Chapter 145: Match Squad Selection Finale II
The coaching staff stood around the whiteboard, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the list of attackers. They knew what was coming. After the chaos of selecting midfielders, they had already braced themselves for another round of heated arguments. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, the beginning was... peaceful.
Mike Phelan, who stood with his arms folded, was the first to speak.
"Alright, let’s get the easiest decision out of the way first. I think we can all agree—Odion Ighalo should be left out, right?"
He glanced around at the other coaches, waiting for any sign of disagreement. None came.
Brian nodded, exhaling. "Yeah, I can’t argue with that. He was really average in training today. His age is showing, and, honestly, he didn’t even look like he was trying. The intensity just wasn’t there."
Chris, leaning against the wall with a thoughtful expression, added, "It’s probably because in three months, his loan deal is over. He’s going back to China, and the club doesn’t seem too eager to sign him permanently. It’s a shame, really. He was pivotal for us last season."
Bill, shaking his head, scoffed. "Come on, are we really feeling bad about this? Did you see today’s training? He looked completely uninterested. And yeah, he was ’pivotal’ last season because we had no one else. Now we have an overload of options. He’s neither needed nor wanted anymore."
The words were sharp, almost dismissive. Mike turned to him, his expression serious.
"Look, I agree he shouldn’t be included, but that doesn’t mean we just throw away everything he did for us. The guy helped us a lot last season. The least we can do is show him the respect he deserves."
A few other coaches nodded in agreement at Mike’s words, while Bill groaned, rolling his eyes.
Mitchell, sensing the discussion was about to spiral into unnecessary debate, quickly cut in. "Alright, alright. We don’t have all day. Can we all agree that Ighalo should be left out?"