Chapter 802 - 145: Record-Breaking! Finale Transfer! Outrageous Factions! Goodbye, Henry! The Biggest Victory in History!

The stress fracture was likely caused by Wilshere pushing himself too hard during his recovery training in a rush to make his comeback. An athlete’s body is incredibly sensitive. Wilshere had probably ramped up his training intensity too drastically during his rehabilitation period, and his bones simply hadn’t had enough time to adapt, resulting in the stress fracture.

"How is he doing?" Wang Shuo asked.

Wenger shook his head. "I haven’t seen him either, but I imagine he must be quite frustrated."

Wang Shuo nodded. "I’ll have a chat with him later."

"Mhm. And there’s this." Wenger handed over a few documents. "We just finalized the transfer in the early hours of the morning. We’ve signed Jan Vertonghen from Ajax for twelve million euros.

"Djourou and Squillaci have already been transferred out."

The three deadline-day deals had taken place simultaneously. Selling the two players brought in six million euros—five million for Djourou and one million for Squillaci. In other words, Arsenal had effectively spent a net total of six million euros during the winter break to sign Jan Vertonghen.

Although Verthongen had already played for Ajax in the Champions League, Ajax had been eliminated. According to the rules, Arsenal could still register him for their upcoming Champions League squad.

"We couldn’t reach an agreement for Leighton Baines?" Wang Shuo asked, glancing at the documents before putting them away.

"Everton wanted twenty-five million British Pounds. It was absolute highway robbery," Wenger said.

Wang Shuo knew Arsenal’s target price. The Gunners had hoped to sign him for a transfer fee of around fifteen million British Pounds. The Everton left-back’s current market value was roughly eighteen million euros, which converted to about sixteen million British Pounds. At twenty-seven, he was right in his prime and performing exceptionally well.

However, a transfer fee of twenty-five million British Pounds was simply too expensive.

More importantly, Arsenal already had Kieran Gibbs. His attacking abilities were solid, though his defense was slightly lacking. Still, he was young and highly moldable. This created a dilemma for the club. Should they spend a fortune to secure Leighton Baines? Or should they save the money and give Kieran Gibbs more opportunities? Furthermore, Vermaelen had performed quite well when he previously played as a left-back.

Thus, the club carefully weighed their options. Once Leighton Baines’ asking price reached a certain threshold, they abandoned the pursuit, opting to continue giving Gibbs his chance.

Signing Jan Vertonghen not only strengthened the center-back position but also provided cover at left-back. The only question now was whether he could adapt and integrate into the team.

"He should be arriving today. I want you to guide him personally," Wenger instructed.

Wang Shuo immediately thought of Vermaelen. Logically speaking, as the team’s vice-captain and a fellow Belgian, he would be the most suitable person to mentor Verthongen. However, both were center-backs, both were left-footed, and both were capable of playing as left-backs. They even played somewhat similar roles on the pitch. Having Vermaelen show him the ropes might spark some unwanted rivalry.

Based on Wang Shuo’s few interactions with them, both possessed excellent footwork, strong passing abilities, and formidable individual defensive skills. However, their actual playstyles were quite different.

Vermaelen was 1.82 meters tall. Despite his impressive jumping ability and heading skills, his physical strength in duels was rather average. His greatest advantages were his speed and agility. Coupled with a fearless, aggressive demeanor, he played like an absolute warrior.

Why was the partnership between Vermaelen and Subotic so stable? It was because whenever the Belgian center-back stepped up to press, he had the recovery pace to track back, while Subotic stayed deep to cover and assist in defense. This division of labor was highly effective and maximized both of their strengths.

In contrast, the pairing of Koscielny and Subotic was somewhat shaky.

Verthongen, on the other hand, stood at 1.89 meters. He was incredibly robust—the kind of center-back who was aggressive and fiercely powerful—but he actually had surprisingly refined footwork. All ball-winning, pressing center-backs tended to look a bit reckless and were prone to mistakes. This was generally true for Lucio back in the day, Vidic in his early years, and David Luis now.

Verthongen was no exception, but his raw ability was undeniable, and his physical attributes were astounding.

At the very least, Wang Shuo felt that Arsenal’s twelve-million-euro transfer fee was completely worth it! A single signing had provided relief for two positions. Spend twenty-five million British Pounds on Leighton Baines? It was far better to sign Verthongen for twelve million euros. This way, Gibbs could continue his development, while both Vermaelen and Verthongen could fill in on the left flank if needed.

Wasn’t that a far better deal?

As for the backup center-forward position, there really weren’t any ideal candidates available on the transfer market at the moment. Wenger was scouting a few targets, but none were suitable to bring in just yet. Thus, they could only put that search on hold for now.

Around noon, after the morning training session concluded, Wang Shuo received a phone call and headed to the manager’s office.

Besides Wenger, there was now a tall, young Caucasian man in the room. As soon as Wang Shuo walked in, Wenger stood up to introduce them.

"Hello, Jan. Welcome to Colney!"

"Very nice to meet you, Wang!"

Verthongen’s first impression on Wang Shuo was his sheer height. Even while wearing a jacket, he exuded a lean, muscular strength, built like a tank.

"Wang, take him around to get familiar with the place, and introduce him in the locker room while you’re at it," Wenger said.

"Sure, leave it to me!" Wang Shuo agreed. This was part of his duties as the team captain.

Leaving the manager’s office, Wang Shuo led Verthongen on a tour of the training facility. He introduced the locations and functions of the various departments, pointed out the areas players frequented daily, and explained some of the club’s rules and regulations.