NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10: Agent
"Tottenham Hotspur have sent scouts to Belgium to watch Richard Blake more closely. A move in the near future? Let's wait and see."
Richard saw the tweet and smirked.
This was just the beginning.
-----
The training ground felt different. It wasn't just another day. Richard could feel the stares.
Jasper grinned as he jogged beside him. "You've been acting cool, but don't lie—seeing your name next to Spurs in the news got you hyped."
Richard smirked. "It's just talk. Doesn't mean anything yet."
Luka jogged up, shaking his head. "Just talk? Bro, even the coaches are watching you like you're a golden egg. You're not a normal player anymore."
Richard didn't respond. He knew it was true. Every touch, every pass—everything he did in training felt like an audition.
---
Coach Marquez blew the whistle. "Alright, today we're going full intensity. No easy passes, no half-speed runs. I want match-level aggression."
The session started with possession drills. Richard played with his usual calmness, but every time he got the ball, opponents closed in faster than usual. His own teammates wanted to test him.
A defender lunged—Richard flicked the ball over his foot. Another came charging—he turned, shielding the ball, then spun away, finding Luka with a pass.
One, two, three challenges beaten.
The assistant coach muttered to Marquez. "He's ridiculous."
Marquez nodded. "But I need to see him under real pressure. Put him in the smaller-sided game."
---
Richard's team faced off against Beecroft's starting eleven. The test was clear—could he dominate even against the club's best players?
The game was fast and brutal. Luka fired a pass to him, but a senior defender slammed into him hard.
Richard stumbled but held his ground. Pirlo's balance. Zidane's control.
He recovered instantly, shifting the ball, dodging a sliding tackle, then playing a one-touch pass into space.
The assistant coach whistled. "This kid doesn't break."
---
Coach Marquez blew the whistle again. "Alright, full scrimmage! I want real match energy. Blake, let's see if you can handle being the focal point."
Richard's team played against Beecroft's strongest lineup. The defenders focused on him like he was the biggest threat.
It was the 15th minute of the scrimmage. Jasper played a quick pass, but two defenders pressed hard.
Nowhere to go?
Richard flicked the ball through one defender's legs.
The entire team reacted. "OHHH!"
He sprinted forward, received the return pass, and cut through the defense. Shot—GOAL.
The assistant coach turned to Marquez. "He's different. We won't be able to keep him here for long."
Marquez crossed his arms. "We don't need to keep him. We just need him to help us get promoted first."
---
After the session, Luka, Jasper, and Richard sat in the locker room. Jasper scrolled through his phone and chuckled.
"Hey, Blake, you made another headline."
He handed his phone over.
> "Scouts from Germany and Spain have started tracking Beecroft's rising star, Richard Blake. Could he be the next big midfield talent?"
Luka grinned. "Man, you're gonna be a superstar soon."
Richard read the article and leaned back. He wasn't getting carried away.
He had one job right now.
Keep winning.
---
The anticipation was high as Beecroft prepared for their crucial top-four clash against SK Beveren. With 10 games played, the league table was beginning to take shape, and every point mattered. Beecroft sat in third place, just three points behind league leaders Lommel, while Beveren was in fourth, breathing down their necks.
The stadium buzzed with energy as fans filled the stands, knowing this match could define the season's direction. Richard had been on fire recently, earning Player of the Month, but today, he faced a different kind of challenge—Beveren's veteran defensive midfielder, Pieter Janssen.
Janssen was a former top-flight player, a 32-year-old with over 250 games of experience. He wasn't fast, but his positional awareness and physicality made him a nightmare for attacking midfielders. The moment Richard stepped onto the pitch, Janssen's eyes locked onto him like a predator sizing up his prey.
The match began at a blistering pace. Beecroft dominated possession, but every time Richard got the ball, Janssen was on him instantly, using his strength to bump him off balance and his tactical fouls to slow the game down.
By the 20th minute, frustration started creeping in. Richard wasn't getting space to operate, and Beveren's defensive setup made it even worse. Beecroft's attacks looked sluggish, struggling to break through.
