Chapter 46 - 44 - The Terms

Chapter 46: Chapter 44 - The Terms

"Good work so far, both of you. We’ll see you tomorrow."

They thanked him before leaving the meeting room together.

Renaud waited until they reached the corridor before looking toward Rafael.

"Well, we’re staying."

Rafael smiled.

"Looks like it."

"Thought they might keep us another week and leave it there."

"At least we know where we’re training now."

Renaud nodded and looked toward the changing room.

"You heading home?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Got some recovery work first. I’ll see you tomorrow."

They exchanged a quick handshake before separating.

Rafael collected his bag and headed toward the exit, passing the same corridor he had walked through on his first day with the senior group.

Back then, his name had been attached to a temporary locker, and he had been given an opening block of preseason to prove he could handle training against professional players.

He had now completed that assessment.

Renaud remained ahead of him as a conventional centre-forward, and Rafael still had work to do against stronger defenders, but the coaching staff had decided to include him in their plans beyond preseason.

The first time Rafael had lived through this summer, he had returned to the academy without receiving anything close to this opportunity.

This time, he was going home to tell his mother that he would be training with the first team when the season began.

His mother was in the kitchen when Rafael arrived home, sorting through groceries she had bought on her way back from work.

"You’re back early," she said as he came through the doorway. "Did they finish training already?"

"Yeah, we finished a while ago."

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

"There’s some food in the fridge. Warm it up before you start looking for something else to eat."

Rafael smiled and set his bag beside the doorway while she put a packet of pasta into the cupboard.

"Mum, the coach spoke to me today."

She glanced over her shoulder.

"About Saturday?"

"About next season."

His mother stopped putting away the groceries and turned toward him.

"What did he say?"

"They’re keeping me with the first team."

She looked at him for a moment before smiling.

"So you don’t have to go back to the academy when preseason finishes?"

"I’ll still be registered with the academy for now, but I’ll keep training with the senior group. They’ve made the decision."

She came around the counter and pulled him into a hug.

"That’s wonderful, sweetheart."

Rafael held her close before she stepped back and looked at him again.

"You must be pleased."

"Yeah. I am."

She smiled and returned to the groceries while Rafael took his food from the fridge.

"Have you told Moreau?"

"Not yet. The coach said the club would deal with the paperwork separately, so I’ll call him after I’ve eaten."

His mother nodded and continued putting the groceries away.

"Good. We’ll see what they send us."

Rafael warmed his food and brought it to the table, where she joined him after finishing in the kitchen.

She asked whether Renaud had also been retained, and Rafael told her that both of them would continue with the senior group, although the coaches intended to manage their playing time between the first team and the reserves.

His mother listened before reaching across the table to squeeze his hand.

"I’m happy for you, Rafa."

Rafael smiled and continued eating while she began telling him about her day at work.

Moreau’s message arrived later that evening.

Rafael was sitting with his mother when his phone vibrated, and he saw Moreau’s name on the screen.

Evening, Rafael. Are you home?

He replied that he was, and Moreau called a moment later.

"Evening, Rafa. How are you?"

"Good. Mum’s here too."

"Hello, Mr Moreau," his mother said when Rafael put the call on speaker.

"Good evening. Rafael told you about the meeting today?"

"Yes, he did. We’re very happy."

"I’m pleased for him. He’s earned the opportunity."

Rafael smiled and glanced toward his mother as Moreau continued.

"I’ve got something else to discuss with you. Metz have sent me their written proposal. They’d prepared it while the sporting staff were making their decision, and they’ve now confirmed that they want to move forward."

His mother looked at Rafael.

"Can we see it?"

"Of course. I’ll forward the document to both of you. There’s no need to give the club an answer tonight, and I’d rather we go through the terms together before you decide anything."

Rafael nodded.

"That’s what I was going to ask."

"Good. Read it when you’ve got a chance, and we’ll arrange a proper call to discuss it. If there’s anything you don’t understand, make a note of it."

His mother leaned toward the phone.

"Will I need to come to the club with him if he signs?"

