SWR: Chapter 875/877

Chapter 875: Signing Messi

Norman Foster, a national treasure-level architectural designer in the UK, is a leading figure in the high-tech school of architecture.

The so-called high-tech school is based on the theories of machine aesthetics and structural aesthetics. It advocates formal dynamic theory based on visual perception, has a strong technical orientation, and uses a rich design language in architectural work.

Simply put, it's an architectural design school that promotes the use of cutting-edge technology and materials, integrating them into architecture with a focus on energy conservation and environmental sustainability.

Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, and Richard Rogers are known as the three giants of high-tech architecture and are the founding figures of this school. Their most iconic work is the Pompidou Center in France, completed in 1977 by Rogers and Piano.

But the three have their differences.

Rogers prefers to use large-scale steel structures with strong visual impact in his designs, creating a complex and layered industrial aesthetic. Piano leans more toward an artisan style, with attention to detail and the use of natural light.

In comparison, Norman Foster is more balanced. His designs are elegant, grand, and seemingly effortless, showcasing a transparent, light, and technological architectural beauty.

Because of this, Foster's works are arguably the least controversial among the masters.

Each of his projects has represented the pinnacle of global architecture in its time.

Wembley Stadium was designed by Norman Foster. In 2007, he also participated in the design competition for Barcelona's new Camp Nou and won first prize. However, Barcelona later shelved the stadium project, so Foster's design never materialized.

But designing a training facility would probably be a first for him.

Both Gao Shen and Su Qing actually prefer Zaha Hadid, but her works are notoriously controversial.

The Bird's Nest designed by Herzog & de Meuron is also exceptional. Whether it's the Bird's Nest, the Allianz Arena, or the new stadium they later designed for Chelsea, which Gao Shen had seen in his past life, they all felt outstanding.

But after weighing the pros and cons, Gao Shen and Su Qing both leaned toward Norman Foster.

Gao Shen had met Foster at an event at Wembley Stadium before. Although they weren't close, they had chatted a few times and exchanged contact information.

Nowadays, the old man has gradually stepped away from the spotlight, but Gao Shen still hoped to personally invite him to take on the project.

He decided to take Su Qing and Lucas to London.

…

After being promoted to the Premier League, Leeds United's large-scale player sales stirred up considerable controversy.

The key issue was that many players were sold, but there were no targeted signings. Instead, the club focused on internal development.

During the month that Gao Shen was away, Leeds United made several signings.

Jose Fonte was signed just after the season ended. Mahrez, Kanté, Fabinho, and Marquinhos were also carefully scouted and brought in.

What surprised Gao Shen was that Leeds United's scouting team gave him several unexpected gifts.

The first was Martial.

This player from Lyon's youth academy in Ligue 1 was discovered by Leeds United's scouts and, after much effort, was signed for 2 million euros. Borrell insisted on training Martial himself.

"I hope he becomes a great striker like Henry!"

Benjamin Mendy also surprised Gao Shen.

If it had been up to Gao Shen, he actually wouldn't have wanted to sign Mendy, because the guy later committed a crime.

When Gao Shen transmigrated, the case hadn't yet reached a verdict, but it appeared to be true.

But that's a matter for the future.

Currently, Leeds United's scouting and technical teams are very optimistic about Benjamin Mendy, and Gao Shen had no reason to object.

Mendy is quite talented. If he really doesn't pan out, he can be developed and sold.

What Gao Shen didn't expect was that in the process of signing Mahrez, they also unearthed Benjamin Mendy.

Another surprise was Dele Alli.

When Gao Shen first heard the name, he froze for a moment before realizing—wasn't that the one who later played for Tottenham?

In just three years, Alli's form had fallen sharply. From being valued at £100 million to barely being able to play in the Premier League.

But in terms of current ability and potential, he's definitely one of England's brightest young stars.

The final surprise, and the one that shocked Gao Shen the most, was Ansu Fati.

Yes, that Ansu Fati—the super talent whom Barcelona later saw as Messi's successor.

When Gao Shen saw the name on the list, he couldn't believe it. He immediately logged into the data center to confirm the player's profile—and it was really him.

His first thought was, isn't this kid at Barcelona?

Actually, he wasn't.

