The English football world was in an uproar!
This was the most intense Premier League season opener in recent years!
Opening round of the Premier League — Arsenal at home against Tottenham!
The North London Derby!
The fans went wild!
Arsenal supporters, in particular, were thrilled.
This season opener would mark the Premier League debut of their new captain!
And his debut would be in one of the bloodiest derbies in all of football — the North London Derby.
In an instant, all of London was set ablaze with excitement!
"Insane Premier League Opener! North London Derby About to Erupt!"
"A Century-Old Feud Reignited! Who Will Take the First Win of the Season?"
"Can Kai Prove He's Worth a Hundred Million? Arsenal's New Captain Prepares for Premier League Debut!"
During this period—
Tottenham's new manager Mauricio Pochettino made a statement through the media:
"This season, Spurs have signed Bundesliga rising star Son Heung-min. With him and Bale flying down the wings, we'll crush Arsenal's youth revolution!"
Far away in Asia, Korean fans were ecstatic!
"Spurs were so forward-thinking! They didn't just sign Son — he'll be a mainstay this season!"
"Unlike Arsenal, who actually got rid of our national player during the summer window!"
"Damn Arsenal! Do they really think just signing some Kai kid makes them unbeatable? In the opener — the North London Derby — Spurs will annihilate them at the Emirates!"
Because of Son Heung-min's arrival—
Tottenham had gained a new group of Asian fans, the likes of which they'd never had before.
But very quickly—
Chinese fans, who had long been annoyed by Korean arrogance, stepped up to defend Kai.
"That trash Son couldn't even get consistent starts at Hamburg in the Bundesliga — and he thinks he'll defy destiny in the Premier League?"
"Pochettino must be delusional. He really thinks Son and Bale will take flight together? Absolute fantasy!"
"The moment the North London Derby kicks off, Kai will destroy Son so badly there'll be nothing left of him!"
There was still about a week left before the Premier League's opening match.
During this time, Arsenal began a full-team training camp.
Roughly a 45-minute drive from the Emirates—
Deep in a forest—
Lay Arsenal's famous training ground: Colney Training Centre.
The entire first team had arrived.
Kai led his teammates off the team bus.
Wenger stood at the edge of the training ground.
Assistant coach Pat Rice stood by with a tactical board in hand, his eyes sharp and alert as he watched Arsenal players step down one by one.
This season's Arsenal squad was still young, but compared to last year—
They were significantly stronger and deeper.
At the very front of the group—
That striking black-haired figure caught Rice off guard for a moment.
Such a young Premier League captain…
Looking back across all of English football's history—
There had never been a debut like this!
Kai stepped forward to shake hands with Wenger and Rice one by one.
Each player began changing into their training gear on the sidelines.
"Warm up!"
Kai called out to his teammates, and they all began stretching and jogging.
Wenger's eyes gleamed with excitement.
This training camp was a critical moment for Arsenal.
Through it, he could quickly assess team chemistry — whether the players complemented each other, on and off the pitch.
At the same time, the Arsenal manager was filled with anticipation.
Back when Kai was with Crystal Palace — even a Championship side came alive under his command, slicing through Premier League giants in the FA Cup…
And now?
This Arsenal squad was leagues above Crystal Palace.
Wenger couldn't help but imagine—
With that super prodigy's mind-blowing talent…
Just how fearsome could this season's Arsenal become?
Soon, the players finished changing into their training kits.
They were split into two teams for a training match.
Up front on Kai's team? None other than Robin van Persie.
On the opposing team, Giroud was the leading striker, with Rosický orchestrating the midfield.
"Captain, I'll read your signals during the match — let me know where to run!"
Van Persie came over and spoke in a low voice.
Kai firmly shook his head.
"You're a seasoned striker — you don't need someone telling you where to run.
I'll read your movements in real time and deliver the ball at the perfect moment.
Just remember — play to your strengths."
Van Persie nodded solemnly.
