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Josh had heard the rumors. Of course he had.
Stuff like this always spread like wildfire, and it wasn’t as if the higher-ups and coaching staff were particularly trying to keep it on the down low either. The whispers were so loud; in the locker rooms as they were winding down after practice, on a bus to an away game, or in the lounge while everybody was fucking around–like a cloud of smoke that always seemed to trail them around and permeate through every single space the team gathered in.
A 5-star recruit out of Stevenson High, the No.1 point guard in the nation of the Class of 2015. Six-foot-two seventeen-year-old Jalen Brunson, who had led his school to their first-ever state championship and broken almost every previous record Stevenson had to offer.
And after that visit in September, he was all anyone talked about.
And Josh hated it.
The first time Josh had seen the kid’s profile, he’d immediately decided that he hated him. He’d seen his fair share of pompous five-star recruits who came in with egos inflated enough to burst their heads off their shoulders and strutted around pretending like they were the shit, the hottest shit around, and didn’t think that this Brunson kid would be any different. If anything, Josh thought, he’d need to be knocked down a couple pegs as soon as he got to Villanova, to let him know that the hierarchy didn’t care if he was the No.1 point guard of his class, that he was still a freshman at the bottom of the food chain.
Josh didn’t doubt that Coach Wright had made the right decision to recruit Jalen Brunson, but that didn’t mean that he was completely on board with welcoming the kid in with open arms, either. He’d have to earn his place, Josh had told Kris Jenkins in their shared hotel room one night after an away game, just like the rest of them had.
So, as the season stretched on, Josh Hart couldn’t have been bothered to listen in on the talk around their incoming star and could only count down the months until the arrival of #1.
Erling had heard the rumors. Of course he had.
Stuff like this always spread like wildfire, and it wasn’t as if the higher-ups and coaching staff were particularly trying to keep it on the down low either. The whispers were so loud; in the locker rooms as they were winding down after practice, on a bus to an away game, or in the lounge while everybody was fucking around–like a cloud of smoke that always seemed to trail them around and permeate through every single space the team gathered in.
A central midfielder from Birmingham City, EFL’s 2019-2020 Young Player of the Season. Six-foot-one Jude Bellingham, who had played for U18 at 14 and U23 at 15, and one of England’s most promising young football stars.
And after that visit in early summer, he was all anyone talked about.
And Erling loved it.
The first time Erling had seen Jude’s profile, he’d immediately taken a liking to him. He’d slowly grown more and more impressed with the kid the further he flipped through his profile, almost not believing how stacked of a resume lay behind such a cute, young face. There were so many young lads and lassies in Europe that dreamed of becoming the best–Erling himself included–but he’d also be lying if he said that he didn’t think that this seventeen-year-old might have one of the clearest trajectories up to that title. Even if he hadn’t met Jude in person just yet, there was no doubt in his mind that he’d be an amazing addition to the team, and that if the kid’s personality were just as lovely as his face, he’d fit in just fine.
Erling had complete faith in Coach Favre that Bellingham was worth the 25 million pound fee, and if he would prove himself to be worth even more, well, that would just be the cherry on top of the cake, no? He’d told this to Thomas Delaney one night after a brutal round of training, to which the older man had responded by telling him that he could see the two of them making it up to the World Stage in a couple of years. Erling hoped that he was right.
So, as the season stretched on, Erling Haaland continued to listen in on all of the talk around their incoming star, and eagerly awaited the arrival of #22.