As August arrived, the new Premier League season drew ever closer.
Europe's summer transfer window remained bustling with activity, but compared to La Liga's continuous blockbuster deals, the Premier League's overall movement seemed passive. After last season's disappointing European performances, even the transfer market gossip had quietened down.
Manchester United's start under David Moyes had been rocky. They'd shown interest in Thiago, only to be beaten to the punch by Bayern Munich. Their all-out pursuit of Cesc Fàbregas had met with Barcelona's firm rejection. Meanwhile, rumors about Wayne Rooney's potential departure continued to swirl. Even now, the club had made no substantial progress in recruitment.
Arsenal remained stuck in their "bargain-hunting" mode. Despite Arsène Wenger's repeated claims of having a £70 million budget, they'd successively missed out on targets like Julien, Higuaín, and De Bruyne. To date, not a single genuinely world-class player had been willing to join the Gunners.
The truly active club was Manchester City. Backed by the Abu Dhabi consortium, they'd always moved with confidence in the transfer market. After bringing in core players like Silva, Agüero, and Yaya Touré in previous windows, this summer they'd invested over £100 million again, signing Fernandinho, Negredo, Jovetic, Navas, and Demichelis.
Chelsea welcomed the return of José Mourinho, though their recruitment had been surprisingly low-key. Their most significant deal so far was bringing in winger André Schürrle from Bayer Leverkusen for £18 million.
At Tottenham, the Gareth Bale-to-Real Madrid transfer saga continued to ferment, potentially setting a new world record fee. Even with the prospect of losing their star, they'd already spent £26 million on Roberto Soldado and signed Paulinho from Brazil, preparing thoroughly for the new season.
The real surprise was Liverpool.
Many had predicted that after the Saudi takeover, they would undergo a complete rebuild. But the club had been remarkably pragmatic. Beyond the €80 million spent on Julien, their other signings were modest: Alberto for €8 million, Aspas for €8.2 million, Mignolet for €10.6 million, Kanté for €10 million, and Kolo Touré on a free transfer from Manchester City. Altogether, less than €40 million.
Among these signings, Kanté's arrival was exceptional value. Chelsea had bid €20 million for him, and Mourinho greatly admired the midfielder. Their personal terms had been generous too, but Kanté had his heart set on Liverpool.
The reason was simple: Julien was here.
He regarded Julien as family, as a brother. Julien had made him feel the joy of football again, introducing him to the philosophy of "brotherhood football." That was what made his final decision.
Liverpool had also released many players. Club legend Jamie Carragher, for instance—you could criticize his declining ability, point out his defensive errors, but he was only the second player in Premier League history to make over 500 appearances for a single club. The first was Ryan Giggs. He fully deserved the accolade of Liverpool legend.
Of course, the summer window wasn't closed yet. Anything could still happen.
Julien had no idea whether his presence—this small butterfly effect would change things. Would Özil still join Arsenal? Would Florentino Pérez still yield and break the record for Bale? These remained unknowns.
Currently, Real Madrid had only signed four players: Carvajal, Casemiro, Isco, and Illarramendi. But they'd released a flood of departures: Kaká, Higuaín, Albiol, Callejón, Adán, Cherysev, Carvalho, Essien, León, and others.
How new manager Carlo Ancelotti would begin his first season remained to be seen.
When Julien chatted with Zinedine Zidane who had praised Ancelotti specifically, regarding the Italian's tactical expertise and expressed his desire to learn under him. Seeing the success of Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc, Zidane too wanted to enter coaching.
Interestingly, because Ancelotti had left PSG, Blanc had emerged from a season's retreat to take over at the Parisian club.
For Julien, the most significant La Liga development was Neymar finally leaving Brazil for Barcelona. Another football genius's story was about to unfold on the world stage.
This made him think of Luis Suárez. After all, in the post-treble era, Barcelona's most memorable combination was the MSN trident.
Suárez desperately wanted to leave Liverpool right now—specifically to join Barcelona. But the club had convinced him to stay one more year. They'd get through this season first.
As the league approached, teams ended their off-season breaks and returned to training, beginning various friendlies.
For smaller clubs, these warm-up matches were crucial opportunities to integrate squads and test tactics. For elite teams, they balanced competitive preparation with commercial objectives, using overseas tours to expand their influence and increase revenue.
