SWR: Chapter 756/760

Chapter 756: This Is the Team That Wants to Enter the Premier League

As time moved into July, the attention of the footballing world remained fixed on the top leagues. On one hand, fans marveled at the spending power of Paris Saint-Germain. On the other, they expressed disappointment at Manchester City, who, despite being a wealthy club in recent seasons, had remained quiet in the transfer market.

Rather than bringing players in, City sent Stephen Ireland to Aston Villa.

In addition, Manchester City officially announced the sale of Kieran Trippier, John Stones, Adam Lallana, and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois—who had been on loan in Belgium—to Leeds United of the Championship.

This once again stirred controversy over the relationship between the two clubs.

Many began to question the legitimacy of the transactions, accusing Gao Shen of misusing his influence to divert funds.

However, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak publicly clarified that the deals had been agreed upon by the City management, and that Leeds United had paid full transfer fees. The combined total for the four players exceeded £5 million.

This immediately set off a frenzy among Yorkshire media and Leeds United fans.

As the Yorkshire Post put it: "This looks like a team ready for the Premier League!"

Leeds United fans were excited. These players were hand-picked by Manchester City, and though they came at a high price, the fact that Leeds was even able to buy them suggested City was giving them special treatment.

Of course, only Leeds and Manchester City knew the full story. The transfers did total over £5 million, but they were payable in installments.

This meant that even after signing the four players, Leeds United still had room to maneuver in the transfer market.

The next target was Congolese winger Yannick Bolasie from League One side Plymouth Argyle.

He had played for Plymouth in League One last season.

Just to be clear—this was Plymouth, not Portsmouth.

Plymouth is located in Devon, in southwest England. Portsmouth is in Hampshire, in the southeast. They are not the same place.

After Plymouth was relegated from League One, Leeds United signed Bolasie for just £100,000.

But this transfer caused some issues for Leeds United.

Bristol City manager Keith Millen publicly accused Leeds United in the media of breaching transfer regulations. He claimed Bristol had already reached a verbal agreement with Bolasie, and Plymouth had tacitly approved the deal.

"After Leeds United stepped in, Bolasie broke our agreement!" Millen said.

Bristol City even stated they were considering filing a complaint with the FA.

Leeds United quickly responded, saying the club had gone through formal recruitment channels and had not violated any rules. As for Millen's claim of a verbal agreement, Leeds said they had no knowledge of it.

Bolasie himself also clarified in the Yorkshire Post, saying he had never finalized anything with Bristol City.

"They did contact me, and I expressed willingness to join, but we never signed anything."

In the end, Bristol City did not pursue legal action, and the matter was resolved.

It was clear that Bristol City's transfer process had simply been too slow, and Leeds swooped in and sealed the deal.

It wasn't major news at first. But once Gao Shen got involved, it became a hot topic in the media.

Who would have thought that one of the best managers in football would go to League One just to pick up a relegated player?

Especially someone like Bolasie. Who was he, and what made him worth such a fuss?

Turns out, the Congolese winger had scored only seven goals in League One last season. But at 22 years old, he was fast and strong.

To put it bluntly, nothing special.

There were plenty of fast players in the British Isles.

The key detail was that Bolasie had British nationality, but no local household registration.

…

As the British media continued to stir the pot, Leeds United made another quiet move.

This time, the signing was Ryan Bertrand, a young left-back from Chelsea's youth system.

At 21 years old, Bertrand was a product of Chelsea's chaotic youth development setup.

He had been loaned to Bournemouth and Oldham in League One and had performed well. Later, he spent 18 months on loan at Championship side Norwich, where his development accelerated.

In the 2009-2010 season, he was loaned to Reading and played a key role, helping the team finish ninth in the Championship. He was a regular starter.

Last season, he was loaned to Nottingham Forest and again performed well. But after being recalled to Chelsea in the winter, he played just 33 minutes in the second half of the season. Even in the reserves, he was barely used, appearing just eight times.

Years of loan spells, followed by half a season wasted, left Bertrand with no chance at Chelsea. His market value had remained around £1 million.