Then turned and jogged into position up front.
Moments later—
The training match began!
Wenger stood on the sideline, watching the pitch with rapt attention.
Wenger was hoping to see something in this crucial training camp—
Something Arsenal had never possessed before.
And very soon—
Wenger and Rice's eyes widened in shock.
Because they did see it.
That something "different."
As soon as the training match began—
Kai began to unleash his brilliance.
With a single long pass, he effortlessly sliced through the opposing defense.
Pinpoint accuracy!
The ball landed perfectly at Van Persie's feet.
In that moment—
Van Persie was stunned!
How on earth did that ball even get through?
Even Wenger on the sidelines looked completely shaken.
It was as if the football had a tracking device when it left that prodigy's foot!
Despite a large distance and several defenders in the way,
The pass was flawless — inch-perfect. It made your scalp tingle.
Van Persie received it with ease and broke into the box—
Using his trademark left foot, he smashed it into the back of the net!
After scoring—
Van Persie shouted in disbelief and excitement:
"Captain! I finally know what it feels like to receive this kind of pass!"
Back in the FA Cup semifinals last season, when they faced Crystal Palace—
Kai's otherworldly passing had left Van Persie imagining what it'd be like to play alongside him.
And now— that fantasy was reality.
To every striker—
Kai was the ultimate midfield general. The dream playmaker.
Wenger clapped from the sideline.
He and assistant coach Rice immediately started breaking down Kai's pass with excitement.
But in truth, there wasn't much to analyze—
It was just... unsolvable.
Wenger had already realized it back when he faced Crystal Palace:
This super prodigy—everything he does is unreplicable.
It's pure, raw talent.
From then on, the training match turned into a Kai showcase.
His teammates were utterly stunned.
Van Persie was fed so many perfect balls that his legs went soft from scoring so much!
The Dutch striker had never imagined scoring could feel so effortless.
Meanwhile, the Arsenal players who were against Kai in the scrimmage were in agony.
How are we even supposed to play against this?!
Over the Colney training ground—
The "Kai–Van Persie linkup" played on repeat.
Eventually, after yet another goal—
Van Persie slid on his knees across the pitch and stopped right in front of Kai, eyes full of sincerity and excitement:
"Captain! I want to retire at Arsenal! I want to play with you forever!"
And Kai wasn't just assisting—he showed off his terrifying firepower as well.
Between the assists, he repeatedly blasted long-range rockets into the net, each one met with gasps from the team.
The rest of the squad also felt the benefits of this new system.
They didn't need to overexert themselves offensively.
As long as they held the line and did the dirty work in defense, Kai would take care of the rest.
Eventually, Wenger blew the whistle and ended the training match.
Because he had already seen enough proof—
This Arsenal team had explosive potential this season.
Wenger's fingers were trembling from excitement.
This training session had completely overturned his coaching philosophy.
Kai had overhauled the tactical system of this young Arsenal side.
In this moment, the Gunners had become something entirely new.
Previously, Arsenal had always relied on short, quick passes and interchanges to reduce the length of the pitch and progress their attack.
But in reality—
If your team had someone with godlike passing precision—
You could skip all the intermediate steps.
Long passes could replace the intricate buildup.
The attack would become sharp, direct, and deadly.
And the one who could do that—
The one who could simplify the complex and pierce through any defense in a single pass—
Was Kai.
Wenger was almost giddy.
That 100 million euros — totally worth it!
Arsenal didn't just buy a captain. They welcomed a footballing cheat code into their squad!
In the few days before the Premier League opener—
Arsenal held several more training sessions.
They also finalized two main starting formations for the new season:
4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2
In both setups—
Kai played as the central attacking midfielder — the number 10.
And behind him...
Stood two tireless, hard-working midfielders — Rosický and Arteta — Arsenal's "midfield bodyguards," ever-reliable in shielding the core and supporting their captain's orchestrations.
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