"Yes. Rafael’s still a minor, so you’ll need to be involved in the agreement as his legal representative. We’ll go through the documents together first, and nobody needs to sign anything until you’re both satisfied."

"All right."

"And just so we’re clear, this doesn’t change his current status tonight. It’s a proposal. We’ll need to confirm exactly how it relates to his existing academy agreement before going any further."

Rafael glanced toward his mother.

He had already been thinking about that distinction.

The coaches had decided where he would train, but the club had not yet established the contractual terms under which he would continue his development.

They agreed to speak again after reviewing the document, and Moreau ended the call.

A moment later, Rafael received the email containing Metz’s proposal.

He opened it on his mother’s laptop while she collected her glasses and moved her chair closer to his.

The club’s name appeared above the accompanying message, with Rafael’s name and the attached document beneath it.

His mother leaned toward the screen.

"Is that the one?"

"Yeah."

Rafael opened the attachment.

The first page contained the proposed agreement’s title and the club’s information. Beneath it was a section identifying Rafael and the representative who would be required to participate in concluding the agreement because he was still seventeen.

His mother pointed toward the line reserved for her details.

"That’s where I come in, then."

"Yeah. You’ll have to approve it as well."

She adjusted her glasses and continued reading.

They had only reached the opening pages when Rafael noticed the proposed player status.

Contrat de joueur stagiaire.

He stopped scrolling.

His mother looked toward him.

"What does that mean?"

"It’s a training contract. It isn’t the same as signing a professional contract."

She looked back at the document.

"But you’d still be training with the first team?"

"That’s what the coach told me. This is a separate agreement about my status at the club."

His mother nodded, although she continued looking at the heading.

"All right. We’ll ask Moreau to explain that properly."

Rafael moved farther down the page and found the section setting out the proposed duration.

He read it before returning to the opening paragraph.

The club was not merely confirming that it wanted him around for the coming season. It was proposing a formal agreement governing the next stage of his development, and the duration would determine how long he was committing himself to Metz under that status.

Rafael reached for his phone and opened a note.

He wrote down the questions he wanted Moreau to address: how the agreement would affect his existing academy arrangement, the length of the proposed commitment, the sporting development plan and the conditions under which he would eventually move beyond his training status.

His mother watched him finish before pointing toward another section.

"What about the money? Have they included that?"

"Further down. We’ll go through it."

She nodded and returned to reading while Rafael moved through the document.

They reached the financial section together, and his mother read the figures before looking toward him.

"That’s more than you’re getting now."

"Yeah."

She smiled slightly, although she did not begin discussing what they might spend it on.

Rafael returned to the section concerning the duration.

The money mattered, particularly given what he remembered about the financial difficulties of his first career, but the amount on the page was not enough to tell him whether the agreement suited the path he wanted to take.

His mother reached for her phone.

"Should we call Moreau now?"

"Let’s finish reading first. I want to ask him about a few things."

"All right."

She continued down the document until she reached the section concerning the responsibilities of the player and the club.

Rafael followed the text with her, occasionally stopping to reread a paragraph before adding another question to his notes.

He had negotiated professional contracts before, but those experiences did not mean he could treat this agreement as though he were already an adult professional choosing between established clubs.

He was seventeen, his mother had to participate in concluding the agreement, and Metz was offering him a defined stage of development rather than guaranteeing him a place in the competitive first team.

The difference mattered.

His phone vibrated while they were still reading.

Moreau had sent another message.

Take your time with the proposal. We’ll go through the status, duration and financial terms together before you respond.

Rafael glanced at the message before returning to the document.

His mother was reading the final part of the proposal when she looked toward him.

"Rafa, is this everything you wanted them to offer?"

Rafael looked at the heading again.

He had earned a place in the senior training group, but the club’s written proposal concerned the next stage of his development rather than immediately making him a professional player.

"Not everything," he said. "But it’s a start."

His mother nodded and returned to the screen.

Rafael opened the section concerning the proposed duration once more, then added another question to the note he intended to discuss with Moreau.

He was no longer deciding whether Metz wanted him around the first team.

He was deciding how much of his future he was prepared to commit to the club before earning his first professional contract.