Leeds United persuaded Chelsea to let him go, and the final transfer fee was £1 million.

With Ashley Cole, Zhirkov, and Dutch youngster Van Aanholt all ahead of Bertrand, Chelsea had no problem letting him leave.

After completing the Bertrand deal, Leeds United finally completed another long-awaited signing.

The club announced the arrival of 21-year-old French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton for £1.5 million.

The negotiations had dragged on for more than a month and were extremely difficult.

Southampton had just been promoted from League One to the Championship and had initially planned to keep Schneiderlin as a core piece. But after they sold their young star Chamberlain to Arsenal for £12.5 million, things changed.

Schneiderlin had joined Southampton with the belief that they could reach the Premier League. But in his first season, they were relegated to League One.

He had stayed loyal and worked hard over the past two years. However, the departure of midfield core Adam Lallana had left the team lacking creativity. They finished fourth in League One last season and barely scraped into the Championship via a playoff win over Huddersfield.

But as soon as they got promoted, they sold Chamberlain at a high price. The squad became unsettled.

More importantly, after selling Chamberlain, the Saints showed no ambition to strengthen their squad.

There had been rumors that Southampton wanted to buy Lallana back from Manchester City, but the midfielder was convinced by Gao Shen and joined Leeds United instead. This crushed Schneiderlin's confidence in Southampton's ambitions.

So when Leeds United made an offer, Schneiderlin was eager to leave. Everyone in football knew Leeds were serious contenders for promotion.

Southampton rejected several bids. In the end, Schneiderlin, through his agent, applied pressure on the Saints. After lengthy negotiations, the two clubs finally agreed on a £1.5 million fee.

This was significantly above his current market value of £1.15 million.

After landing Schneiderlin, Leeds United quickly announced another signing. They had acquired Belgian striker Christian Benteke from Standard Liège for €1 million.

The 20-year-old striker had been loaned to Mechelen last season as part of the deal that brought Cameroonian forward Alois Nong to Standard Liège. Benteke made 19 league appearances, logging 1,331 minutes and scoring four goals. His performance was average.

But Leeds United highly valued the transfer.

This deal had been negotiated personally by Gao Shen during a trip to Belgium.

Gao Shen had initially gone to Belgium to speak with Courtois and convince the goalkeeper to join Leeds United. While there, he also visited Standard Liège and successfully completed the Benteke signing.

€1 million was not a small fee for a striker who couldn't get playing time at Standard Liège.

…

As the new season's training camp drew near and more players joined the squad, Gao Shen could feel his confidence in Leeds United growing.

Especially as he engaged more directly in transfer negotiations, he began to gain new insights.

Take the striker position, for example.

Gao Shen had considered many forwards: Jay Rodriguez from Burnley, Carlos Bacca from Barranquilla in Colombia, Jackson Martínez from Pumas in Mexico, and Benteke from Standard Liège.

All met Leeds United's requirements and had decent individual quality.

Initially, Gao Shen was most interested in Jackson Martínez.

Why?

Because at 24, he was in his prime. He had great physical attributes and ability. If the team built its attack around him, he could quickly prove his value.

And when that time came, he could be sold for a profit.

But after dining with FA chairman Bernstein in London, Gao Shen realized that work permits were not easy to secure. Paulinho, as a Brazilian, was relatively straightforward.

But both Mané and Salah had problems. Even Bernstein could only promise to "do his best." Success wasn't guaranteed.

So signing Jackson Martínez would likely lead to work permit issues.

Martínez had joined the national team in 2009, but hadn't played since September 2010 due to ankle surgery. His international appearances were insufficient.

Bacca was even worse—he hadn't been called up at all.

Faced with this situation, Gao Shen had to choose between Jay Rodriguez and Benteke.

As for someone like Lucas Moura, who transferred to Chelsea this summer for £16 million, that was far beyond Leeds United's budget.

After discussions with Burnley, Gao Shen ultimately chose Benteke due to his lower price tag.

Benteke's current performance wasn't as good as Jay Rodriguez. Rodriguez had played a full Championship season and scored 14 goals. He was more proven at this level.