Ansu Fati began his youth training at Sevilla. It was a discovery by Victor Orta, the director of the data center who came from Sevilla. He strongly recommended Fati, and Leeds United's technical team even crafted a very detailed training plan for him, convincing the player's parents.

In the end, Leeds United beat out their two biggest rivals, Barcelona and Sevilla, and brought Ansu Fati to Leeds.

However, since his brother plays in Seville and the family lives there, Leeds United agreed to cover monthly round-trip travel for his parents to visit Leeds or for him to visit Seville.

…

Gao Shen had to admit, the collaboration between the scouting department, the technical team, and the data center had brought him huge surprises in the first summer transfer window. In fact, he saw many familiar names on the scouting list.

But for various reasons, they couldn't bring all those players in just yet.

It made him wonder—could some of those unfamiliar names on the list turn out to be hidden gems?

After all, there are still many overlooked talents in the world.

With such strong results in just the first season, if this momentum continues, Leeds United's youth development system has a very promising future.

From how Borrell and others handled Mendy's situation, Gao Shen also had a new idea: could this become a model for signing players?

For example, Van Dijk is still playing for Groningen in the Eredivisie. His market value is low, just over 1 million euros. What if they buy him and then loan him back to Groningen to continue his development? Would that work?

Same with Luke Shaw. After Southampton failed to get promoted to the Premier League, many players left, and the squad was depleted. Could Leeds buy Luke Shaw now and then loan him back to Southampton?

Gao Shen didn't think further about it. He planned to sit down and discuss it with Lucas, Borrell, and the others.

However, the most pressing matter for Leeds United now was Coutinho.

After sending Adam Lallana away, the most important target was Coutinho.

Inter Milan had gone through several coaching changes in recent years—from Gasperini to Ranieri to Stramaccioni, who was promoted from the B team. The team had undergone many changes, and morale was unstable.

Coutinho had performed well on loan at Espanyol, and after returning to Inter, the Nerazzurri were looking to give him a chance. But the squad was bloated.

Especially this summer, they spent 9.5 million euros to bring in Palacio from Genoa and signed Cassano from AC Milan. Balotelli was also still with Inter, and all of them overlapped with Coutinho's position.

This made it hard for Coutinho to get playing time.

When Leeds United made an offer, they started with 10 million euros. Inter weren't foolish—they leaked the news, and soon other clubs joined the race.

Premier League sides like Sunderland, Queens Park Rangers, and Fulham—who narrowly avoided relegation last season—entered the picture.

The highest offer came from QPR: 12 million euros, 2 million more than Leeds.

When Gao Shen heard this, he frowned. "Is this club trying to challenge us?"

Everyone burst out laughing.

"I guess you beat them too badly last season," Su Qing joked.

Exactly.

It's rare that he wanted to splash some cash to buy a star player for his system, and now he was caught in a bidding war.

This put Lucas, Borrell, and the others in a tough spot.

The offer had already hit 10 million euros—should they go higher?

This was already the biggest transfer deal since Gao Shen acquired Leeds United.

Ten million euros, that's a serious investment.

After some thought, Gao Shen made the call.

"Raise the offer. Match QPR's bid—12 million euros."

That was about 8.5 million pounds. Quite a lot.

But they'd try to arrange installment payments. After all, Leeds was a small club and would need at least two years to spread out the payments.

"Fernando, Rodolfo, you two go with Sarri to Milan and talk to Inter in person. Try to meet with Coutinho too."

That likely meant a trip from Milan to Brazil as well.

But what can you do? That's how transfers work—time is money, my friend!

"I'll call Pochettino and have him send a message to Coutinho. We need to show him that we're serious and make him believe we can provide the best environment and conditions for his development."

Gao Shen made a quick decision.

In discussions with Sarri, the two had unexpectedly crafted a blueprint for a left-sided attack. Coutinho, Pogba, and Kurzawa—if utilized properly—could become Leeds United's deadliest weapon in the Premier League next season.

On the right flank, Salah, Mahrez, Zaha, and Mane were all options.

Icardi was the first-choice striker, but Mane and Harry Kane could also play there.

After Klein unexpectedly left, Trippier became the starting right-back.

New signing Fabinho could also play there, but Gao Shen knew his best position was still defensive midfield.

So the team still needed to sign a new right-back.

