Chapter 733 - 135: Three-Game Winning Streak! Unstoppable! Shocking Massacre! Overwhelming Victory! Top-Tier Defensive Midfielder and Winter Break Signings!

But here lay the problem.

Born on September 9, 1987, Alexandre Song was only twenty-four years old. With an after-tax weekly salary of 55,000 British Pounds, he took home nearly 3 million British Pounds a year. That wasn’t a small amount, right?

But what if he had to support over four hundred people? What if many of them had even followed him to London to live in such a bustling metropolis? If he didn’t give them money, they would throw tantrums and cause endless trouble. As a result, Alexandre Song was frequently bled dry, even having to rely on his teammates for financial help.

Although Wang Shuo was new in town, he had sent plenty of goods to Song’s home, simply because more and more relatives were flocking to the midfielder for support. Consequently, Song wanted to sign a new contract.

This situation also had to be viewed against another backdrop: Manchester City had poached Argentine striker Tevez from Manchester United, offering him a staggering after-tax weekly wage of 250,000 British Pounds. Over the following two years, Manchester City went on a signing frenzy across the Premier League and the European football scene. This caused the salaries of many players previously on the same level as Alexandre Song to skyrocket.

For instance, after transferring from Arsenal to Manchester City, players like Clichy, Nasri, and Sagna saw their wages double, triple, or even quadruple. This was also the exact reason why Van Persie had been kicking up a fuss about his wages earlier.

Since 2009, every team in the Premier League had faced a dilemma: either raise wages or sell players. Arsenal had chosen the latter.

"Since the start of this summer, he’s brought it up to me, hoping to get a new contract. He brought it up again just recently," Wenger said helplessly.

The manager actually understood why Alexandre Song was working so desperately on the pitch, even getting more involved in the attack. It was all for exposure. He wanted to use his outstanding performances to prove his worth and demand a new contract from the club. Arsenal played a 4-3-3 formation with Alexandre Song as the sole defensive midfielder. If even he was actively pushing forward to join the attack alongside the two fullbacks, the team’s vulnerability was obvious.

Of course, it would be irresponsible to blame the Gunners’ defensive collapse this season entirely on Alexandre Song. However, it was undeniably a contributing factor. Furthermore, Alexandre Song’s overall performance had been phenomenal—better than in any previous season.

"What is the club’s stance right now?" Wang Shuo also felt a headache coming on.

"What is their stance? Just wait!" Wenger was incredibly frustrated. "Speaking strictly between us, he shouldn’t have signed until 2015 in the first place. He was the one who wanted to sign that contract in November 2009, and the wages satisfied him then. It’s only 2011 now. Tell me, who would be willing to give him a raise?

"I really don’t know what he and his agent were thinking." By the time Wenger finished speaking, he was thoroughly exasperated.

On many issues, his interests did not align with the management’s. For example, the reason Ashley Cole transferred to Chelsea back then was his inability to reach an agreement with the board over a contract extension. Hadn’t Wenger furiously complained later that he had lost the best left-back in the world over a mere 5,000 British Pounds a week?

The current situation was exactly the same. Could you really point a finger and say whose fault it was? Was it the club? From a business standpoint, were they wrong? Or Alexandre Song? He had a huge family to feed behind the scenes, and he wanted stability alongside a high salary. Was he wrong? Was it Wenger’s fault, then? Or someone else’s?

"Professor, let me just say, a weekly wage of 55,000 British Pounds right now really isn’t high," Wang Shuo said fairly.

"I know, and I’ve relayed that to them. But the management just says to wait a bit longer. Maybe after the new year, maybe next season, maybe..."

In short, there was no rush; the contract was still long! Those damn capitalists!

During the league suspension, Vermaelen had signed a new contract extension with Arsenal. But he was smart—he only signed for four years, expiring at the end of the summer in 2015. The contract Wang Shuo previously signed with Arsenal was for five years in total, expiring in 2016. After Vermaelen’s extension, his after-tax weekly salary was 70,000 British Pounds, surpassing Alexandre Song’s.

Alexandre Song’s weekly wage was actually considered above-average at Arsenal, but if compared to the top four teams in the Premier League, it was undeniably on the lower end. For example, players like Carrick, Evra, Giggs, and Fletcher at Manchester United generally earned between 70,000 and 100,000 British Pounds, depending on the player’s negotiating skills.

However, there was also a strategy behind team contract extensions. A club might dangle a renewal like a carrot, stringing a player along to keep them performing well and striving to improve. Because Alexandre Song’s contract expired in 2015, Arsenal’s ideal timeline to renew his contract would be during the 2012/13 season. This way, the club retained the initiative in the negotiations. Therefore, the Gunners’ management was currently employing a stall tactic, trying to delay it for another six months or a year so they could renew it next season.

By the time they renewed it, Alexandre Song’s weekly wage would at least double, if not more. Assuming an increase of 50,000 British Pounds per week, that amounted to 2.5 million British Pounds over a year. And that was after-tax. When doubled for the pre-tax amount, that equated to 5 million British Pounds. The club’s managers certainly weren’t stupid; they all had their own penny-pinching calculations.

"So, what do you want me to do?" Wang Shuo faintly guessed the purpose of Wenger’s visit.

"He really is a smart kid!" Wenger thought, a glimmer of appreciation flashing through his eyes. "Steady Alexandre Song. Have him put in even better performances before the end of this season to help the team achieve good results. Then, in the summer of 2012, we will initiate contract extension negotiations!"

That was about half a year away! Frankly speaking, Wenger’s proposal was perfectly reasonable.

"Putting it like that, it won’t be easy for me to talk to him either," Wang Shuo said with a laugh.