But Burnley's asking price was too high for Leeds.

Gao Shen had no choice but to compromise.

Fortunately, Benteke, while looking a bit clumsy, actually had solid footwork. His only flaw was his finishing...

(To be continued.)

Chapter 757: New Season Lineup and Transfers

Goalkeepers: Courtois, Navas.
Defenders: Woodgate, Maguire, Koulibaly, Kurzawa, Clyne, Trippier, Stones, Bellerin, Bertrand.
Midfielders: Jorginho, Kondogbia, Brozović, Pogba, Paulinho, Allan, Adam Lallana, Schneiderlin.
Forwards: Benteke, Icardi, Vardy, Mané, Salah, Harry Kane, Zaha, Bolasie.

…

This was the squad Gao Shen assembled for Sarri ahead of the new season.

Setting aside Bellerin, who would start in the reserves for now, and Stones, who would be used as a substitute, Gao Shen had brought in exactly 25 core first-team players.

But that alone wasn't enough. Leeds United still retained a number of players from last season.

For example, goalkeeper Sean Higgs, a 33-year-old veteran, would serve as the third-choice keeper as a precaution.

There were also center-backs Neil Collins and Patrick Kisnorbo, right-back Jason Crowe who once played for Arsenal, last season's main holding midfielder Andy Hughes, and another key player, Bradley Johnson, who had performed well.

Among them, Bradley Johnson's contract had expired. However, after Goldman Sachs acquired Leeds United, Fernando Lucas preferred to retain the local midfielder. As a result, Johnson stayed on and signed a new three-year deal, showing the club's confidence in the 24-year-old.

This also reflected the cautious approach of Gao Shen, Lucas, and Borrell in building the squad.

The Championship has 46 matches, plus the FA Cup and League Cup. Leeds United would be facing a heavy fixture load this season. If the squad consisted only of new signings, the risks would be even greater.

Therefore, the most practical approach was to make Woodgate the team captain to lead the dressing room, while keeping key veterans like Bradley Johnson to maintain team stability.

As for Jonathan Howson and the others, they had already been sold.

After a lengthy preparation period and nearly two months of work, Leeds United's transfer operations were finally complete.

…

At his house in Wetherby, just north of Leeds, Gao Shen had returned from inspecting the renovations at the Thorp Arch training ground and was now hosting the first high-level meeting of the club ahead of the new season.

The meeting was attended by a full roster of club leadership.

From owner Gao Shen and chairman Su Qing, to Lucas and other executives, along with Sarri, Ramis, Pimienta, and other coaches and youth academy staff, plus department heads from across the club. The large living room was packed.

The air conditioning was on and all the windows and doors were shut. Even if someone passed by, they wouldn't have guessed that the upper management of Leeds United was holding a secret strategy meeting here. It added a little cloak-and-dagger intrigue to the scene.

At the beginning of the meeting, Su Qing, as chairman and head of finance, reported on the summer transfer activity.

Leeds United had earned £25 million from player sales and spent £19 million on new signings.

This meant that Leeds United had a net profit of £6 million in the summer transfer window.

The reason the spending reached £19 million was largely due to signings like Courtois and Trippier from Manchester City. Originally, the £5 million for those players could have been paid in installments, but after some thought, Gao Shen decided to pay it in full.

It was simple. Manchester City had already done them a big favor by letting those players go. It wouldn't be right to still owe them money.

So far, the £6 million in profit had already been spent—on renovations and expansions to the training base, and upgrades to the stadium, including small kiosks, maintenance costs, and new equipment.

Since Gao Shen demanded the club operate to Premier League standards, pitch maintenance and related facilities had also been elevated to a higher level.

Naturally, the club had hired more staff, especially in support roles, which also increased the overall wage burden.

More importantly, Leeds United's previous kit sponsor was an online betting company. Gao Shen no longer wanted any association with gambling companies, so Fernando Lucas was now leading efforts to find new sponsorship globally.


Su Qing would soon be leading a team to seek sponsors.