Whether it was Bellerín or Alexander-Arnold in Manchester City's youth academy, both were still too young.

As Gao Shen sat in deep thought, a name suddenly came to mind.

João Cancelo from Sporting Lisbon, just turned eighteen.

Had he signed a professional contract with Benfica yet?

If he remembered correctly, in the Portuguese league, players signed pro contracts at 18. If he hadn't yet, then the cost would be very low.

With that thought, Gao Shen immediately instructed Borrell to make contact as soon as possible.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 876: A Pitfall for Barcelona

Gao Shen flew from Manchester to London with Su Qing and Lucas, but the first people he met weren't Norman Foster, whom he had scheduled an appointment with, but Valdano and Zidane, who happened to be in London.

By the way, Zidane would once again serve as Gao Shen's assistant coach.

"You've had a good time this past month, huh? Your complexion looks different," Zidane joked as soon as he saw Gao Shen.

Since Su Qing wasn't around, Gao Shen wasn't afraid of being teased.

Of course, having a beautiful woman by your side is something to be happy about.

But who could understand the exhaustion and pain in Gao Shen's heart?

This kind of travel really takes a toll on your body.

The first thing Gao Shen cared about was his house in Madrid.

Zidane had previously volunteered to help him find one, confident that he understood both Gao Shen's and Su Qing's preferences. Gao Shen had been quite satisfied with the community he currently lived in.

The new Real Madrid assistant coach also hoped to be neighbors with him.

Zidane owned two luxury properties in Madrid. One was located in La Finca in the western suburbs, a well-known villa area for the wealthy. Ronaldo, Kaká, Ramos, and others all lived there.

The other was just south of the Hortaleza district.

Yes, when Gao Shen first coached Real Madrid, he had lived in Hortaleza. Carlo lived there too.

But there was a difference. Gao Shen rented a small single room in the northern part of Hortaleza, Carlo lived in a middle-class neighborhood, and Zidane resided in a villa area in the south.

This time, both of the houses Zidane found were in that same villa area.

So, what was so great about this neighborhood?

According to Zidane, the area had top-class greenery, clean air, tennis courts, football pitches, basketball courts, swimming pools—basically all types of sports facilities. The key was that the schools in the vicinity were some of the best in Madrid.

Looking at the map, Hortaleza was right between the Bernabéu and the Valdebebas training base.

"Didn't you like biking to work before? You can still do that here," Zidane said, revealing his hidden talent as a real estate agent.

Gao Shen and Valdano exchanged a glance, then shook their heads, smiling. "You really are a salesman held back by football."

"Well, he won't have to ride a bike anymore. Audi's been asking multiple times. They want Gao to pick his official car as soon as possible," Valdano reminded him.

If Real Madrid's head coach was still commuting to training by bike, Audi—one of their sponsors—definitely wouldn't be pleased.

They'd think, "We invested all this money sponsoring Real Madrid, and you're letting the most famous coach ride a bike? That's just disrespectful!"

Does Audi have no pride?

In short, whether he wanted it or not, the car had to be taken.

Gao Shen wasn't particularly fond of Audi, mainly because in his past life he had the impression that their cars were gas guzzlers.

But since it was free and came with lifetime maintenance, he reluctantly agreed.

He'd pick one when he arrived in Madrid.

…

After finishing the personal topics, the conversation turned to business.

Valdano was curious and asked Gao Shen, "Modric's agent said you talked to him? Is that true?"

Gao Shen gave a wry smile.

Did that really count as a conversation?

He simply chalked it up to a misunderstanding and didn't want to dig deeper.

"But honestly, I've wanted to bring him in since I coached Napoli. I always felt he was being underutilized at Tottenham. Redknapp didn't really know how to use him properly."

For players like Modric, things can get tricky.

Of course, this is reflective of the current environment. Before 2021, when Gao Shen transmigrated, midfielders like him had become much more common.

Just look at Pogba—what position does he really play?

There's also Valverde at Real Madrid, a well-rounded, box-to-box midfielder.

Then you have players like Camavinga and Tchouaméni, both of whom are being developed in that direction by their teams.

Their shared trait? Versatility.

They can do it all, and even as defensive midfielders, they excel at attacking, passing, and making late runs into the box.

Teams even intentionally design tactics to bring out these qualities.

