The silence on the other end of the phone was deafening.
Leon stood in his apartment, the city lights of Liverpool a distant, glittering tapestry outside his window. He thought of the two suns.
He thought of the tactical conflict, the battle for the spotlight, the potential for a clash of egos that could derail their entire season. It would be so easy, so logical, to say no.
To protect his own status, to maintain the perfect, delicate balance of their current attack.
But then he thought of something else. He thought of the roar of Anfield. He thought of the fierce, unshakeable ambition of this club. He thought of the words of his new captain, Virgil van Dijk:
We are Liverpool. We should not be afraid of anyone.
He took a deep breath, and in that single, profound moment, a decision that was bigger than tactics, bigger than egos, bigger than himself, crystallized in his mind.
"Gaffer," he began, his voice calm, clear, and filled with a new, unshakeable authority.