For any football club, shirt sponsorship and chest advertising are two major sources of income.

Leeds United's current kit sponsor was the Italian sportswear brand Ma, headquartered in Bologna. The contract, signed from 2009 to 2012, provided just £2 million per year. While that was meager compared to Premier League giants, it was actually decent by Championship standards.

Next, the club would introduce sleeve sponsors, which were expected to bring in additional revenue annually.

In short, Leeds United would need to do everything possible to generate revenue in the future.

…

Su Qing's report made everyone in the room acutely aware of the challenges facing the club, but also of Gao Shen's commitment.

The current situation was indeed not great, but Gao Shen's investment was genuine.

For example, just building the new training complex had cost over £1 million.

The geothermal heating installation and pitch maintenance upgrades, as well as the hiring of professional turf staff, were all done to Premier League standards.

It might not seem like a huge deal on the surface, but the yearly maintenance costs and wages would definitely exceed those of the old regime.

That was their perspective. But for Gao Shen, the pressure wasn't that heavy.

Because aside from the initial acquisition, he hadn't actually spent much of his own money.

More importantly, Napoli had just earned another massive sum of money—thanks to the generous Middle Eastern investors at Paris Saint-Germain.

This made Gao Shen even more ambitious.

"Everyone, we don't have much time to prepare," he said, his voice sharp and commanding in the quiet living room.

"I truly appreciate you all for being here today. I believe everyone sees the challenges we're facing. But what I want to emphasize is that as a football club, our only challenge is the Championship!"

He turned to Sarri. "Maurizio, you've got a big responsibility!"

Gao Shen wasn't worried about Sarri's ability or the quality of the players.

But caution was still necessary.

Leeds United's biggest challenge this season wouldn't come from player quality, but from integration and the dressing room.

How to quickly blend more than 20 players from all over the world into a cohesive unit in just over a month would be a major test of Sarri's coaching abilities.

Managing the locker room dynamics would also be a challenge.

If Gao Shen were coaching, he'd have no worries—he could control the whole situation.

But with Sarri, there were some concerns.

Nonetheless, the manager's authority had to be firmly established.

That's why Su Qing, Fernando Lucas, Borrell, and others would officially escort Sarri into his role to demonstrate the club's backing and trust.

In short, he signed two or three players for every position and let them fight it out. Whoever performed better played, whoever didn't would be benched or rotated out. Simple as that.

The only exception was Pogba.

Over the past few weeks, Gao Shen had discussed team matters with Sarri and reviewed player footage together.

Gao Shen believed Woodgate would be the backbone of the defense. As long as he stayed healthy, his quality was unquestionable. His experience and ability would drive the development of the young defenders.

In goal, it would be Courtois. In midfield, Paulinho and Pogba would be key. Up front, Benteke would be the main striker.

There you have it. The central spine of the team.

As for whether Sarri wanted to play 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, or 4-4-2, that was his call. He could adapt based on opponents.

Gao Shen would not interfere in that.

What he wanted was progress.

Sarri had great confidence in Gao Shen's eye for talent, and he believed in the quality of Leeds United's players. After three years working under Gao Shen, he had also learned many techniques for managing a squad.

Now was the time to put those into practice.

Sarri raised his head and responded loudly, "Don't worry. Leave it to me!"

Gao Shen was very pleased with his confidence and desire. He saw the fire of ambition in the Italian's eyes, and that was a very good sign.

Outside of the first team, the youth setup was also undergoing a complete restructuring.

At the moment, there were only two squads: the reserves and the U18s.

Once the training complex was finished and other facilities at Thorp Arch were renovated, the youth system would expand. Recruitment would continue, focusing on bringing in age-appropriate talent from across Yorkshire.

Currently, Leeds United's scouts were mainly active in local regions. Steve Walsh's scouting department was still hiring and needed more time.

You could say Leeds United was still in a fragile rebuilding phase. But at the same time, it was full of life and energy.

At the very least, Gao Shen could confidently say that no other team in the Championship had done what Leeds United had this season.