The reason is simple: it's a trend.

But right now, that trend is only beginning.

So in the current football world, players like Modric, Kroos, and Pogba are still subjects of debate.

It's not about whether they're good, but about how to use them.

Even later, after Pogba moved from Juventus to Manchester United, his best position remained unclear.

"How's Tottenham responding?" Gao Shen asked.

"We offered €5 million plus Adebayor, but Levy turned it down."

Gao Shen nodded. That didn't surprise him. He knew Levy would hesitate and might go back on his word.

"After that, the player's agent rushed to London to meet with Levy and express the player's position."

Since Modric was participating in the Euros, it made sense for his agent to step in.

If Modric personally got involved, it would create open conflict.

"Now, we've made a second offer: €10 million plus Adebayor."

Adebayor was currently valued at around €20 million, considering he had been Real Madrid's main striker last season. Modric's market value was about €30 million.

Real Madrid's first offer was deliberately low to leave room for a second one.

The second offer was reasonable, but transfer negotiations aren't purely about value. They depend more on need.

For example, if Real Madrid didn't need Adebayor and wanted to sell him, they'd struggle to get €20 million.

But if you truly wanted to snatch Modric, the cost could be unpredictable.

"The player made it clear to Levy that he wants to join Real Madrid and has turned down offers from Chelsea and Manchester United."

Valdano looked at Gao Shen with admiration.

Modric wanted to come because of him!

"If Levy still doesn't agree, we can separate the deals. Modric is Modric, Adebayor is Adebayor. We can even sell Adebayor back to Arsenal. Wenger's looking for a striker anyway."

Valdano nodded. That might be a simpler approach.

Of course, trading players helps save some cash.

"We sent a €20 million offer to Bayern Munich for Toni Kroos, but they refused to negotiate. I don't think this deal will be easy," Valdano said helplessly.

Kroos was a regular in the German national team and highly rated. The key was that he was still very young.

Bayern wouldn't sell someone like that easily.

"Keep pushing. What's the player's stance?" Gao Shen asked.

"We've made contact. He heard you'd be coaching and expressed willingness to move to Real Madrid, but he won't make a move himself. He wants us to convince Bayern."

Understandable.

If Kroos stepped up and the transfer failed, it would be hard for him to stay at Bayern.

It might even affect his spot in the national team.

Only a fool would take that risk.

Modric's situation was different. He had already clashed with Levy before.

"Verratti is the easiest to negotiate for, but PSG are also interested. I think €20 million might not be enough anymore," Valdano added with a bitter smile.

Gao Shen's three midfield targets were all hot properties.

That was normal. Other clubs weren't blind. Everyone wanted good players.

"No problem. I'll call De Laurentiis and Marino to keep Verratti steady. We must secure him."

All three midfielders were tough targets. Gao Shen was mentally prepared for that.

Modric, Kroos, Verratti—if he could land two out of three, that would already be a huge success.

Of course, the best-case scenario was signing all three. That would give Gao Shen more confidence in his squad building.

Still, the league would be a different story.

Barcelona had been playing together for years. Their chemistry was outstanding and their tactics were stable.

Even if Real Madrid signed those three midfielders, Gao Shen wouldn't feel fully confident competing on two fronts.

The bigger issue now, and the one that worried Valdano the most, was Real Madrid's lack of confidence.

Based on the current UEFA coefficients, Real Madrid would be placed in Pot 3.

Everyone knew that meant a group of death. Anything could happen.

The club had been knocked out of the group stage two years in a row and hadn't made it past the round of 16 in six seasons. They had been dominated by Barcelona in the league for a long time and had failed completely in recent years.

With years of underachievement and their rivals at their peak, Real Madrid players were facing issues beyond just ability. They often panicked and lost control at crucial moments.

But the problem was that this kind of psychological issue couldn't be fixed overnight. It wasn't as simple as appointing Gao Shen and suddenly having everyone believe in him and follow him.

It had to be built gradually, through experience and competition, step by step.

In some ways, coaching Real Madrid now was harder than coaching Manchester City or Napoli.

At least when Gao Shen led City or Napoli, those clubs had been weak for a long time and had no expectations.

Real Madrid was different. They were caught in a contradiction.

