A Happy Harrison
["How about it? Wasn't I right? Didn't it all help?"]
"Yeah. I'll admit it honestly. Once I started doing that, the game really opened up for me."
Ha Sunmoon had to acknowledge that Harrison's advice had been quite helpful. It was classic English style—rough and aggressive, yet devastating against teams that played pretty, technical football. Of course, simply playing rough and tough alone wasn't enough to win. It was the combination of those brutal runs with Sunmoon's sharp attacks near the penalty box that made victory possible.
["Right. Then you'll need to learn even higher-level techniques, won't you?"]
"Hmm… I suppose so."
That was why, during his injury period, Sunmoon began studying other fullbacks alongside Harrison. In particular, he focused on the two Liverpool fullbacks that Harrison would often sing praises about—Robertson and Alexander-Arnold.
["Look at those two players. They're the kind of resources that are rare even if a team has just one."]
Harrison was right. Liverpool possessed two world-class fullbacks—the kind that big clubs desperately needed. What was more, one had come from the youth academy and the other had been bought for a bargain from the lower leagues, which had enabled them to win the Champions League in the 18/19 season.
"It's definitely a bit different from the style I was using."
Rather than tearing down the flanks with flashy dribbling, they shook opponents with powerful long kicks and crosses. The two fullbacks were especially lethal on the counterattack. Arnold would launch a long ball, Robertson would deliver another, and then Salah would rip open the right side. On the opposite flank, Robertson would send a long kick, Arnold would follow up, and Mané would tear down the left.
It was an incredibly aggressive style of football where the ball reached right in front of the opponent's goal in under ten seconds with just three passes.
["Of course, advancing through dribbling is good, but isn't it also good to learn other techniques? The player who possesses a variety of abilities eventually becomes the best, you know."]
But what Sunmoon paid even closer attention to was the crosses and long-range shots delivered by the two fullbacks.
"Hmm… So you can strike it that cleanly even with your instep."
["Instep? Ah… Are you thinking about long-range shots too?"]
"Yes. Shouldn't I? I often cut inside as well."
Long kicks and long-range shooting. Those were the new techniques Sunmoon wanted to learn.
["Hmm… By the way, are you really not thinking about joining an English team?"]
"An English team?"
["Yeah. Before… what was it? You said you were interested in Manchester City and Liverpool."]
That was true. Among English clubs, those two teams had an unusually high number of Brazilian players, which had drawn Sunmoon's interest.
"But right now, I like it here. Honestly, it's a great city."
'Oh… That's true. Barcelona really is an amazing city.'
If Sunmoon had lived a repetitive life of training ground, home, training ground, home, he might not have grown so attached to Espanyol. But after wandering around Barcelona with Diola and Annie, he had discovered the city's charm. And… he had received tremendous help here as well.
That was why, for now, Sunmoon had no thoughts of leaving Espanyol.
["Still, if an opportunity comes to join a big club like Liverpool, you should go. You know why, right?"]
"Because of the Champions League? It would be good to at least play in the Europa League, so yeah, that makes sense."
["Winning is important too. You can only do that on a competitive team."]
"Hmm…"
It was an attractive proposition. Not just playing in the domestic league and cup competitions, but joining a team that competed against other European clubs in the Conference League, Europa League, or Champions League. Moreover, going to a team capable of lifting trophy after trophy was truly tempting. The joy of winning a top-flight league title was something very special.
["Think about it. In the end, what I can teach you is old and has its limits. I can help you train your body, but the football techniques and tactics used by top-tier players can only be taught by the coaches and managers at big clubs. You can't keep learning like this forever."]
"Yeah… That's true."
A transfer for further development. It was something Sunmoon needed to consider seriously.
["Of course, playing for a club like Espanyol right now isn't bad. Gaining experience through playing is important too. And since you're winning the starting spot, that's good."]
As Harrison pointed out various angles, Sunmoon nodded in agreement.
["Ah! The match is starting now."]
The usually talkative Harrison fell silent the moment the Liverpool game began. It was the most important match of the 19/20 Premier League season. If Liverpool won today, they could secure their first-ever Premier League title.