Of course, this was partly because the club had been completely hollowed out. But wasn't that also a sign of bold, high-level ambition?

And finally, Gao Shen said that even though he no longer worked for Leeds United and was managing Manchester City, he would still fight alongside them.

"I believe now more than ever that with all of you and our players, Leeds United will absolutely make it to the Premier League!"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 758: Leeds United’s Tactics

Although Gao Shen had only been the club owner for two months, he already felt the burden deeply.

It was even more intense than what many people experienced in two years and completely overturned many of his previous impressions.

Perhaps this was the benefit of viewing things from a different perspective.

Compared to the chaos at Leeds United, managing Manchester City felt almost effortless and pleasant.

After all, he had invested a great deal of time and energy into the Blue Moon over the past two seasons. Now, he no longer needed to worry about much. His assistants and staff took care of everything.

For example, Brian Kidd handled communication with upper management. Carlo was in charge of training. Buenaventura and Pintus were responsible for the summer training camp. Even if Fernando Lucas and Borrell left, Lucas' right-hand man Carlos Vargas could immediately step in. There would be no disruption.

But Leeds United was clearly a different story. There were far too many problems to handle.

For instance, just two days after Gao Shen returned to Manchester from the senior management meeting in Leeds, Fernando Lucas came to him again.

Of course, he didn't do so on purpose. He also lived in Cheshire.

But he had run into a headache—a legacy issue from the club's past.

…

To talk about this legacy issue, one had to revisit the bleak days when Leeds United was on the brink of bankruptcy.

It was like a drowning man grasping at straws.

So, back then, club chairman Gerald Krasner came up with a plan that now seemed absurd: launch a 20-year season ticket package.

Yes, a full two decades.

In 2004, Leeds United truly did sell season tickets covering the next 20 years at very low prices, ranging from £3,000 to £5,500.

This was the equivalent of a buy-one-get-one-free deal—twenty years of tickets for the price of ten.

You couldn't make this up.

This issue had surfaced during due diligence, and while Gao Shen and the team were aware of it, they hadn't treated it as a pressing matter. But regardless of the size of the issue, it still had to be resolved.

These legacy packages would significantly disrupt Leeds United's current season ticket sales plan.

The main problem was the chaotic approach to ticket sales at the time.

"According to our current statistics, about five to six hundred of these 20-year tickets were sold," Lucas said, clearly troubled.

Since taking over the club, he'd been overwhelmed with urgent matters, and this ticketing issue had been delayed again and again. Now, as the club prepared to launch its season ticket campaign for the new season, it could no longer be avoided.

Five or six hundred tickets might not seem like much, but they represented hundreds of thousands of pounds—another major expense.

Gao Shen turned to Su Qing. "What do you think?"

Su Qing thought for a moment and replied, "We definitely need to buy them back. We can't leave that kind of agreement lingering. Twenty years is just too long."

Back then, Leeds United had reached the limit. It was likely that even if they had wanted to mortgage future ticket revenue to a bank, no bank would have accepted it. So, they resorted to that desperate scheme.

"Do we still have enough money now?" Gao Shen asked.

"We're okay," Su Qing said. She was in charge of the club's finances.

"Then buy them back at the original price." Gao Shen made a quick decision.

This meant forfeiting seven seasons' worth of ticket sales, but it would eliminate a lingering headache.

More importantly, those fans who had paid thousands of pounds in advance for two decades of tickets were the most die-hard supporters. At the time, Leeds had nothing left to sell.

If the club had gone bankrupt, those season tickets would have become worthless.

So, these loyal fans had to be retained and treated well. They were the club's true core assets.

"Understood. I'll ask Eddie Gray to help with it," Lucas said.

"How are the current season ticket sales going? I know they weren't great before. How's your plan progressing?" Gao Shen asked.

While Leeds United's attendance figures were solid, season ticket sales had long been underwhelming. This was directly tied to the mismanagement of ticket pricing over the years.

Simply put, the pricing system was a mess.

Why do fans buy season tickets?

Some say it's about loyalty. Others say it's to support the club. And those things matter. But the most fundamental reason is: it's cheaper.