They were supposed to be strong but had become insecure and overly sensitive.

"By the way, how's the situation with Alba?" Gao Shen suddenly asked.

Valdano gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "The player doesn't want to come to Real Madrid. He wants to go to Barcelona. But we made an offer, and now Barcelona can't act. The situation is stuck. Alba played really well in the Euros..."

As he trailed off, Gao Shen, Valdano, and Zidane all laughed together.

It would be great to mess with Barcelona for once.

As for Real Madrid's left-back spot, Gao Shen had other plans.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 877: He Wants to Go to Real Madrid

Meeting Norman Foster wasn't like a typical exchange between Party A and Party B.

It was clear the old man wasn't particularly enthusiastic about taking on the job.

It wasn't just because Leeds United had a limited budget and financial constraints. More importantly, whether it was a training base or a sports facility, the structure was relatively fixed.

Take stadiums, for example. The layout has been standardized for a long time.

In the UK, the slope of the stands cannot exceed 35 degrees.

So when Norman Foster designed Wembley Stadium, he was already well aware of the architectural limitations of such large venues. At most, he could make changes to the exterior design.

This applied even more to training grounds.

Functionality always came first in training facilities, often to the point where only function mattered and all else was ignored.

According to Norman Foster, who made a joking comment after the meeting, Gao Shen might as well design the whole thing himself.

"Is there anyone in the world who understands its functionality better than your head coach?"

But Gao Shen disagreed with that. He believed that while functionality was the foundation, architecture and design had to go beyond that.

For example, he pointed out the disconnect between the first team and the youth team.

In reality, nearly every club, including Real Madrid, separates the first team's training area from the youth setup. Many don't even share the same training building. While they may be on the same site, they function as two completely separate teams.

Some were originally connected but later divided by fences.

"I think that's inhumane!"

Gao Shen believed that in 2012, many traditional football customs were already outdated.

For instance, you won't find any young players polishing boots for senior players at Liverpool anymore.

Of course, that's because now there are dedicated staff for that.

But even if that tradition didn't exist, it shouldn't exist today.

Players are equals.

Whether it's a superstar, a squad player, or a youth academy prospect, they should all be treated the same.

Who can guarantee that a superstar won't fall? Who can say a small player today won't become a world-class star tomorrow?

Why did Trump become president? Does anyone really understand?

In 2012, concepts already accepted across many industries were still resisted in football.

Gao Shen found that unreasonable and wanted to change it.

He believed that the first team and youth teams should have defined areas but also remain closely connected. The use of space should encourage interaction, increase communication between players, coaches, and staff.

In fact, Gao Shen strongly encouraged this kind of interaction and open communication.

"I don't want the training base to feel like a punch-clock facility. Players show up on time and leave the second training ends. That's not what I'm after."

"It should be a youthful, vibrant place where ideas and creativity clash and converge. I want Leeds United players to wake up each morning excited to be there—not thinking, 'Ugh, time to go to work again.'"

"Instead, they should look forward to it every day, always experiencing something new that makes them fall in love with the place."

Norman Foster was genuinely intrigued and curious about Gao Shen's ideas.

He had met plenty of people in football—players, coaches, club executives—but very few thought like Gao Shen.

"Can I understand this as you trying to create a team culture, and using the architecture and spatial design of the training base to reinforce that culture?"

Gao Shen nodded. "Can you do it?"

"Interesting," Norman Foster replied, clearly engaged. "What you said reminds me of your documentary."

The six-episode documentary about Leeds United's promotion to the Premier League had already finished airing. The final episode, covering the team's celebration after promotion, was particularly moving.

If you watched from the first episode through to the end, you'd find Leeds United truly was a special team.

Though the uniqueness wasn't obvious yet, it was beginning to take shape.

The documentary received good ratings, though it didn't go viral—after all, documentaries tend to attract niche audiences. But the reviews were glowing. Its quality and production level were extremely high, especially since it was directed by a well-known filmmaker.

Leeds United and the production team had agreed to film a second season focused on their battle to avoid relegation.

Norman Foster had watched the series. Combined with Gao Shen's current remarks, he could tell that Gao Shen was trying to build a unique football culture at Leeds United—one that represented youth.

This was something rarely seen in the traditional and conservative world of British football.

