The noise didn't wait for January.
It leaked in early.
By the first Monday of the 2024/25 winter stretch, Ethan felt it everywhere. Phones buzzing longer than usual. Conversations lowering when he walked into rooms. Analysts watching his movements a little more closely during training.
League One still felt strange.
Last season's promotion from League Two hadn't fully settled in his head yet. A year ago, the margins were smaller, the crowds quieter, the games about survival. Now everything felt measured, tracked, and evaluated.
The system registered it immediately.
Season Context: 2024/25
League Status: League One – Post Promotion
Training intensity rose.
Challenges came in harder than usual. A midfielder clipped his heel late in a possession drill. No apology. Another shoulder barged him unnecessarily near the touchline.
Ethan didn't react.
He just played faster.
That was becoming his answer to everything.
Environmental Shift Detected
Internal Competition: Elevated
After training, Jordan Graham caught up with him near the car park.
"January's already noisy," Jordan said.
Ethan wiped sweat from his forehead. "How noisy?"
Jordan hesitated. "Three Championship clubs asked for updated availability reports."
Ethan nodded once.
He didn't ask which clubs.
Transfer Window Pressure: Active
Interest Level: Championship – Multiple Clubs
Saturday came quickly.
Away fixture. Physical opponent. Scrappy pitch.
The kind of League One game that punished hesitation.
Ethan felt the attention instantly. Two players tight every time he received. One shadowing behind. They weren't trying to stop Orient.
They were trying to stop him.
He adjusted without panic. Simplified his game. Drew fouls. Recycled possession. Let frustration build in others instead of himself.
In the fifty-eighth minute, a loose clearance dropped just outside the box.
Ethan arrived late.
One touch. Low strike. Bottom corner.
Goal.
No celebration.
Just a clenched fist and a jog back to position.
Orient won 1–0.
Again.
After the match, the question came as expected.
"Do the rumours affect your focus?"
Ethan answered calmly. "I play for whoever's on my shirt."
Media Handling: Stable
Distraction Resistance: Confirmed
Midweek training intensified again.
Danny Webb ran a tactical session built around Ethan's positioning. Press triggers. Passing lanes. Second-phase movement.
Not because Ethan demanded it.
Because the team now required it.
Thursday afternoon, Wellens called him into the office.
"You came up with us," Wellens said. "Promotion gave you the platform. This season decides what you do with it."
Ethan nodded.
"Clubs are watching," Wellens continued. "Teammates too. Some will test you. Some will lean on you."
He paused.
"Play for consistency. Not January."
"I am," Ethan said.
Coach Trust: Reinforced
Saturday night came loud.
Home fixture. Promotion rivals. Cameras again.
Ethan started assertively. Demanded the ball early. Set tempo. In the twenty-second minute, he slipped a pass through three defenders that should have been finished.
It wasn't.
No reaction.
Second half, Orient conceded early. Anxiety crept into the stadium.
Ethan slowed everything down. Drew fouls. Controlled restarts. Took responsibility.
In the seventy-ninth minute, he delivered a corner with precision.
Beckles rose.
Goal.
Winner.
After the final whistle, Ethan stood near the centre circle, breathing deeply. He didn't look at the crowd.
He looked at the bench.
Wellens clapped once.
That night, the system updated heavily.
Consistency Threshold: Achieved
Decision Making +2.1
Composure +1.5
Vision +1.0
Consistency +1.3
League Reputation: Reliable Game Changer
Season Impact: Promotion Proven
Then something new appeared.
Incoming Contact: Representation Request
Agents.
Ethan locked the phone and set it face down.
Too much too fast ruined careers.
Later, lying in bed with recovery boots humming softly, he thought about how quickly everything had shifted.
League Two last year.
League One now.
Championship eyes ahead.
He wasn't chasing moments anymore.
Moments were chasing him.
January had only just begun.
Decision Phase Approaching
END OF CHAPTER 17
Author's Comment
Quick clarification and apologies for any confusion earlier.
Ethan came through with Leyton Orient during their promotion from League Two.
This story now sits clearly in the 2024/25 League One season.
Thanks for sticking with it — timeline clarity will stay consistent from here on.