Chapter 675 - 127: Transforming Arsenal! The Curse of the No. 9 Jersey! The Highest Signing Bonus in History and the World’s Highest Salary

In the afternoon, an Airbus arriving from China’s Hu City landed at London’s Heathrow Airport.

Before long, Wang Shuo and Shen Qinghe emerged from the arrivals hall, pulling their luggage side by side. They got straight into a black MPV that Thomas Essien had arranged for them and quickly departed from Heathrow Airport.

Wang Shuo wore a pair of large sunglasses and a baseball cap pulled down low, so he wasn’t recognized.

After leaving Heathrow Airport, they headed east into Central London and arrived at the hotel Thomas Essien had booked in advance.

There were no delays or holdups along the way.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Thomas Essien handed him a schedule that had been arranged with Arsenal officials.

In the Premier League, new signings aren’t given a lavish unveiling ceremony like they are at Real Madrid.

But there were still necessary procedures to follow.

The medical examination, for instance.

Arsenal accommodated Wang Shuo by offering him two options. The first was to come to London and undergo the medical at a hospital designated by the club.

The second was to have the medical in China, accompanied by Arsenal’s medical staff.

After careful consideration, Wang Shuo chose to come directly to London for his medical.

He had a lot of other things to take care of.

As a newcomer, he had a lot to get used to, especially things like finding a place to live.

Arsenal’s training ground was in Colney, in the North London Suburbs.

Shen Qinghe had studied in London, so she was very familiar with the area.

London traffic is incredibly complex, and rush hour congestion is a common occurrence. Living in the heart of the city would certainly be convenient for everything else, but the drive to the training ground, which could easily take over an hour, was something Wang Shuo couldn’t bear.

According to Arsenal, their star players generally lived in the areas surrounding the training ground, such as Hertfordshire.

The benefits were an easy commute and better privacy, as it was a more remote suburban area.

However, in terms of city life and amenities, it was certainly not as convenient as the city center.

Another option was to live in North London, near Arsenal’s home stadium. The most famous neighborhood was Hampstead, a traditional wealthy district.

Housing prices there were among the highest in the United Kingdom.

Many political and business elites, as well as entertainment stars, enjoyed living there. The cultural atmosphere was rich, and it was also very safe.

The area with detached mansions near Hampstead Heath offered the best of both worlds: the convenience of city life and the enjoyment of quiet, undisturbed privacy.

The only obstacle was the price: it was expensive!

Shen Qinghe basically had two suggestions: Tottenham, near Colney, which was also home to many celebrities.

Wenger, for example.

And the other was Hampstead.

...

"There’s a lot of media hype right now."

"The entire United Kingdom is closely following the progress of your transfer to Arsenal. They won’t be satisfied until the moment you sign."

Thomas Essien smiled so wide his eyes nearly narrowed into a line.

He had earned a hefty commission from Wang Shuo’s transfer to Arsenal.

Of course, he hadn’t hidden the amount from Wang Shuo.

It was what he deserved.

"Remember back in 2009, when Manchester City signed Tevez from Manchester United? Manchester City put up a massive billboard on the streets of Manchester."

"Well, Arsenal is taking a page out of their book. They’ve put up several massive billboards right in the middle of Central London."

As he spoke, Thomas Essien handed over his phone. He had obviously made a special trip to take photos.

The massive billboard featured a photo of Wang Shuo with the words "Welcome to London!" written below it, and the prominent Arsenal crest above.

It wasn’t just a welcome for Wang Shuo; it was also for the Arsenal fans.

Moreover, it was a declaration of war against the other London clubs!

"So Arsenal is finally willing to spend money," Wang Shuo remarked, surprised.

"Nike gave them a lot of support, too."

As he spoke, Thomas Essien pointed to the Nike logo on the billboard, which Wang Shuo had just noticed.

Rumor had it that after signing Wang Shuo, Nike agreed to increase its sponsorship of Arsenal. Of course, the exact amount of the increase was unknown to the public.

"Also, you won’t believe this, but as soon as word got out that you were signing with Arsenal, the Gunners’ follower count on Twitter exploded by more than three million in just two or three days."

Thomas Essien couldn’t help but laugh as he said this.

"You know? When Will Saunders told me about it, he kept marveling that since he’d come to Arsenal, he’d never had such a well-funded campaign!"

"As long as they attach your name to it, they can post anything and attract a huge wave of followers."

Wang Shuo himself found it amusing. ’That’s a bit of an exaggeration,’ he thought.

"Who’s Will Saunders?" Shen Qinghe asked, confused.

"Oh, he’s Arsenal’s Head of Media. He’s been coordinating with me on some promotional matters these past few days. I’ll put you in touch with him later."

Shen Qinghe nodded.

She was basically responsible for all of Wang Shuo’s media and public relations.

She was also the one who had negotiated Wang Shuo’s personal contract with Arsenal.

The public had been constantly speculating: just how much did Arsenal spend to sign Wang Shuo?

All sorts of figures were being thrown around, but one thing was certain.

Although the nominal transfer fee was only 60 million euros, the actual total had definitely broken Ronaldo’s transfer record.

The only question was by how much.

Only a handful of people on Wang Shuo’s side and a select few within Arsenal knew the real numbers.

That included Wang Shuo’s salary.

In addition to the 60-million-euro transfer fee, Arsenal had also paid an extra 60 million British Pounds as a signing bonus.