"Scolari is out!"
Ethan only saw the news on his phone after returning to his apartment from the bar.
His gaze turned distant. Silently, he hung his coat on the rack and sat down on the sofa, lost in thought.
If not for Ethan, Scolari probably would've held onto his job for another month. But because Ethan had led Luton Town to a stunning upset over Chelsea, Scolari's dismissal had come nearly a month earlier than in Ethan's "previous life." Roman Abramovich had pulled the trigger, and the Brazilian coach was gone.
Ethan felt a pang of guilt. If he hadn't interfered in this timeline, maybe the old Brazilian could've kept his job just a little longer…
The headlines about Scolari's sacking quickly replaced the media's two-day obsession with Adam. Now, all attention was on Chelsea's managerial vacancy. Few still cared about a second-division side.
But Ethan didn't linger on it. In football, there are only winners and losers — sympathy is reserved for those who fail. Rather than being pitied, he'd rather keep winning until others envied him.
Overshadowed by the Scolari story was the outcome of the FA Cup fourth-round draw. Unlike the previous round, which had plenty of shocks — Manchester United were knocked out at Old Trafford by Leeds United, and Liverpool were held by Reading — this draw generated little excitement.
Of course, the biggest upset of the third round had been Luton Town's victory over Chelsea. A League Two team knocking out one of the Premier League giants was easily the headline result of the FA Cup so far.
In the fourth round, Luton were drawn away to Preston North End. For Luton fans, the dream of a fifth-round appearance now felt possible. After all, if they could defeat Chelsea, why not Preston?
But Ethan wasn't getting ahead of himself. He'd already instructed Lin Sen to begin gathering detailed information on Preston. In football, no victory is guaranteed. Ethan treated every match with utmost seriousness.
In the Chelsea match, Ethan had seen firsthand the effectiveness of the card system. He was now full of anticipation for what card might come next.
Defeating Chelsea had completed a system task, earning him the chance to draw a green card. However, the draw was random — and Ethan had never had much faith in his own luck. So he had held off.
Now, with the team's four-day holiday coming to an end, Ethan finally made up his mind to use the draw.
A glowing interface from the football card system appeared out of thin air.
First, he glanced at the experience points.
Defeating Chelsea had earned him 2,000 XP. Ethan was close to leveling up — just 1,000 points away from Level 3. Each level-up expanded his available card slots. With only a few matches left before the next level, the timing would be important.
"Use one green card draw?"
"Confirm!"
With a shimmer of light, a new card materialized in front of him:
[Training Card (Green)]: Increases the effectiveness of basic technical training by 15%. Can be assigned to one player.
Ethan frowned.
Truthfully, he'd been hoping for a match-impact card — something like the green "+15% dribbling" card he'd heard about.
This training card felt… underwhelming.
"I'm the manager of a first team, not some youth academy coach," Ethan muttered. "I need players who are ready to go, not prospects who need months of polishing."
Still, a card was a card. Maybe it'd prove useful in training sessions later.
The short holiday flew by. As Ethan walked into the training base again, he could feel the change in atmosphere. The staff looked at him like he was a legend walking.
"Is there something on my face, John?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow.
John Aston's eyes were practically glowing with admiration. If Ethan hadn't known John had a strict wife at home, he might've been a bit uncomfortable with the intensity.
"Scolari's out!" John blurted.
"I know…"
Ethan waved his hand dismissively.
"I really didn't expect you to be so sharp, Ethan!" John Aston approached, circling him with admiration.
"That was Scolari out there—Luiz Felipe Scolari! The man who led Brazil to a World Cup title! And you outcoached him..." Even though several days had passed since the match, John still seemed deeply moved by it.
"You know, Ethan, that was the most unforgettable game I've ever been a part of—hands down. And that includes my entire playing career!"
Praise from John Aston carried weight. After all, he'd played for Manchester United, boasting a career filled with top-level experiences.
"He's past his prime, John," Ethan replied calmly, settling down at his desk and flipping through his calendar. "His tactics are outdated—no longer suited for modern top-flight football."
His eyes scanned a neatly written schedule.
"January 8, 2009 – Morning: Physical recovery training. Afternoon: Passing drills + set-piece tactics."
The note was scribbled in Chinese. John couldn't read it, but he could easily guess it was Ethan's meticulous day plan.
Ethan had a reputation for precision. Every detail of training was planned to the minute, and for nearly the entire season, the team had followed his blueprint. The players just had to stick to the system.
Under Ethan's leadership, Luton Town was running like a well-oiled machine. The coaching staff had clearly defined roles, the starting eleven was consistent, tactical fluidity was improving, and team chemistry was growing stronger with each match.
"There've been a lot of unfamiliar faces around the training ground lately…" John noted with concern.
Ethan looked up—he already knew what John was getting at.
It wasn't just media—though there were a few reporters lingering around. Most of them were scouts, agents, and other figures from the football world.
Luton Town had become a gold mine for talent hunters.
Thanks to recent media hype, Adam had been labeled "the next Rooney", even touted by some tabloids as "England's answer to Messi."
Such headlines were clearly overblown, and insiders took them with a grain of salt. But that didn't stop agents and clubs from circling like sharks.
"Valdy, Charlie, Adam, and even Kante—none of them have agents yet," John said, frowning.
That part gave Ethan a headache.
If there's one thing head coaches universally loathe, it's dealing with player agents. They show up at the first sniff of talent, push for wage hikes, or worse, encourage transfers just to pocket their commissions.
"Don't worry about it," Ethan replied. "With their potential, this was bound to happen. It's only a matter of time."
He stood up, brushing the topic aside. "But this isn't something we need to deal with immediately. Their contracts all run for at least three more years. We won't entertain any agent discussions until the end of the season."
With that, Ethan walked out of the office.
Agents were a pain, sure—but as a manager, he knew it was just part of the job.
He glanced up at the dull grey sky.
Rain again.
It had probably been drizzling all night.
Ethan wasn't certain, but the gloomy weather only deepened his foul mood.
Damn this miserable island climate...