Chapter 683 - 128: The Gunners’ Tyrant, A Mix of Kindness and Might, Charging for the Championship, The Bar Brawl Incident, and Wang Shuo’s Rules

"Today is the first day of our new season’s training camp. First and foremost, I want to formally introduce a very special teammate to all of you. He is..."

Wenger turned slightly, extending his hand toward Wang Shuo.

"The man standing beside me, the forward from China, Wang Shuo!"

The room erupted in another round of warm applause.

Wang Shuo, in turn, humbly nodded to everyone in acknowledgment.

"I’m sure you all know who he is. For the past two seasons, he has won the European Golden Boot Award. Last season, he scored an astonishing 54 goals in the Bundesliga and an incredible 22 goals in the Champions League—both all-time records!"

Although they already knew this, hearing it from Wenger’s own lips still elicited numerous gasps of amazement from the squad.

To be able to join Arsenal, they were all either top-tier players or had the potential to become one. Naturally, they understood that achieving such results in the Bundesliga and the Champions League was truly staggering.

Everyone’s gaze toward Wang Shuo now held an extra measure of admiration.

"This summer, Wang Shuo received invitations from many powerhouse clubs, but he ultimately chose us, Arsenal. This represents his high level of confidence in our team and in all of you gentlemen present here."

"I’ve always said that we are a team with a championship tradition, and we have the ability to challenge for titles. However, in the past few years, we’ve consistently failed to perform at our true level."

"Today, I am formally announcing to all of you that I am appointing Wang Shuo as the team’s captain!"

"This isn’t just because of Wang Shuo’s outstanding goal-scoring ability. More importantly, I see in him the kind of unwavering, iron-willed spirit that our team desperately needs!"

Wenger then offered some words of encouragement, hoping everyone would cooperate fully with Wang Shuo.

"And now, let’s have our captain say a few words."

Another round of enthusiastic applause broke out among the squad.

Wang Shuo took a step forward, clapping lightly along with his teammates and nodding in acknowledgment.

As his gaze swept over the men before him, he could sense the complex emotions in their eyes.

Some were excited, some were worried, some were uneasy, and some were doubtful.

’This is all perfectly normal.’

"Good morning, teammates. I am incredibly honored to join Arsenal, to become a part of this team with its glorious history and beautiful football, and to fight alongside all of you."

At that moment, all eyes were on Wang Shuo, and he, in turn, was watching them just as intently.

"When the coach suggested I become captain, I was just as surprised and confused as everyone else here."

"I’m only 20 years old and just transferred here, yet I’m being asked to lead one of the world’s top powerhouse clubs. For me, this is a completely new challenge."

"After speaking with the coach several times and arriving here at Colney, I came to a profound realization: this captain’s armband isn’t a privilege, it’s a heavy responsibility!"

"I want to make it clear: I’m not here to boss people around. I’m here to serve and help everyone!"

"I’m working hard to learn how to integrate all of you—people from different cultures and backgrounds, with entirely different lifestyles—into a single, cohesive unit, so we can all better focus on training and competing."

"This will require all of us, together, to build our own locker room culture!"

"Let’s fight side-by-side and charge toward our common goal: a championship!"

At this, Wang Shuo paused, and another wave of fervent applause swept through the squad.

Who doesn’t want to win a championship?

"On the road to a championship, we will definitely face all sorts of difficulties and obstacles. But I promise you, as your captain, no matter what happens, I will always stand with you!"

Having said this much, Wang Shuo felt he’d said enough and that the atmosphere was good, so he broke into a smile.

"I just checked with the coaching staff. Today is mainly for physicals, so there are no special training assignments."

"We’re going to do two things today. First, we’re going to talk."

"Thomas and I will be at Colney all day. I hope each of you will speak freely, talk about your expectations and ideas for the new season, and describe the team you hope to be a part of."

"You can also bring up your valuable opinions on the team’s past issues. Right or wrong, everything is on the table."

"Second, tonight I’m treating everyone to dinner to celebrate the start of our new season’s training camp, and to toast to our future championship victory!"

"Alright!"

The benefit of having his own people in the squad was immediately apparent.

As Subotic and Vermaelen voiced their support, the others quickly joined in with cheers.

A consensus was quickly formed.

The captain was treating, so everyone had to be there!

If you didn’t show, did that mean you didn’t want to be part of this new group?

This made Wenger, who was watching from the side, stare in wide-eyed disbelief.

’Is Wang Shuo’s captaincy going a little too smoothly? But he’s really handling this incredibly well. Even better than I expected!’

But he was, in fact, doing an excellent job.

Even better than Wenger had anticipated!

...

With the start of the new season’s training camp, the players all sensed a change at Arsenal.

As the team’s new captain, Wang Shuo didn’t immediately start laying down rules. Instead, he listened intently to everyone’s thoughts.

One thing in particular proved this.

Namely, whenever a player offered an opinion to Wang Shuo regarding the team’s locker room discipline, procedures, or other related matters, he would always provide active feedback.