Chapter 48 - 46 - One Step Closer

Chapter 48: Chapter 46 - One Step Closer

His mother eventually set down the contract and looked toward the academy representative.

"When school starts again, who should I speak to if his training timetable changes? He’s been spending so much time with the first team lately."

"You can still contact the academy’s education staff. We’ll coordinate with the school and let you know if his programme needs adjusting."

"All right. I just wanted to make sure that hadn’t changed."

"No, you’ll still have the same point of contact."

She thanked him and returned to the document.

Rafael finished reading the amendment, then compared its expiry date with the one on the stagiaire contract.

Three seasons.

The agreement would give him a place at Metz for the next stage of his development, but he had seen players spend years waiting for opportunities that never arrived.

One former teammate had spent an entire season training regularly with a senior squad without receiving enough competitive minutes to maintain his form. By the time the club allowed him to leave, finding another team willing to take him had become considerably harder.

Rafael did not intend to repeat that experience simply because he had finally earned a place in Metz’s senior training group.

He turned toward Moreau.

"There’s one thing I want to be clear about before I sign. If I’m still training with the first team in December but barely playing, I don’t want us spending that meeting asking for another six months of patience."

Moreau set down his pen.

"That’s fair. What would you want us to look at?"

"Whether the reserve minutes are enough, whether there’s still a realistic route into the first team, or whether a loan would help. Whatever makes sense by then."

Moreau nodded.

"We can raise those options, but the club won’t commit to a loan today."

"I’m not asking them to."

The academy representative leaned forward slightly.

"We’d need to look at where you are by December. If the current arrangement’s working, there might be no reason to change anything. If it isn’t, we’ll discuss what’s available."

Rafael thanked him and returned the email to the folder.

He had no reason to expect Metz to promise him a loan before he had even played his first competitive match of the season. By December, he could be receiving regular reserve minutes, appearing occasionally with the first team or struggling for opportunities in either group.

The review would give him a date to discuss those circumstances without guaranteeing which option the club would choose.

His mother had finished reading and was watching him from the chair beside his.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?"

"Yeah. Just thinking."

She reached over and touched his arm.

"You don’t have to sign today if you’re not sure."

"I know, Mum."

Moreau glanced toward Rafael.

"We can take another day if you want. There’s no problem with that."

Rafael looked down at the contract.

He remembered accepting agreements during his previous career because he had been afraid another opportunity might never arrive. Sometimes that fear had been justified, but it had also made him agree to arrangements he should have examined more carefully.

This time, he had read the documents, asked about the terms and obtained written confirmation of the review.

The risks had not disappeared.

A new coach could prefer different forwards, Renaud could remain ahead of him, and the returning senior strikers would make competitive minutes harder to earn. Metz might also decide that Rafael needed more time with the reserves than he wanted to spend there.

None of those possibilities would disappear because he signed.

He could refuse the agreement, retain his existing academy status and consider whatever opportunities became available elsewhere, but no other club had offered him a place in its senior training group.

Metz had.

Rafael reached for the contract, then stopped when he noticed that his mother was still reading the final page of the amendment.

He waited while she checked the remaining provisions and compared the document with the original agreement.

When she finished, she placed both copies on the table.

"All right, Rafa. I’m done."

Rafael looked toward her.

"I want to sign."

She held his gaze for a moment.

"You’re sure?"

"Yeah. I’ve read everything, and I know what I’m agreeing to."

His mother glanced at the contract before looking back at him.

"If that’s what you want, then I’m happy for you to go ahead."

Rafael smiled and turned toward Moreau.

"I’m ready."

Moreau nodded and looked toward the administrator, who drew the documents closer.

"The contract will be subject to LFP homologation," the administrator said. "We’ll submit the complete file once everything’s signed and let you know when it’s been approved."

Rafael accepted the pen and found the signature field on the final page.

He had signed contracts during his previous career, including several that had left him regretting the decisions he made afterward.

This one was different.

His seventeen-year-old body had barely begun adjusting to senior football, and the next three seasons would be spent at a club whose future decisions he could not predict.

He held the pen above the page for a moment, then signed his name.

His mother took the pen from him and added her signature as his legal representative.

The administrator placed the amendment to the convention de formation in front of them, and Rafael checked the revised expiry date once more before signing. His mother added her signature beneath his.

While the administrator reviewed the completed pages, Moreau placed the sporting review email with their copies of the other documents.

"Everything’s in order from your side," the administrator said once he had finished checking the signatures. "We’ll complete the club’s formalities and submit the file for homologation."

He handed Rafael the folder containing their copies.

"Keep these with your records. You’ll receive confirmation when the league has approved the contract."

Rafael thanked him and placed the folder beside his bag while his mother collected her belongings.

Moreau exchanged a few final words with the administrator before following them toward the door.

The academy representative stood and offered Rafael his hand.

"Congratulations, Rafael. We’ll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you."

Rafael shook his hand before leaving the meeting room with his mother.

Moreau accompanied them downstairs, where Rafael’s mother thanked him before they said goodbye outside the administrative building.

Rafael was putting the folder into his bag when she reached over and squeezed his arm.

"Are you happy?"

"Yeah, Mum."

"Good. I am too."

She smiled before adjusting the strap of her handbag.

"You know, when they start paying you, we’ll have to sort out what you’re going to do with your wages."

"I’ve already got a few ideas."

"Well, don’t spend it all before you’ve earned it."

Rafael laughed as they continued toward the car park.

His mother had left work early to attend the meeting, and he knew she would still be going back to the same job the following morning. He could not change everything about their circumstances with a stagiaire salary, but once the agreement became effective, he would finally have money of his own to manage.

They reached the car, and Rafael placed his bag on the floor beside his feet before fastening his seat belt.

His mother started the engine while he checked his phone.

The following day’s senior training programme had been updated.

Rafael opened it, expecting to confirm his reporting time, but another name had appeared in the attacking group.

The second senior centre-forward, who had spent the opening weeks of preseason working through a restricted training programme, was now listed for full team training.

Rafael looked at the updated group.

Renaud was still there, along with Vautrin and the other available forwards. The returning striker had been added to the same sessions, bringing another experienced player into the competition for attacking minutes.

Rafael checked the reporting time and put his phone away.

His mother glanced toward him as they stopped at the exit of the car park.

"Everything all right?"

"Yeah. They’ve updated tomorrow’s training programme."

"You’re still starting at the usual time?"

"Half past eight."

She nodded and pulled onto the road.

Rafael looked through the windscreen as they headed home.

He had signed an agreement that could keep him at Metz through 2029, but the club still had to complete the formalities before it became effective.

Tomorrow morning, he would return to the senior training building as one of the forwards the coaching staff had decided to retain.

The difference was that another senior striker would now be training alongside him, and the competition for those places was becoming harder before Rafael had even made his first competitive appearance.