Throughout July, Liverpool scheduled two friendlies: one domestic match against Preston North End, and another in Australia against Melbourne Victory.
Julien didn't participate in either game.
Throughout June and July, apart from his signing announcement and unveiling ceremony, Julien gave no interviews. He devoted all his time to training.
When other players reported back, he did make an appearance to greet his new teammates. Of course, for now they were merely nodding acquaintances.
Last season, his final points total hadn't reached one hundred. Julien had simply allocated everything to his attribute caps.
After a summer of intensive training, Julien's improvements were substantial.
He examined his attributes:
[Height: 184cm | Weight: 75kg
Dribbling (+1): 93 (95) | Passing: 82 (85)
Shooting (+1): 89 (90) | Heading: 44 (63)
Pace (+1): 77 (80) | Strength: 75 (77)
Jumping: 67 (72) | Stamina (+1): 86 (90)
Defending: 33 (40) | Tackling: 25 (33)
Flexibility (+1): 70 (71) | Ball Control: 93 (95)
Hidden Attributes:
Injury Resistance: 69]
Dribbling, shooting, and stamina had all improved significantly. Julien was satisfied.
Everyone said the Premier League was physically intense, fast-paced, and demanding. He wanted to see for himself just how challenging it would be.
On August 3rd, after the squad's return from Australia, this was their first full get-together at Melwood Training Ground.
Before the official Premier League season began, the team had two more friendlies to play—their last opportunities for tactical cohesion.
In truth, for manager Brendan Rodgers, this season's squad had minimal changes, which should work in his favor. Liverpool's form had been extremely strong toward the end of last season, which was why, despite finishing seventh, the club hadn't sacked him.
David Dein now had considerable power, but after Wenger firmly refused to leave Arsenal, he'd chosen to give Rodgers another chance. However, he had one requirement: "Build the tactics around Julien."
This demand made Rodgers somewhat resistant.
Sunlight came through the venetian blinds in Melwood's manager's office, cutting patterns of light and shadow across the dark carpet. Brendan Rodgers sat behind his wide desk, hands folded on top of an open tactical folder, his gaze was sharp as an eagle's, focused on the young man seated opposite.
This was their first formal meeting.
Rodgers's voice was restrained, skipping pleasantries to cut straight to the core. "Julien, welcome to Liverpool. But we need to establish some things clearly."
He paused briefly. "First, you're not a player I wanted to sign. That's not personal—my building plan included other names. But the club's new strategy chose you."
He paused again, observing Julien's reaction. The young man's expression remained calm, acknowledging with a slight nod.
"The team needs you, not me personally. You have talent—I've watched the footage. But here, talent must serve tactics. My system is built on high-intensity pressing, movement off the ball, and absolute tactical discipline. You need to understand it completely, then execute it without reservation."
Rodgers's tone intensified, carrying unquestionable authority. "Your wages are high, your transfer fee broke records. But remember—the club gave you those, not me. In this office, with me, nobody earns a starting position through their price tag. Who steps onto Anfield's pitch depends on one thing only: training performance and match displays. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Julien remained composed, nodding. "I understand, gaffer. I've never expected any special privileges. I respect your honesty. As for my position—"
A confident smile curved his lips. "I've never worried about competition."
The office fell into brief silence, only the faint sound of distant training whistles were audible from outside.
Rodgers studied him, his tense jawline seeming to soften slightly. Finally, he nodded, fingers tapping the tactical folder.
"Good. Training tomorrow. Eight o'clock. Don't be late."
"Yes, gaffer."
After Julien left, the door clicked softly shut. Rodgers's gaze returned to the tactical board, fingertips drumming unconsciously on the desk.
Managing relationships with genius players and club legends—these were lessons every manager had to learn. The words he'd spoken to Julien were merely precautionary, ensuring the young man wouldn't become arrogant.
In reality, Rodgers trusted young players far more than well-known veterans. He actually hoped Julien would display the same dominance he'd shown in Ligue 1.
"Only... the Premier League isn't Ligue 1," Rodgers murmured to himself.
What he needed to figure out now was how to manage Philippe Coutinho's feelings. After all, the club had stripped his number 10 shirt and given it to this 18-year-old kid. For Coutinho, that was brutal.
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