Season tickets are wholesale. Individual tickets are retail.

But if ticketing is mismanaged, it's easy for the average price of single-match tickets to fall below that of season tickets. That hurts the trust of season ticket holders and causes people to stop renewing.

This is disastrous for a club.

Why?

Season ticket revenue is pre-paid. The club receives a large amount of money before the season begins, providing financial flexibility.

But now, with poor season ticket sales, everyone is waiting for single-match promotions. That's a big problem.

If this continues, Leeds United's match day revenue will collapse.

The club's previous management hadn't valued this at all. They expected fans to hand over money unconditionally and never thought about improving services or ensuring the club's long-term sustainability.

Ticket prices at Leeds United hadn't risen in over a decade.

That was almost a miracle.

Now, although the management had changed, many fans were still stuck in their old ways. They still hoped to buy individual match tickets on discount.

This created a vicious cycle. Season ticket sales declined, the club relied more on single-match tickets, fans waited for discounts, the club's situation worsened, and the discounts became deeper.

It was like that joke: "If I don't buy today, I might get 200 off tomorrow."

It was human nature, of course. But it was terrible for Leeds United's finances, and it had to be fixed.

"As we discussed earlier, our plan this time is to focus on developing local fans. So we plan to announce restrictions on individual match tickets, tighten pricing, and reorganize all sales channels," Lucas explained.

He understood the critical role of ticket sales for the club and was taking it seriously.

"But from a management perspective, this might backfire. Fans will be unhappy, and it could hurt our image and long-term development. So we'll be launching a promotional season ticket offer under the slogan of 'Promotion to the Premier League' to bring core fans back."

Gao Shen glanced at Su Qing, who smiled and nodded in agreement.

Clearly, she supported this plan.

"We'll promise all season ticket holders this season that prices will remain unchanged for three years. If the team is promoted to the Premier League, they'll get a refund of up to 50%, depending on ticket level."

"Refunded in cash?" Gao Shen raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not," Lucas laughed. "The refund can only be used to purchase next season's season tickets or match day goods."

Gao Shen couldn't help but smile. Just as he expected.

It was a simple strategy, but highly effective.

"The key is to convince fans we're serious about stabilizing individual ticket prices," Gao Shen reminded.

Only when fans believed that would they start considering season tickets as the better option.

Lucas nodded. "We're confident we can sell at least 20,000."

So far, only about 6,000 had been sold, but that was already the best in recent seasons.

With an average price of £350 per season ticket, selling 20,000 would generate £7 million in early revenue. Combine that with single-match ticket sales, and that's a significant cash injection.

What about that 50% refund?

They'd cross that bridge if they actually made it to the Premier League.

If that day came, no one would care about a few million pounds.

As long as the shirt sponsorship was secured, combined with jersey sponsorship, match day revenue, and their share of Championship broadcasting rights, Leeds United's funding issues this season would be resolved.

Of course, as for turning a profit in the Championship—that was a fantasy. Breaking even would already be a success.

Gao Shen had made massive investments across the board. Staff salaries had also gone up significantly.

On one hand, the era of inflated player salaries was over. Wages now were much lower than before. Even top earners like Pogba were paid less than Schmeichel had been.

But in the past, many Leeds players were on loan and had their wages covered by parent clubs. Now, all players belonged to Leeds United. Not a single one was on loan. This was extremely rare in the Championship.

Just this one change had greatly increased wage demands.

On the other hand, Gao Shen had hired many professional staff, driving up salary expenses further.

In short, Leeds United should forget about making money in the Championship.

If they didn't generate more revenue, they'd need even more investment.

That was why Gao Shen took the upcoming investment trip to China so seriously. If he had time, he'd personally go to support it.

His presence alone could attract massive attention.

Su Qing would take the lead this time. She had strong connections in China and had already begun preparations through her domestic network.

Right now, many Chinese brands aiming to go global still lacked international exposure. Leeds United wanted to offer them that chance. The UK market still held importance in Western business circles.

