12 June 2014 - Utrecht
The legacy-building projects were in motion, their foundations solidifying with each passing day like concrete setting in the warm summer sun, yet an undercurrent of melancholy began to permeate the atmosphere at Zoudenbalch.
The summer break was in full swing, and while the city of Utrecht remained a vibrant tapestry of red and white, with supporters still wearing their jerseys with pride and children still kicking footballs in every park and square, the imminent departure of players for holidays and international duties brought with it a sense of impending change that was impossible to ignore.
For Amani, the transfer speculation that he had so effectively pushed to the periphery of his mind began to creep inwards, not as a source of pressure or anxiety, but as a catalyst for a series of deeply emotional, and perhaps final, conversations with the people who had become his family over the past transformative year.
