But to them, I was a breakout talent. A prodigy.
No one knew the truth.
I wasn't making a comeback.
I was living my first chance — again.
The week after the Liverpool equalizer was a blur of headlines, Twitter threads, and pundits trying to figure out who I was. "Alli's got a cannon for a leg!" "Future of England?" "Dele's back!" They couldn't stop talking. Pochettino, however, was focused on something else:
"Talent is just a beginning. Prove you're consistent, and you'll start."
That's what he said in training.
That's when I knew: this week was about more than hype.
It was about growth.
[System Notification] 📲
New Mission: Develop Core Attributes
Vision (Currently: 71 → Goal: 75)
First Touch (68 → 72)
Passing (72 → 76)
Tactical Awareness (69 → 73) Reward: Skill Point x2, Passive Upgrade Slot
Monday – Hot sun. Triple training session.
I stayed after the main session to work with John McDermott, our technical coach. He brought out flat cones and asked Kane to stay too.
"One-touch passing. Tempo football. Movement off the ball. That's Tottenham."
The drills were brutal. Left foot, right foot, pressure from behind. Kane played short, I dropped deep, rotated, moved again. Sweat poured down my back.
System Passive Activated: Positional Intelligence +2 (Temporary)
Tuesday – Tactical walk-through. Poch brought out the whiteboard. The 4-2-3-1 wasn't new, but this time I saw it differently. I felt it differently.
Eriksen was the maestro. Kane the anchor. Lamela floated. I needed to read spaces, not just play into them.
In 11v11 drills, I asked for the ball early. Sprayed passes wide. When Davies overlapped, I underlapped. When Trippier bombed, I covered. I was building patterns, layers.
At night, I watched tapes. Iniesta. Özil. Silva. Then… me.
From last week.
I looked sharp.
[System Update] 🎯
Progress Report
Vision: +2
First Touch: +1
Passing: +1
Tactical Awareness: +2
Unlocked Passive Skill: Adaptive Spacing
Automatically improves positioning against high pressing teams.
Wednesday – Small-sided games. 6v6 in tight spaces. Poch kept yelling:
"Quick decisions! Use your first touch as your weapon!"
I feinted left, used the outside of my right to nutmeg Winks, and fired a no-look through ball to Son. Goal.
"YES, Dele!" Poch barked. "That's the instinct we need!"
My chest thumped. It wasn't pride. It was power. I could feel the system syncing more and more.
Thursday – Rest day for most. Not for me.
At Hotspur Way's gym, I worked alone. Box jumps. Core strength. Stability drills. The system gave me micro-goals:
Knee Drive Efficiency +0.4%
Reaction Delay -3ms
Minuscule to others. Game-changing for me.
Outside, in the rain, I practiced curlers from the edge of the box. 32 shots. 7 hit top bins.
[Skill XP +43] [First Touch Level 3 → 4]
Friday – Pre-match briefing.
We were playing Stoke City on Saturday, away. A gritty side. Long balls. Set-pieces. Shaqiri still played there, and Arnautović was dangerous in the air.
Their 4-4-2 was rigid, but powerful. Poch warned us:
"They'll fight. We'll dance. Keep the tempo."
I wasn't in the starting XI, but I was in the 20-man squad.
My time was coming.
Saturday Morning – Bet365 Stadium
Rain. Muddy pitch. Welcome to Stoke.
We started with:
Lloris
Walker – Alderweireld – Vertonghen – Davies
Dier – Dembele
Lamela – Eriksen – Son
Kane
Subs: Vorm, Trippier, Wimmer, Winks, Onomah, N'Jie, Me
From the bench, I studied the game like chess.
Minute 12: Eriksen threaded Kane in behind – saved. Minute 23: Arnautović's header off the post. Minute 40: 0–1. Kane finish, assist by Son.
At half-time: 0–1, but Stoke were aggressive.
Minute 55: Equalizer. Shaqiri rocket from 25 yards. 1–1.
Minute 61: I heard Poch shout my name. I was coming on.
"Dele. Replace Lamela. Right-side. Tuck in. Don't be fancy – be effective."
My System pulsed.
[Match Entry Bonus Activated] +5% Acceleration, +3 Vision, +2 Shot Power (45 mins)
Minute 65 to 90 – I came alive.
My first touch: tight.
I glided into space.
One triangle pass with Eriksen and Walker sent me free – almost scored.
Minute 77: I tracked back 40 yards, intercepted a cross, and launched a counter.
Minute 83: Kane hit the post.
Minute 88: Corner to us. Cleared. I recovered the ball, 40 yards out.
One touch. Ball stuck to my feet.
35 metres. No angle.
But I struck it.
BOOM.
It flew like a missile. Top right. The net exploded.
2–1. Tottenham.
[System Notification]
Goal Scored: +600 XPAchievement Unlocked: "Distance Sniper"Stat Boost: Shot Power +3 (Permanent)
The lads mobbed me.
Kane shouted, "This kid's the truth!"
I didn't celebrate wildly. I just tapped the badge.
I wasn't proving them wrong. I was proving myself right.
The crowd booed. I didn't care.
Grinding in silence works.
And my rise had only just begun.