On the other end of the line, Jonathan continued his assessment. "Regarding your transfer, based on my experience, Aston Villa likely won't let you go easily. Moreover, the club has already reached the FA Cup final, where the opponent is Watford. There's still a high probability you can win the championship."
After pausing for a few seconds, Jonathan spoke with renewed confidence. "And Villa also has a strong chance of being promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season. That means next season they'll face the challenge of competing on two fronts. Even if other clubs offer astronomical transfer fees, Villa won't let you go."
Theodore fully agreed with Jonathan's analysis.
"It's fine," he replied, leaning back in his chair. "Actually, I'm not in a hurry to leave the team. We can consider a transfer when the contract is about to expire. Right now, I just want to focus on playing well."
Suddenly, Jonathan remembered something and quickly added.
"Oh, right! Theo, there's one more thing! Transfermarkt has released your latest market value. Congratulations, your value has reached 50 million euros! It's the highest among players your age."
"Alright, I understand."
Theodore wasn't particularly interested in whether his market value rose or fell.
After all, that money wouldn't go directly to him. Instead of constantly focusing on his price tag, he preferred to devote his energy to training and matches.
As long as he and Aston Villa achieved more victories, his market value would naturally continue to rise.
...
The next day, at the Bodymoor Heath training ground, the players carried out their sessions as usual.
It was now early April.
Only six matches remained until the end of the Championship season. Currently, Aston Villa still trailed league leaders Norwich City by four points.
The race for the title was incredibly intense.
The team needed to ensure victories in all six of their remaining matches to have a real chance of lifting the trophy.
According to the promotion rules set by the English Football Association, only the Championship winner and runner-up would earn direct promotion to the Premier League for the following season.
Teams finishing third through sixth would compete in the playoffs for the final promotion spot.
In other words, finishing third in the Championship was functionally the same as finishing sixth.
If Aston Villa wanted direct promotion, they would at least need to overtake second-placed Leeds United in the standings.
Three days later, Aston Villa would travel to face Rotherham United away, followed by a return to Villa Park to host Bristol City.
After these two matches, they would travel to Elland Road to face Leeds United.
The point difference between Villa and Leeds was only three.
If Aston Villa could defeat them away, they would climb to second place.
Soon, Aston Villa faced Rotherham United. Rotherham was currently in 13th place in the Championship—firmly mid-table.
This season, they could essentially be described as having nothing left to play for.
They had secured their safety from relegation but had no chance of breaking into the top six.
Naturally, facing an Aston Villa side that had just eliminated Manchester City, Rotherham did not engage in a head-on battle.
Just ten minutes into the match, Aston Villa scored the opening goal through striker Tammy Abraham.
After establishing an early lead, Villa successfully controlled the pace of the game.
Just before the end of the first half, they scored again to make it two-nil.
Although Rotherham was playing at home, they were outmatched in both skill and fighting spirit. Defeat was inevitable.
After the second half began, Aston Villa unleashed their full firepower. Abraham, John McGinn, and Jack Grealish all found the back of the net.
The final score was 5-0. Aston Villa easily defeated Rotherham. Theodore also performed excellently; although he didn't score, he orchestrated the midfield and contributed several key assists.
On April 13th, Aston Villa returned home to face Bristol City. Sitting in 15th place in the league, Bristol's strength was clearly weaker than Rotherham's.
Given their current form and the disadvantage of playing away, their chances of defeating the surging Aston Villa were almost zero.
And indeed, that proved to be the case.
Less than eight minutes into the first half, Theodore delivered a sweeping long cross from the wing into Bristol City's penalty area.
"ABRAHAM RISES HIGHEST!!!" Martin Tyler's voice would later ring out on the highlight reel.
"A TOWERING HEADER TO OPEN THE SCORING FOR VILLA!"
Ten minutes later, Aston Villa scored their second goal of the match, again through Abraham.
Four minutes after that, center-back Tommy Elphick headed home from a corner kick.
In less than thirty minutes, Aston Villa had already taken a commanding three-goal lead.
It was clear that after eliminating Manchester City in the FA Cup, every Aston Villa player had gained immense confidence.
Even in Championship matches, they dared to take risks and played with swagger.
Two minutes before the end of the first half, defensive midfielder John McGinn attempted a shot from midfield.
Unexpectedly, this super long-range effort from over thirty yards out managed to breach Bristol City's goal.
4-0. All suspense in the match vanished.
Shortly after the second half began, Dean Smith proactively made substitutions, taking off several of the goal-scoring heroes to rest their legs.
However, even after the key players were substituted, Bristol City's defense still couldn't withstand the onslaught.
In the 64th minute, substitute winger Albert Adomah scored with a header.
The final score was 5-0. Aston Villa delivered another resounding victory!
After this match, Aston Villa extended their winning streak across all competitions to 16 games.
In the Championship alone, they achieved an impressive 14 consecutive wins.
Next up, their opponent would be second-placed Leeds United.
If Aston Villa could win away at Elland Road, they would overtake them in the standings and secure second place in the league.
They might even have a chance to challenge Norwich City for the top spot.
This match was a crucial battle that Aston Villa could not afford to lose!
...
April 19th, 3:00 PM. Elland Road.
The highly anticipated clash between Aston Villa and Leeds United was about to begin.
Inside the Sky Sports studio, Martin Tyler set the scene. "Welcome, football fans, to this massive Championship Round 43 clash! Aston Villa takes on Leeds United away from home. Currently, Leeds United sits in second place in the Championship, while Aston Villa is in third, with only a three-point gap between the two teams. That means if Aston Villa can win tonight, they will climb into the automatic promotion spots!"
Gary Neville took over for the team sheets. "Let's look at the starting lineups. For Aston Villa, Dean Smith has deployed a 4-3-3 formation. Jed Steer is in goal. The four defenders are Neil Taylor, Mings, Elphick, and Hutton. The midfield three consists of Grealish, Theodore Bjorn, and McGinn. Up front, it's El Ghazi, Abraham, and Andre Green."
"As for Leeds United," Tyler continued, "head coach Marcelo Bielsa has opted for a 4-1-4-1 formation. Kiko Casilla is in goal. The back four are Ayling, Jansson, Cooper, and Dallas. Kalvin Phillips sits as the lone defensive midfielder, behind a bank of four: Pablo Hernández, Forshaw, Klich, and Jack Harrison. Patrick Bamford is the lone striker."
On Twitter, the Villa fanbase eagerly awaited the start of the epic battle.
[A must-win match! Just go all out and leave it on the pitch.]
[We're on a 16-game winning streak and beat Man City. Taking down Leeds away shouldn't be a problem.]
[Don't get overconfident. Leeds isn't a weak team—they're second in the league and haven't lost in their last 10 matches!]
[Relax! As long as Theo starts, Aston Villa is guaranteed to dominate the midfield.]
Meanwhile, in the players' tunnel, the starting players from both teams were ready to step onto the Elland Road pitch.
[Ding! Season Mission Issued: Win the Championship League Title!]
[Ding! Mission Reward: One Peak Performance Card!]
The moment Theodore's left foot stepped from the tunnel onto the grass, the system's mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
A season mission had been issued.
Even if the system hadn't assigned this task, Theodore would have given his all to help Villa win the league title.
It was his duty as a player.
Of course, having a mission made it even better—completing it would reward him with a Peak Performance Card, which would greatly enhance his abilities!
---------
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