At the same time, Gao Shen reminded Fernando Lucas that while they traveled to China to attract investment, the team's training and preparation for the new season must not be affected.

He had met with Sarri's staff. They were excellent.

"Don't worry," Lucas reassured him. "Rudolph and I have already coordinated with Sarri. Everything's on track."

Gao Shen nodded.

Paris Saint-Germain's spending was more aggressive than in his previous life. The shockwaves they were sending were stronger. The consequences would be more severe.

That meant player prices and wages across Europe could spike even faster.

There was less and less time left for Leeds United.

If they couldn't adjust and stabilize during this transfer window, they might not survive the coming storm. And they didn't have the deep pockets to ride it out.

Su Qing and Lucas were both fully aware of the looming crisis.

Gao Shen glanced at Su Qing. There was a trace of apology in his eyes.

He had originally planned to get married this summer. But everything got too busy, and the plan had been shelved.

Su Qing, however, seemed perfectly at ease. She returned his gaze with a soft smile.

Everything was understood without needing to be said.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 759: Fans “Riot”

Gao Shen had clearly underestimated the passion of Leeds United fans.

When Fernando Lucas officially launched the 20-year ticket buyback plan, the vast majority of fans who held these packages were highly supportive. After speaking with Lucas, Eddie Gray, and others, they understood that the buyback was in the best long-term interest of the club and readily agreed.

Most of them stated on the spot that they would not take advantage of the club. They had already watched seven seasons' worth of matches, and the club only wanted to refund the remaining amount after deducting the corresponding value of the seasons used.

As for the few remaining fans, once they learned that the club was willing to refund the full original price, they too agreed immediately.

In the end, the entire process went exceptionally smoothly.

Thinking about it, it was not all that surprising. Back in 2004, these people were willing to spend thousands of pounds to support Leeds United, claiming it was for 20 years of season tickets. But everyone knew full well the money could go to waste at any moment.

These fans shared one thing in common: they were from well-off families, had financial freedom, and above all, were extremely loyal to Leeds United.

Fernando Lucas handled the matter admirably. He distributed generous gifts and took meticulous care to ensure every loyal fan felt the warmth and sincerity of the new club leadership—something they never felt under the previous regime.

At the same time, Lucas quickly invited all major fan organizations and local media to Elland Road to express the club's gratitude to these loyal fans and to announce its new major ticketing policy.

These five to six hundred die-hard fans had been generous to the club, and now the club would return the favor.

Leeds United promised that for the next three years, even if they were promoted to the Premier League, ticket prices would not increase.

This was undoubtedly a rare gesture of goodwill.

Why?

The current average price for a Leeds United season ticket was £349. If this price held into the Premier League, it would rank among the lowest.

Just look—after promotion to the Premier League this season, Norwich immediately raised their season ticket price to £471. Swansea went up to £427. Queens Park Rangers raised theirs by 10%, reaching £499.

If Leeds United did succeed in promotion, this pricing promise alone would hugely benefit the fans.

Even if they failed to get promoted and remained in the Championship, their pricing would still only be considered mid-range.

But Leeds United didn't stop there.

Lucas also announced the launch of a special rewards program for season ticket holders. If the club won promotion to the Premier League this season, every season ticket holder would receive a refund of up to 50% of their ticket cost.

Of course, this refund could only be used toward next season's season ticket or stadium purchases.

This announcement once again stunned the media and fan organization representatives present.

Though specific details were still pending, they could already sense the bold and decisive leadership of the new board.

A three-year price freeze was already a bold move. Now they were offering refunds?

Even with conditions, it was still impressive.

At this point, why would anyone bother waiting around for discounted single-match tickets?

Fan representatives reacted with overwhelming enthusiasm. They began asking detailed questions about pricing tiers, refund percentages, and more.

In fact, the club had meticulously planned all of this.

For example, season tickets would be divided into three tiers: A, B, and C. Tier A had the highest price but also the highest refund percentage, especially since the number of tickets in that tier was limited. Conversely, Tier C had the largest quantity but a refund cap of just 30%.

Still, it was more than attractive enough.