Then, in the 28th minute, Beveren struck first. A long ball over the top caught Beecroft's defense off guard, and their striker finished cleanly past the keeper. 1-0 Beveren.
The home crowd fell silent. Beecroft needed a spark.
And Richard provided it.
In the 38th minute, he dropped deep, finally shaking off Janssen with a clever body feint, and launched a 40-yard diagonal pass to Luka on the right wing. Luka took a touch and whipped in a cross—Jasper met it with a bullet header.
GOAL!
The stadium erupted, and the scoreboard read 1-1. Richard clenched his fist. He was figuring this out.
The second half started with Beveren pressing high, trying to suffocate Beecroft's buildup. But Richard had adjusted. Instead of forcing his way through Janssen, he started dropping deeper, collecting the ball earlier, and dictating the tempo.
In the 67th minute, he pulled off a moment of pure class.
Receiving the ball near midfield, he flicked it over Janssen's attempted tackle, spun past another defender, and threaded a defense-splitting through ball to Beecroft's striker. One-on-one with the keeper—goal!
2-1 Beecroft.
The commentators erupted:
"Blake with an absolutely sublime pass! The vision, the weight on that ball—this kid is something special!"
The fans chanted his name, but there was still work to do. Beveren pushed hard in the final minutes, launching waves of attacks. Richard tracked back, fighting for every ball. The final whistle blew—victory for Beecroft!
Another man-of-the-match performance, another three points, and now? The league leaders were within reach.
Richard was exhausted but buzzing after the match. His game-changing assist was all over social media, and his name was making rounds in Belgian football circles. Beecroft was now second in the table, just behind Lommel, and the momentum was shifting.
He walked into the locker room, still catching his breath, when Jasper nudged him with a grin.
"Blake, you better start charging for these passes. That one today? Straight out of a video game."
Luka laughed. "Yeah, man, I'm pretty sure I saw Janssen's soul leave his body when you spun past him."
Richard just smirked, still trying to shake off the fatigue. But before he could even sit down, the club's media officer, Daniel, walked in.
"Blake, got a minute? Someone's here to see you."
Richard frowned. Who?
Daniel just gave him a knowing look. "Let's just say… it's about your future."
Intrigued, Richard followed Daniel into one of the club's private lounges. Sitting there, legs casually crossed, was a man in an immaculate navy-blue suit, silver cufflinks gleaming under the lights. His watch alone probably cost more than Richard's entire contract.
"Richard Blake," the man said, standing up and extending a hand. His grip was firm but not overbearing. "Name's Ethan Caldwell. I represent players."
Richard raised an eyebrow. "An agent?"
Ethan smiled. "Not just any agent. The best one you'll find in Belgium. And, soon enough, the best one you'll have in Europe."
Richard exhaled, his mind racing. He wasn't even halfway through his first season, and an agent was already knocking.
Ethan leaned forward, his voice smooth and confident. "I've been watching you, Richard. You're not just good—you're different. The way you move, the way you think. You see the game like a veteran, but you've got the hunger of a kid with something to prove. That's rare. And I make it my job to find rare players."
Richard sat back, trying to gauge the man. He'd heard stories of agents who promised the world and delivered nothing.
"Why me?" he asked.
Ethan chuckled. "Because clubs are already noticing you, Richard. You think your performances are just going unnoticed? I have scouts from mid-table Bundesliga and Serie A clubs asking about you. But you need someone to manage that attention properly. Someone to make sure you don't end up just another talented player who made the wrong moves."
Richard stayed quiet. He had always been confident, even a bit arrogant, about his own ability. But this was a different world. A world of contracts, negotiations, and career-defining decisions.
"I'm not rushing you," Ethan said, standing up. "Take your time. Do your research. But when you're ready to take the next step, call me."
He placed a sleek black business card on the table. It had only three things: His name. His number. And a gold emblem of a lion.
Richard picked it up, staring at it for a moment. When he looked back up, Ethan was already gone.