"I have a Europa League qualifier in six days," I said.
"I know," she said. "Use it. Show me how you're developing your players, not just your team. Send me the report after the game."
The call ended. I sat back in my chair and looked at the note on my pad. She was right. It was a blind spot. And it was one I needed to fix.
After the afternoon session, Freedman appeared in my office doorway. He was holding a single sheet of paper. He didn't say anything. He just walked in, closed the door behind him, and placed the paper on the desk in front of me.
I looked at it. It was a scouting report. A single name at the top.
Serge Gnabry.
I read it. Twenty-two years old. Werder Bremen. Winger. The report was concise and brutal. Former Arsenal academy product, sold to Bremen for a pittance after a disastrous loan spell at West Brom where he had been publicly written off as not being good enough.
