As July drew to a close, the intensity of the World Cup slowly faded, and major clubs began issuing their call-ups, kicking off full-scale preparations for the new season.
Compared to most teams, Arsenal's pre-season started relatively early, though the squad was not fully assembled until the 25th.
In recent days, Arsenal had been buzzing.
Especially among the fans.
Di Maria's unveiling sent waves of excitement through the fanbase. Supporters showed genuine warmth toward the arrival of the Argentine winger, embracing him almost immediately.
Di Maria clearly felt that enthusiasm. During his first public appearance, he smiled and said, "I'm here to win for Arsenal, my new home."
The player and fans slipped into a honeymoon phase almost instantly.
Of course, how long that feeling would last depended, as always, on performances on the pitch.
Beyond Di Maria, Campbell also made his return to Arsenal.
After a long loan spell, Campbell impressed Arsène Wenger with his World Cup displays and earned his way back into the squad.
That said, he wasn't expected to be a starter right away. For now, he would serve as Suarez's backup.
Campbell had no real objections. For him, simply being back at Arsenal was enough.
Meanwhile, Sanchez arrived from Barcelona and was set to compete with Walcott for the other wide position.
During the 2014–2015 summer transfer window, Arsenal brought in Di Maria, N'Golo Kanté, Rio Ferdinand, and Sanchez, while also seeing several departures.
Vermaelen moved to Barcelona, Djourou joined Hamburg, and players like Fabianski and Park Chu-young left one after another.
Sagna's contract expired, but after discussions with the club, both sides agreed to a two-year extension.
That was the broad picture of Arsenal's business so far—though the window was still open, and movement continued behind the scenes.
"Today is the first official training session," Arsène Wenger said calmly. "Now that you've joined Arsenal, I expect you to respect and follow our rules."
His tone was measured, but the room felt noticeably heavier.
"Arsenal needs players who can push us forward and help build something meaningful. That is what we are doing here. Believe me, anyone who stands in the way of that will regret it."
He paused briefly before adding, "I won't interfere too much in your personal lives, but smoking and alcohol are strictly forbidden. No exceptions. Is that clear?"
Di Maria and the others nodded seriously.
They had just been chatting warmly with Wenger moments earlier, but they knew every great manager had a firm side. None of them was eager to test it.
Creak.
The office door opened.
A broad-shouldered figure stepped inside.
Di Maria, Rio Ferdinand, and Sanchez all turned instinctively.
When they saw Kai, their reactions differed.
Sanchez's eyes sharpened slightly. During the World Cup, he had faced Kai head-on, and the experience had not been pleasant. Kai had given him constant trouble.
Now, that same opponent would be a teammate. The thought was strangely reassuring.
Di Maria felt much the same. Kai had left a strong impression on him in last season's Champions League—not just technically, but physically as well. His presence alone carried pressure.
More importantly, Di Maria had heard more than a few rumors about Kai during his time at Real Madrid.
Captain or not, his prestige alone made him someone to avoid crossing.
Rio Ferdinand, by contrast, looked relaxed. He stepped forward and held out his hand.
"Hey, Kai."
Kai smiled and shook it. "Welcome to Arsenal."
Rio grinned. "We were opponents before. Now we're teammates. I think we'll get along just fine."
Kai nodded. "I think so too."
He then turned to Di Maria. "Angel, welcome to London. If you run into any problems, just let me know. I'll help where I can."
Finally, he looked at Sanchez and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
Turning back to Wenger, Kai asked, "Professor, shall I take them from here?"
Wenger waved his hand, saying nothing.
Kai turned back to the group. "Alright, let's go. I'll show you around the training ground."
Once outside Wenger's office, Kai led the three on a brief tour.
"This is the gym," he said. "Not many machines, and honestly, it's not great. It'll be renovated in December. Until then, if you want extra strength work, we'll be using a gym not far from here."
He gestured toward another building. "That's the academy. A lot of good players came through here. Solid foundation."
They continued walking.
"This is the cafeteria," Kai went on. "Training usually lasts around three hours. During internal matches, even longer. The intensity here is high, especially the physical work. If this is your first time doing it, my advice—don't eat too much beforehand."
He gave a brief smile. "Otherwise, you'll throw it up."
The three exchanged looks and nodded.
They had all heard stories about Arsenal's demanding sessions.
At Real Madrid, Di Maria's training days were intense but short—an hour or so of hard work, two hours at most, including warm-ups.
Here, just the main session alone stretched past three hours.
As they approached the training pitch, Rio Ferdinand's expression darkened slightly.
Ahead of them, Arsenal's first-team players were already running laps, spread across the field, the pace relentless.
Or rather, running at Arsenal was not just conditioning—it had become culture.
On the one hand, it built endurance. On the other hand, it reminded you very clearly where the line was.
For someone like Rio Ferdinand, that was a problem.
He was no longer young, and looking at the volume of running ahead, he felt certain that if he trained like this without adjusting, he would end up throwing up on the pitch.
So he quietly remembered Kai's earlier advice: eat less.
He knew he would need time to adapt.
"Hey, captain," Sanchez said as they walked. "Apart from training, do you know any good places to relax around here?"
He asked casually, partly out of curiosity, partly as a way to close the distance with Kai.
Kai smiled. "That's a fair question. Honestly, I'm not the best person to ask. If you're looking for that kind of thing, talk to Wilshere or Sagna. They'll point you in the right direction."
Kai never stopped his teammates from enjoying themselves.
He understood that relaxing was also a way of managing pressure, as long as it didn't cross the line.
He was disciplined, but he didn't expect everyone else to live exactly as he did.
Everyone had their own way of adjusting, and he had no intention of interfering.
As long as no one was drinking before matches or causing unnecessary trouble off the pitch, he was fine with it.
Sanchez nodded and didn't push the conversation further.
At the same time, he began to understand Kai's character more clearly.
He wasn't rigid or controlling, but his standards for himself were extremely high.
Players like that were rare.
Sanchez respected that kind of mentality—even if he knew he couldn't fully match it himself.
"Alright," Kai said, clapping his hands lightly. "Let's head to the changing room. Get changed, then meet on the training pitch."
After leading the three inside, Kai turned and headed back out toward the pitch.
Chamberlain immediately jogged over.
"Well?" Chamberlain asked. "How was it?"
Kai looked at him, confused. "How was what?"
Chamberlain lowered his voice and said with a grin, "You know. Do we need to give the new guys a bit of a welcome? Push them around a little?"
Kai looked at him strangely.
A hard time?
Di Maria was the club's marquee signing, on massive wages. Rio Ferdinand and Sanchez were expected to make an immediate impact.
He reached out and patted Chamberlain on the shoulder. "Go on. Train."
Chamberlain hesitated. "Really? Nothing at all?"
Kai waved him away. "Go train."
Before long, the three newcomers changed into their training kits and stepped onto the pitch.
Kai gathered the squad and formally introduced them.
The atmosphere was… measured.
Not warm, but not hostile either.
The Arsenal players were observing, weighing things up.
Reputation alone wasn't enough.
Until someone proved themselves on the pitch, they wouldn't truly be accepted—no matter how big the name.
The first internal training match mattered.
It was a chance to test each other, communicate, and begin to fit together.
How they performed here would shape not just impressions, but also how smoothly they would integrate into the team going forward.
. . .
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