The story of a secret relationship between two Premier League teammates explores power and homophobia
The Italian manager of the unnamed Premier League club in Alex Allison’s second novel is a chin-stroking savant nicknamed L’Oracolo who inspires both ire and devotion in the fans. Chants ring round the stands every weekend: “We’ve got the oracle / He sees what you don’t … ” But Greatest of All Time is, in fact, much more concerned with what passes by unnoticed and is forced to exist in the shadows.
As the novel opens, all seems fairly transparent. The anonymous first-person narrator – a player at the club – is asked to help persuade the exceptional French-Rwandan striker, teenager Samson Kabarebe, to sign for them. Our narrator’s willingness to take up the challenge is characteristic. He’s L’Oracolo’s protege, the team’s “teacher’s pet”: a dutiful, family-oriented, working-class 19-year-old who grew up close to the club’s grounds. He’s grateful for the life-changing possibilities top-tier football offers.
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