Chapter 806: First Meeting of the New Season!

Before Higo knew it, the boy was already back at the Berger Feld once again, walking with his sports bag on his left shoulder while a smile beamed on his face. It was such a bright day in the middle of summer, and honestly, after getting sidelined for more than two months, the boy couldn’t help but feel rusty, wanting to get back to the training session as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Higo! Long time no see!" Someone suddenly greeted him from behind. When the boy turned around, his eyes lit up at the familiar figure there.

"Oz-san! How are you doing?!" Higo grinned, offering a hug.

Yeah, it was none other than Ozan Kabak, the talented defender from Turkey who had been the team’s defensive anchor for the team’s last season. The man accepted the offer as he hugged Higo gently, being a little bit careful about the goalkeeper’s shoulder.

"I am good, I am good! Man, I am so fortunate that we have a Turkish community in this town, or I would be crazy for not being able to go back!" He laughed boisterously, his stomach even shaking a little bit. It seemed that even if it was just two weeks, that short period was doing well for Ozan Kabak.

"Eh, be careful with your weight, okay? Sensei will never be merciful about it." Higo chuckled as well.

Soon enough, they also met more players. From Fabian, whose hair had grown longer and was even starting to get a bun, toJonas Hofmann, who was as stoic as ever, and Omar Mascarell, who just sat quietly with a headset covering his ears, everyone seemed to be ready for the first training of the season.

There were also a few new faces that Higo had never seen before, and some guys like Nassim Boujellab and Morita couldn’t be seen here. Well, the boy knew that his Japanese compatriot still hadn’t gotten a green light to start the training again, but the former’s absence was definitely strange.

Before Higo could ask anyone about it, though, Frohling finally entered the locker room with Tomasz Baldoch, and their presence was enough to silence the whole room in a heartbeat.

"So... You guys are here? Good." The head coach nodded in approval. "Then, let’s meet on the pitch. We will have a short meeting there."

"Yes, Sir!"

It didn’t take long before everyone abandoned whatever they were doing, put everything behind them, and rushed toward the pitch immediately. Just a minute later, the pitch was full of people again, and Higo couldn’t help but smile when he saw this.

’Yeah, this is how a football pitch should be, full of people. It is so strange to see the training ground empty like before.’ He murmured secretly.

Frohling himself didn’t say a word at first. No, he scanned the whole squad at first, frowning a little at some of the guys whose fitness seemed to get worse in that short break. That little frown was enough to make those guys shudder in fear, knowing that it was a promise of a painful training session.

"Hmm... 25 out of 32 players came in time. Not bad..." The head coach nodded secretly. "Oh, well, since you guys are here, let’s not beat around the bush! Welcome back to the team, and get ready for the 2020-21 season!"

"YES, SIR!"

It seemed that it wasn’t just Higo who was pumped up right now. No, even though the players around looked calm, their eagerness to come back to the competition was clear in their eyes right now.

Honestly, it was admirable how they were so excited for this next season, especially when their summer break was cut short from the usual.Before, it would always be around a whole month before they finally came back to the training ground after the season was over, and yet, this time, they only had two weeks, a very short time to go on a holiday trip.

It was understandable, though, why they were excited about it. After all, even though football was allowed to be played, travel still met a lot of restrictions, and the process to go abroad was so long and full of bureaucratic problems that it wasn’t worth their money and time.

The same could be said for travel inside the country. Most scenic places were still closed, and they couldn’t even get a proper night out for the sake of the holiday vibe. Being trapped in their own house without anything to do, of course, they would go crazy sooner or later.

That was why, having the opportunity to go out like this was a welcome surprise.

"Okay, first thing’s first, the bad news." Frohling coughed a little. "Some players we loaned for last season will have to come back to their original team, so we will lose some important players like Kenny, Juan Miranda, Todibo, and Weston. Four main players, so this will definitely hurt us."

Higo couldn’t help but grimace when he heard that. ’Oh, yeah, no wonder they are not here anymore...’

Besides Jonjoe Kenny, the other three were solid presences on the team. Higo remembered full well that while they were not the most technically gifted players in the world, their discipline was top-notch, and with their wide coverage area, they always managed to stabilize every incoming threat for him.

"Well, the good news is that we have two additional veteran players among us today, two faces that some of you know full well." Frohling continued once again, this time with a smile on his face. "First is Sead Kolasinac, a solid veteran defender that we loaned from Arsenal. He will be here next week, so get ready to greet him."

"Oh! He comes back here again?!"

"Damn! This is going to be awesome!"

Some whispers echoed quite loudly as everyone was trying their best to remember anything about this new player. Higo himself had a blank expression on his face, not knowing a single shit about that Kolasinac.

’I have to research anything about him later. That, or ask Kumiko-chan if she has time. This person is going to be another partner on the back, so I have to get to know him first.’ He put a note on the back of his head.

"As for the next veteran player... Well, he was quite a big player during his tenure in this place, and it is unfortunate that he had to leave due to his injury. However, that doesn’t mean he is not a quality player."

This time, the little smile on his face turned into a big grin, as the coach himself was excited about this. That little shift in his expression was enough to make everyone curious, as whoever made the head coach grin like this should be an exciting player for the team.

"He will be here next week as well, so get ready to greet our living legend, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, okay?"