Chapter 807 - 9: The Betting Companies’ Fear of Ma’el! New Contract and Salary Increase! A Brand New Season Begins!

These are a few straightforward reports, from which one can see how reassuring Arsenal and Ma’el are this season.

Famous commentator Alan Shearer quickly commented on a program: "Through the new season’s betting odds list, we have seen the progress of Ma’el and Arsenal, and such a substantial improvement is unimaginable.

"Last season, Ma’el’s Golden Boot odds were only 56 to 1, ranking 23rd, and you couldn’t even find him on the assist list.

"But this season, the player is ranked 1st in Golden Boot odds and 3rd in assist odds!

"Moreover, the 1.5 Golden Boot odds show that various betting agencies believe he is very likely to successfully retain the Golden Boot.

"It’s very clear that such initial odds are uncommon..... The number 1.5 should originally appear in the mid to late season, or when a player has a significant advantage.

"To some extent, this represents the betting institutions’ fear of Ma’el; perhaps they should have earned more last season, but Ma’el’s sudden rise made them lose quite a bit of money."

And at the various betting shops across the United Kingdom on this day, fans lined up in long queues, spending big money betting on Ma’el as soon as they entered the shop.

Even the betting shops near the Tottenham community and the Manchester community have long queues, with many fans placing bets on the rival player.

This chaos, along with the increasing total amount of bets and Ma’el’s quadruple performance in the Community Shield Cup, made the bookmakers gradually uneasy.

"At 14:50, Ma’el’s odds were reduced from the initial 1.5 to 1.35! If they still can’t stop the buying frenzy from fans, betting companies might consider further lowering the odds!" — The Guardian

"At 19:03, Ma’el’s odds dropped again to 1.21! These are unprecedented initial odds for the Golden Boot! No one has ever been so optimistic about a player dominating a league!" — L’Equipe

"At 9:40 on August 14, the second day of opening, Ma’el’s odds dropped to 1.13! A terrifying probability of winning the Golden Boot!" — Marca

"Afternoon....."

"Evening....."

"August 15, the third day of opening, betting companies removed Ma’el’s Golden Boot bets, with insiders claiming they couldn’t handle it!" — All Sports

"The Premier League hasn’t even started yet, and a player is withdrawn from the Golden Boot odds, which makes everyone dare not believe their eyes!" — Germany’s Munich Evening News

"At 4 p.m. on August 15, another historic moment occurred, and betting companies opened a separate market for Ma’el.

"Bet one, can the player score 38 goals; bet two, can the player surpass his performance last season, with odds of 3.5 and 5.25 respectively!" — The Guardian

This news, once released, instantly ignited the entire sports world, and many fans flooded into the discussions, while many chose to join the excitement and follow suit.

"Ma’el will definitely score 40 goals, look at his first game back to the England stage! 4 goals!"

"I have to buy some in support; surpassing last season will be difficult, but 38 goals, there’s definitely hope!"

"All in!!"

And next to the Emirates Stadium, a bar originally named Jones Tavern, now called Allen Tavern, a middle-aged man walked out and went to the betting shop filled with legendary stories across the street.

After hearing the story of Jones and the young men who later rose to prominence, he couldn’t help himself. This time, he wants to be a ’venture capitalist’ and have the tavern renamed for the third time.

...

That night, Ma’el finished personal training and saw Florentino, who had been waiting for a long time, at a restaurant. The other party was dressed in a suit, looking very spirited.

This was not his first time seeing the prestigious chairman; he had met him once at the Golden Ball Award ceremony.

"Mr. Mendes, huh?" Florentino asked with a smile, reaching out to invite Ma’el to sit down.

"The season is about to start, he went to the club to negotiate a new contract for me."

Ma’el did not hide it, straightforwardly stating his desire to sign a new contract with Arsenal.

Florentino’s face showed disappointment, but he covered it well, "Haha, if you can renew this time, you can get the Premier League’s top salary, right?"

"It should be like that."

Ma’el smiled and nodded, "After the Kroenke family fully acquired the club, they became very generous, I might get a contract with an annual salary of around 15 million pounds."

His mention of the price also implied that Real Madrid might be hard-pressed to offer a higher price, and he won’t consider this team for money.

If I remember correctly, Ronaldo during this period at Real Madrid had a salary of only about 12 million Euros, at most not exceeding 15 million Euros.

That’s definitely the highest salary within the team, which also shows the current wage structure of the team.

A salary of 15 million pounds in this era converts to approximately 18.5 million Euros, which would undoubtedly disrupt the salary structure of Real Madrid.

Even reports say Real Madrid might offer a 15 million pound salary, but that report clearly did not consider Real Madrid’s wage structure, making it practically unlikely.

"Very high."

Florentino’s eyes showed shock, understanding Ma’el’s point, but still unwilling to give up, "But has Mr. Ma’el ever thought about it, joining a new club, the signing fee is definitely higher than getting a salary increase at the old team.

"If the signing fee is several million pounds, it can actually be spread over all the contract years as salary."