Chapter 987: A Grim Atmosphere Inside the Team

This...

This was a brilliant idea!

Frohling widened his eyes in shock, never expecting that the solution would be this simple and yet brilliant.

Indeed, if they went for the Japanese market, they would only get a lower price, and the players who were available would be willing to work harder than anyone else without causing too much trouble for the team.

As for how reliable they were, well, that depended on the players, but Higo and Morita had already proved that recruiting Japanese players was not a mistake at all.

No, those two had already showed that just in within a year, they had already adapted to the league and even thriving further, leaving everyone to dust.

It also helped that the competition in Japan would only begin in February, so those decent players who wanted to step up their careers would consider a move this time, not just waiting until the summer arrived.

This was definitely the best solution to get cheap labor for the team who was also ready to fight.

"Shit! Tomasz, you fucking genius! Call Marius quickly! We have to discuss this possibility!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Now that he had already set his mind, Waldoch didn’t want to wait any longer. He called Marius Draxler, the team’s head scout, to his office immediately, as the man was the one who knew the best about the Asian market.

Meanwhile, while those three were discussing the team’s next step, the players fell into a depressed state. Everyone could feel the heavy atmosphere in the team, as Omar Mascarell was a presence that was hard to miss.

The man would always lead the team with his composure, being able to talk with everyone there, from the most senior members to the junior ones who had just come to the team a few days ago.

That was why the Spaniard’s injury hurt the others, as they were quite lost at this point.

Two days after the game against Bremen was over, the same suffocating air was still lingering, and Higo couldn’t really bear it anymore. He just left the training ground quicker than usual before giving a call to his captain immediately.

"Oh! Higo, what can I do for you?" Omar Mascarell’s voice could be heard the moment the call was connected.

Higo could feel the corner of his lips twitching madly when he heard the cheerful tone in his captain’s voice.

"We in the team are so worried about you, so how could you be this relaxed, Omar-san?" Complained the boy without any heat in his tone.

"Hah! That is not my problem!" The man laughed once again. "This time, I finally have a proper chance to enjoy a break! If I don’t know better, I will think that my wife and daughter are hoping that my recovery will take longer, you know?

Higo was quiet for a moment, unsure what to say. He could understand Omar’s feelings, as this season had been hectic for everyone to get a proper rest.

Now that Omar was asked to take care of himself for four months, of course, the Spaniard would enjoy every little second there, using it to do anything he couldn’t during the last summer.

"Still, you leave a big mess here, Omar-san." Higo couldn’t help but smile wryly. "The whole team falls into depression, and no one can step up and fill your role as a leader."

"Wait, what?" This time, there was genuine confusion in the man’s tone. "Isn’t there Sead or Hunter? How could you claim that the team is leaderless without me?"

Higo just snorted when he heard that.

"Hunter-san has only been with the team as the assistant coach, so there is a gap between him and the team. As for Sead-san... He tries, but you know that he is not the type that could lead the team properly, right?"

Indeed, compared to Omar, Sead Kolasinac who as the vice-captain didn’t have the same aura. He kept trying to hold on to the team and not let the ship sink, and yet, it seemed that none of his words were enough to lift up the mood inside the team.

"Can you at least talk to the team, Omar-san? Just one or two sentences, please! If not, all the great momentum we carry so far will vanish the next game, you know?!" Higo pleaded, at the end of his wits right now.

Omar hummed lightly before finally nodding in understanding.

"Yeah, you are right. It is time for me to step up and make sure that all of our efforts so far wouldn’t be wasted."

In the end, the captain finally initiated a group chat with the rest of the team, telling them all that he was alright and trying his best to motivate everyone else, especially those who had already been deep into the abyss.

Unfortunately, while it worked a little bit, the team didn’t have any time to recover from their current state. No, they had to be ready again, as in the next game, their opponent would be way more difficult to handle.

It was none other than RB Leipzig, the current third-place team in the league.

In their first encounter, Schalke lost quite badly, not being able to contain the opponent’s offense at all.

Still, that was a few months ago, when the team’s situation wasn’t as good as today. Now, though, they were currently carrying a streak of four games without losing any single one, which was also the best in the competition so far.

At least, the fighting spirit emerged once again, enough to make them forget about Omar for a moment.

This time, though, they had to go to the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, so playing in a foreign atmosphere sure could be disadvantageous for them.

However, they couldn’t care less about that. No, their spirit to avenge themselves a few months ago burned brighter than ever, as they were finally ready to meet this team.

Inwardly, even Higo himself couldn’t help but get excited as he thought, "On paper, we sure have to be the best one, huh? No, that thought will be the downfall of mine. I have to be careful about everything later. Come on! I can do this!’