ask you on behalf of all Arsenal fans, why did you choose to leave Arsenal? And now, why choose Southampton?"

This question is very straightforward, very sharp, and very difficult to answer.

Everyone present could tell that Simon Hughes' question came from the heart.

In the three years since Fabregas left Arsenal, he has never really explained why he left Arsenal.

This has left many Gunners fans angry as they feel betrayed.

And now, he is back, back to the Premier League, but he did not choose Arsenal, the team that nurtured him, but went to Southampton.

This is undoubtedly the second betrayal!

Simon Hughes looked straight at Fabregas, as if questioning him, Answer me, Go ahead and say it!

Fabregas lowered his head at first, but quickly raised it again.

Several attentive reporters sitting in the front row also noticed that his eyes were red.

"I am 27 years old. If I divide my life into parts, the first 16 years of my life belong to Barcelona. In those 16 years, every time I played football, it was for Barcelona. I hope that one day, I can play for Barcelona."

"Even... I chose to leave Barcelona and join Arsenal in order to realize this dream that I had since I was a child."

Fabregas spoke softly, but the press conference room fell silent.

"I know that many people can't understand. They think that I should be loyal to Arsenal, but I can't go against the ideals and goals I have always adhered to since I was a child, so I chose Barcelona!"

Many people present felt sad after hearing this.

In fact, many people know the answer, but they are just unwilling to believe it.

But now listening to this answer, and thinking about what Fabregas has experienced in Barcelona in the past three years, it is really sad.

This is not an isolated case!

Fabregas will not be the first, nor the last, to be let down by Barcelona!

All the top teams in the world, all the football teams, cannot possibly satisfy the dreams of all the players who love them.

Because a team has at most twenty-five people!

"When I chose to leave Arsenal, I believed I would stay in Barcelona forever. I believed I could devote my football career to the Barcelona I love, but unfortunately, football is always so cruel."

"When I realised I had to leave, I was sad, but I knew that this was professional football."

When he said this, Fabregas took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and even forced a faint, forced smile.

"Arsenal had a buy-back clause in my contract, but they gave up the right to take me back. I know they don't need me anymore, but I want to continue playing. I'm still young, I'm only 27 years old."

"It just so happened that Southampton contacted me at this time. Mr. Yang Huan came to Barcelona in person to meet me. He wanted to bring me to Southampton three years ago, and three years later, he still wanted to do so."

"In the conversation with Mr. Yang Huan, I found my own value. I am eager to prove my value in Southampton, so I came here!"

"Professional football is always full of changes. I can't guarantee what it will be like in a year or even a few years, but what I can guarantee is that when I played for Arsenal, I was willing to give everything for him, and when I played for Barcelona, ​​I thought the same thing."

"Now, I'm going to wear the Southampton jersey and I'm going to give it my all!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole audience burst into applause!

Many people, especially female reporters, even burst into tears on the spot!