Down the road from Declan Varley’s office in Galway, Ireland, is a statue of Pádraic Ó Conaire, a prolific Irish essayist and author. He is regarded as the first great fiction writer in the Irish language. Among his most noted works is the short story “M’asal Beag Dubh,” or “My Little Black Donkey.” It was that story which gave Varley his idea.
Though he lives on Ireland’s picturesque, windswept west coast, Varley describes himself as an “avid” fan of Arsenal Football Club in London. A few years ago, Varley, long since accustomed to spending his summers “grasping at every little snippet” of transfer speculation about his team, was scouring the internet for whispers as to which player Arsenal’s manager, Arsène Wenger, would bring to the club.