Arsenal had a young squad, but their club culture was still deeply traditional.

"I'll take the job!" the old man agreed on the spot.

However, his first request caught Gao Shen off guard.

He wanted to live at Leeds United's training base with his assistant for a period of time.

There was nothing wrong with that.

…

As the European Championship entered full swing, players across Europe were showing their various levels.

In the group stage, Croatia unfortunately landed in the same group as Spain and Italy. They finished third and were eliminated.

After Croatia's elimination and the national team's disbandment, midfielder Modric flew directly from Ukraine to London. The next day, he went to Tottenham's training center and met with CEO Daniel Levy in his office.

According to The Sun, there was a heated exchange between Modric and Levy behind closed doors.

"He made it very clear. He wants to go to Real Madrid!"

Tottenham quickly issued a clarification, saying there was no argument, just some disagreements, but that both sides expressed their positions openly through proper communication.

"We are confident we can keep Modric."

But Modric's agent soon stepped forward, accusing Levy in the media of breaking his promise.

"Luka has already passed on chances from Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea."

"He's 27 now, and he wants to take his career to the next level. He doesn't want to miss this opportunity."

The agent revealed that in order to keep Modric last season, Levy had personally promised he could leave after one more year.

But now, Levy was going back on that promise.

"I can say this to the whole world on behalf of my client—he wants to go to Real Madrid!"

This declaration caused an uproar.

Many Spurs fans accused Modric of betraying the club and their support.

Some extreme fans even showed up at Modric's home and threw stones at the windows.

Fortunately, Modric and his family were away on holiday at the time and were not home, so they avoided the panic.

After the incident, Modric's agent reiterated that his client had no intention of returning to London.

It was at this point that Real Madrid submitted another bid to Tottenham.

€15 million, plus Adebayor.

Whether Levy broke his promise was now irrelevant. What mattered was that the player had made his stance crystal clear.

He had to go to Real Madrid!

Given this situation, Tottenham's options were limited.

If they kept holding out, Modric could go on strike once preseason began. In the end, Spurs would get nothing out of it.

So, after weighing the situation, Tottenham finally accepted Real Madrid's offer.

As Levy said in a media interview, it was "a price that's hard to refuse."

Reports estimated that the final transfer fee for Modric was around €35 million.

…

While Modric publicly challenged Spurs, the European Championship continued.

In the quarterfinals, Germany beat Greece 4-2, but they lost 2-1 to Italy in the semifinals.

This result left German fans bitterly disappointed.

Germany had performed brilliantly at the World Cup in South Africa, raising hopes across the country.

Before the Euros, the German team had shown real ambition. But once the tournament began, they played with a style that many fans described as "too artistic." In other words, not German enough.

In a poll conducted by Bild, the three most disappointing German players were Bayern's Gomez, Thomas Müller, and Toni Kroos.

These were players who had shined at the World Cup. But in the Euros, Müller played three group-stage matches without a single goal or assist.

In the knockout rounds, he was benched.

Toni Kroos didn't play at all in the first four games. In the semifinal against Italy, he finally started as the number ten and played the full 90 minutes.

The result? A poor performance, and he was voted the worst player on the pitch.

After the match, former national team coach Klinsmann publicly criticized the midfield, saying the lack of midfield control was the key reason Germany lost to Italy.

Many pointed the finger squarely at Toni Kroos.

Beckenbauer also commented after the game, saying he couldn't believe a team on a 14-match winning streak would perform so badly in such a crucial match.

"This really hurts. It's terrible!"

"Some players completely disappeared from the game, and now we have to wait two more years for another shot at the title."

Beckenbauer didn't name names, but he accused certain players of treating a Euro semifinal like they were just clocking in at work.

"We played really well in the first four matches, but we were a total disappointment against Italy. Especially in the first half, we completely lost control of the midfield!"

After venting his frustration, Beckenbauer still praised Khedira and Germany's No. 10.

Especially Khedira. He believed the Real Madrid midfielder was Germany's real leader and the kind of player Bayern desperately needed.

"He's a world-class player. He led the team at the Euros. At the same time, he's the kind of player who's willing to sacrifice for the team."

Bayern's new sporting director, Sammer, also praised Khedira, saying he was the kind of player who could ignite Bayern's fighting spirit.

(To be continued.)