Rising Tensions

After this game, AC Milan's next opponent was Club América from the Mexican League.

In this game, Louis Dupont only got a chance to play in the 80th minute and failed to score.

Louis didn't notice anything unusual. Despite playing against Club América, AC Milan also failed to score, and the match ended in a 0-0 draw.

After this game, Milan's media and fans began to criticize Allegri for giving Louis too little time on the field. Even in the United States, Allegri felt the pressure.

But fortunately, after this game, AC Milan's first major signing of the new season arrived. AC Milan and Inter Milan reached an agreement, bringing Italian international forward Pazzini to AC Milan. He soon joined the team in the United States.

The impact of Pazzini's arrival was immediate. In the third International Champions Cup match against Chelsea, AC Milan drew 2-2, with Pazzini scoring both goals. This significantly eased the pressure on Allegri.

After playing three International Champions Cup games, AC Milan's televised warm-up matches for the season were over. The team returned to Italy, and new players began to join one after another. Although most signings were loans or free transfers, Galliani's transfer strategy was still impressive.

With numerous departures, AC Milan also introduced many new players. Louis was most concerned about the forward signings. Besides Pazzini, who had already joined, on August 11, "New Messi" Bojan joined on loan, and on August 17, young forward Niang, a dual national of France and Senegal, joined the team.

Although Louis wasn't sent back to the youth team, his place in the pecking order was low. In the series of warm-up matches after returning to Milan, Pazzini, Pato, and Robinho were the primary forwards, followed by El Shaarawy, Bojan, and Niang.

As Pazzini and Bojan showed good form in the warm-up games, Louis, who had been hyped by Milan media and fans, was quickly forgotten.

The new Serie A season started with much anticipation from AC Milan fans, excited by Galliani's transfer activity. However, the first two league rounds brought disappointment. AC Milan suffered two consecutive home defeats: a 0-1 loss to Sampdoria on August 25 and another 0-1 defeat to Atalanta on August 31.

With zero points and a negative goal difference of two, AC Milan ranked 16th, just above the relegation zone.

In this dire situation, Allegri was under intense pressure. He urged Galliani to sign a proven forward from the transfer market. Loan players and free transfers were cheap, but Allegri knew that the best strikers come at a high cost. With veterans purged and stars like Ibrahimovic and Silva sold to Paris, Allegri faced criticism, even though Galliani made the decisions.

Galliani felt pressure from the club's higher-ups and also hoped to bring in a capable forward before the summer window closed. He was interested in Manchester City's Italian international Balotelli, who was losing his place at the club. However, Manchester City's asking price remained at 20 million euros plus 3 million in add-ons. Galliani hoped they could lower it to 17 million plus add-ons.

Meanwhile, Arsenal's head coach Arsène Wenger faced a similar situation. The Premier League had started with three rounds, and Arsenal hadn't lost but hadn't won either. Three consecutive 0-0 draws against relegation favorites Sunderland, Reading, and Queens Park Rangers frustrated fans and critics alike. Arsenal's front line, without Van Persie, couldn't score despite dominating play.

Wenger was under pressure but had two weeks during the international break to make adjustments. Arsenal urgently needed a goal-scorer. Giroud was a hardworking forward and a good target man but not a clinical finisher. Arsenal's inability to score after selling Van Persie led to questions about Wenger's decisions.

In the office at the Kearney training base, Wenger asked the head of his scouting department about Louis Dupont.

"How is Louis Dupont doing?"

"You mean the forward from AC Milan?"

"Yes! That's him!"

The coaching staff exchanged glances.

"He hasn't played in Serie A. Based on AC Milan's forward options, he's their sixth choice."

"Sixth forward?" Wenger was surprised. Based on his warm-up match performance, Louis shouldn't be that low.

Wenger stood up, eyes determined.

"Make an offer to AC Milan for Louis Dupont!"

"An offer? But..."

"What's the problem?" Wenger asked, looking at the hesitant transfer department head, Blake.

Blake replied, "We need a striker who can solve our goal-scoring problems."

"I believe he can solve our problem," Wenger insisted.

"He's only seventeen," assistant coach Bould reminded.

"I know, but I'm not asking him to start. He can be our super-sub. If he's competitive enough, starting isn't out of the question!"

Blake hesitated but nodded, recognizing Wenger's determination.