["Huu… Huu…"]
Harrison watched the game with bated breath. And… Liverpool finally achieved their first Premier League championship.
["Kwaaaaaaaaah! Sunmoon! Can you see it? That's Liverpool!!!"]
"Yes, I see it!"
["Kwaaaaaah! I won't be able to sleep tonight! From the next match, we'll get to see the Guard of Honour!"]
"I'll have to sleep, though."
["Huuuuurk. Huk. Hukk."]
Sunmoon watched from afar as Harrison reverted to full Liverpool hooligan mode. It was difficult for him to keep watching a grown man in military uniform crying and cheering at the same time.
'I've seen it before, but… it's still not easy to get used to.'
Even though he had witnessed something similar back in Korea when Liverpool won the Champions League in the 18/19 season, Sunmoon still found it hard to adapt.
After securing a victory against Barcelona, the team had climbed to 17th place, but Espanyol's situation afterward was not good.
["Hmm… How could this happen?"]
Their brief escape from the relegation zone lasted only a moment. Espanyol lost to Mallorca and Getafe, dropping back down to 19th place. In the Mallorca match, they had fielded mostly rotation players after the Barcelona game and were defeated. In the subsequent Getafe match, they had tried to win by using starting players as substitutes, but three key players were suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, leaving them short-handed and resulting in another loss.
They were matches that could have been won with just a little more effort, but that little bit was lacking, and they ended up with two straight defeats.
["Hey Sunmoon. Are you sure about renewing your contract?"]
"Hmm… It's because I'm not there. Once I return, won't things improve?"
["It's risky… It's really on a knife's edge."]
"Anyway, wouldn't Uncle Felipe include a clause for easy transfer in case of relegation when we renegotiate?"
Sunmoon's guess was correct. From the moment Espanyol fell into the relegation zone, Felipe had already begun working behind the scenes to make a transfer easier if they were relegated.
["Hmm… It seems that's the case. After all, if you renew the contract and the club gets relegated, they won't be able to keep you."]
"So even if I renew, there's nothing to worry about. All I have to do is play well in the remaining matches."
'Oh… He really seems to have grown up all of a sudden?'
Harrison was quite surprised by Sunmoon's attitude. No matter how many times he had tried to shake him, the boy hadn't budged. He could go to a better club. He could receive better treatment. He could play in a bigger league and compete in European competitions. Despite all those temptations, Sunmoon had clearly expressed his intention to stay at Espanyol. Such stubborn loyalty to the club was a sign of strong character.
["Yes. You're thinking correctly. Do as you wish."]
Click. Click!
Inside the Espanyol club building, Sunmoon was taking photos for his contract renewal with club vice-president Carlos.
Sunmoon had successfully renewed his contract with Espanyol. His annual salary was set at 3 million euros—slightly less than Lopez, who received the highest pay in the team. The contract ran until the summer of 2023. By then, Sunmoon would only be 20 years old, the perfect age to move to another team. The buyout clause was set at 60 million euros—roughly 80 billion won.
"Thank you for letting me continue playing for the club."
Sunmoon completed the official renewal photos and interview. The club's internal reporter, Marcos, quickly began writing an article about him.
The article was concise, straightforward, and contained only the necessary information. Although Marcos had heard other details about the contract, he deliberately omitted them. Releasing information about being the club's highest earner, the salary, or the buyout clause would not benefit either the player or the club.
"Since today is the first day, this should be enough to post, right?"
"As expected, Marcos. You know what you're doing."
"I'd love to gush about Ha, but today I'll leave it to the club's social media team."
"Thank you. Haha."
Marcos intentionally passed most of the work to the club staff. Soon after, the club's media and social media teams posted the news of Ha's contract renewal.
↳ Once Ha comes back from injury, our squad strength will go up!
↳ What? You're not an Espanyol fan, are you?
↳ Is this guy crazy?
Most of the reactions from Espanyol fans were positive toward Sunmoon for choosing to stay with the team despite its poor situation. Of course, Korean fans wanted Sunmoon to move to a bigger club, but since he was still young, more fans hoped he would continue to receive plenty of playing time at a club like Espanyol for now.