Watching his teammates perform with absolute intensity on the turf, Leon Vance leaned back comfortably on the bench, allowing his mind to track through his personal development metrics.
He directed the six system skill points secured from the Frankfurt fixture, combined with the technical yields accumulated over the previous two days of training, straight into his Balance attribute.
As a warm sensation circulated through his lower limbs, Leon checked the updated interface, noting that his structural balance was now a mere three points away from its absolute developmental ceiling.
While Leon remained focused on his internal progression tracking, Ivan Perisic turned his head from the adjacent seat, observing the teenager’s completely relaxed posture and faint smile with an expression of mild bewilderment.
Perisic couldn’t help but wonder what was driving the rookie’s sudden amusement.
Sitting through a cold winter match on the bench usually induced a baseline level of professional anxiety, yet Leon looked entirely content.
He had heard that elite academy prospects often carried specific psychological quirks; it appeared Leon was no exception to the rule.
Leon remained completely oblivious to Perisic’s scrutiny.
His mind had already shifted toward reviewing archival footage of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s peak campaigns inside the Eredivisie and Premier League once the squad returned to the complex.
Replaying those specific penalty-box rotations would deepen his mechanical understanding, allowing him to instinctively replicate those tight turning angles when a match scenario required it.
As his gaze drifted back to the one-sided flow of the game, Leon analyzed the upcoming schedule.
If his memory of the historical timeline held true, the next fixture—an away match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen at the BayArena—would descend into an absolute tactical war.
Leverkusen remained a traditional domestic powerhouse, occupying fourth place in the Bundesliga standings and displaying exceptional transitional consistency under Roger Schmidt.
Their roster featured two young profiles destined for top-tier continental careers: the Turkish set-piece specialist Hakan Çalhanoğlu, and the South Korean international forward Son Heung-min.
Setting aside personal preferences, their technical capabilities on the pitch were undeniable.
Supported by an intensive vertical pressing system, Schmidt’s squad was remarkably dangerous when granted territorial leverage.
In Leon’s past life, that specific match had devolved into a legendary nine-goal thriller.
Bas Dost would deliver an extraordinary four-goal performance, ultimately overriding a rapid ten-minute hat-trick from Son Heung-min to secure a chaotic 5-4 victory for Wolfsburg.
Leon glanced toward Dost, who was currently contesting a header near the halfway line.
The Dutch striker’s recent conversion metrics had been remarkable, representing the absolute peak form of his entire career.
Witnessing such high-volume efficiency from his fellow forward made Leon silently wonder if Dost had somehow accessed a progression system of his own.
The final whistle against Hoffenheim cemented Wolfsburg’s eighth consecutive Bundesliga victory.
As the squad filed down the concrete corridor toward the dressing room, the assistant coach raced past the security line, holding his mobile device aloft.
“Bayern Munich have dropped points!” he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls.
“Schalke 04 held them to a draw at the Allianz Arena!” The announcement triggered an immediate wave of celebrations inside the locker room.
The senior players erupted into cheers, jumping onto the treatment tables.
With only three rounds completed in the second half of the campaign, Wolfsburg had slashed the margin to a mere two points.
The seven-point winter cushion had dissolved into a single-match window.
Given the next fixture was scheduled for Valentine’s Day weekend, granting a six-day recovery gap, Hecking chose to reward the squad’s physical output with a three-day complete holiday.
The players accepted the news with immediate enthusiasm, several veterans whispering about evening plans in the city center until Hecking checked their momentum with a sharp, warning glare that sent them quietly toward the exit.
As Leon gathered his training gear to depart, Hecking signaled for him to stay behind.
“Leon, a moment before you leave.” Leon set his kit bag down.
“Is this regarding the tactical adjustments for the Leverkusen trip, Coach?” “No,” Hecking said, closing the door to his office.
“This is regarding your administrative standing.
The board wants to table a restructured contract.” Leon showed visible surprise.
He had finalized his updated contract terms over the winter break.
To face a secondary renegotiation after just three matchdays—including an afternoon where he had remained an unused substitute—indicated an immense shift in his market valuation.
“Coach, I haven’t formulated my commercial expectations yet,” Leon answered honestly.
“I’ll require a window to evaluate the parameters.” “Which is precisely why you need to delegate it,” Hecking noted, leaning back against his desk.
“Under your current performance metrics, Leon, you shouldn’t be dedicating personal energy to legal phrasing.
It’s time to retain a professional sports agency to manage your representations.” “The agency commissions are standard, but their infrastructure will maximize your commercial protections and sorting options across Europe.” Leon nodded.
Having navigated the modern football landscape in his previous life, he understood that an elite athlete’s career longevity was heavily dependent on the quality of their legal and commercial representation.
A premier agent could navigate administrative roadblocks cleanly, while a predatory one could easily drain a prospect’s financial foundation.
“I understand, Coach.
I’ll review the options with my parents this evening and begin the evaluation process.” Leon located Arthur and Elena Vance in the family pavilion outside the main gates, outlining the manager’s directive regarding the contract restructuring and the necessity of retaining formal representation.
As regular observers of the domestic game, his parents immediately understood the urgency, though they remained highly cautious regarding the selection process.
Arthur Vance planned to consult with a tier-one sports law firm in Frankfurt over the holidays, requesting a verified shortlist of corporate agencies specializing in youth player protections.
Utilizing established corporate legal channels was far more secure than responding to the independent scouts currently crowding their digital mailboxes.
As the holiday concluded, the training intensity spiked during the approach to the Leverkusen matchday.
On this specific February weekend, the atmosphere around the BayArena showed zero signs of seasonal hospitality.
Having suffered a narrow defeat at the Volkswagen Arena in the autumn, Leverkusen was desperate to leverage their home turf to claim revenge and solidify their Champions League qualification standing.
The home manager, Roger Schmidt, had calculated his structural advantages closely.
While both clubs faced continental commitments directly following this fixture, Wolfsburg was scheduled to contest a Europa League knockout tie just four days later.
In contrast, Leverkusen’s Champions League round-of-sixteen match was deferred for nine full days.
Possessing a significantly cleaner recovery window, Schmidt assumed Hecking would rotate his frontline to preserve his primary assets for the European stage.
He intended to deploy his absolute strongest line to overwhelm the visitors early.
What the Leverkusen manager failed to anticipate, however, was Hecking’s absolute prioritization of the domestic table.
In the technical staff’s evaluation, the Europa League remained a secondary objective compared to hunting down the two-point deficit against Bayern Munich.
The green shirts were arriving at the BayArena with complete competitive intent.