In England, attending football matches was a necessity for many, and fans had been putting up with expensive tickets for years.

Take Manchester United for example. Since the Glazer family took over, the price for both season and single-match tickets had been nearly the same. It was absurd.

But could anyone resist?

Manchester United still sold 50,000 season tickets annually, pulling in nearly £30 million.

Leeds United, on the other hand, not only froze prices but offered rebates after promotion. That was true generosity.

Following coverage and analysis by the Yorkshire Post, a storm of season ticket sales swept across the region.

Over 2,000 season tickets were sold on the first day. As word spread and excitement grew, more fans joined in. At its peak, 5,000 tickets were sold in one day.

Half a month later, as more and more fans caught on, they discovered something shocking—Leeds United's season tickets had sold out.

Elland Road, with a maximum capacity of 39,000, had sold 25,000 season tickets—far exceeding the expectations of Lucas and his team.

They scrambled to release an additional 5,000 tickets, and they sold out too. In total, 30,000 season tickets were sold.

The remaining 9,000 or so tickets could not be sold. They had to be reserved for away fans, flex seating, and those who preferred to buy individual match tickets.

Thirty thousand season tickets brought in more than £10 million in revenue, which astonished everyone.

But the most dissatisfied were Leeds United fans themselves, complaining that the stadium's capacity was too small to meet demand.

Fans called the club and wrote letters to newspapers, urging the club to increase the number of season tickets available and to place stadium expansion at the top of the agenda to meet growing demand.

How could 39,000 seats be enough for nearly 800,000 residents of Leeds?

Not to mention, Leeds United was the only Premier League-caliber club in all of Yorkshire.

Under pressure from fans and media, Leeds United responded publicly, confirming that season tickets were indeed sold out. As for stadium expansion, that was a more complex issue.

As early as the start of the century, Leeds United had considered expanding the stadium.

Elland Road had already undergone multiple renovations. Otherwise, it wouldn't have reached its current capacity of nearly 40,000.

But the stadium was originally built in 1897. That's right—over a century ago.

So now the question was: should Leeds United continue expanding and patching up Elland Road, or should they bite the bullet and build a new stadium from scratch?

This was a debate worth exploring.

Gao Shen and his management team were being very cautious. The club currently lacked the financial capacity to make that kind of move. They would revisit the issue at the appropriate time in the future.

To put it simply: if they had money, they'd rebuild. If not, they'd renovate.

But fans weren't happy.

If you don't act quickly, how are we supposed to buy tickets?

No money? Then sell more tickets to raise it! Expand the stands first!

All the club could do was offer an apologetic smile.

This quickly became an amusing story throughout British and even European football.

While most lower-league clubs were racking their brains trying to sell tickets, Leeds United had to limit supply—and even triggered a fan "riot."

Other clubs quickly followed suit, launching similar reward schemes in an attempt to stimulate sales. But none achieved the success of Leeds United.

First, Leeds had a massive and loyal fan base. Second, the club had done a great deal of preparation before announcing its policy. Third, the team's transfer activity had shown real ambition to push for promotion.

If a smaller, struggling club suddenly claimed it was aiming for the Premier League, who would believe it?

…

When Gao Shen heard about the ticket sales, he was leading Manchester City's preseason training in the United States.

He was very pleased with the result, which further boosted his confidence in Leeds United's future.

If nothing else, these fans alone were worth every bit of effort.

Meanwhile, Su Qing and Fernando Lucas were making smooth progress with investment efforts in China.

In recent years, many Chinese brands had looked to expand overseas and had shown strong interest in sports sponsorship—particularly in sectors like home appliances, solar energy, communications, and personal electronics.

Su Qing and her team were actively in talks with companies in those industries and were making good headway.

Of course, expectations regarding the sponsorship fee should be modest.

Knowing that things were going well at Leeds United, Gao Shen could focus more on Manchester City.

This time, Manchester City was in North America for preseason, invited to take part in the World Football Challenge, the predecessor to the International Champions Cup.

This was the second edition.

It was a money-making tournament. Appearance fees were generous and highly attractive. All participating teams were giants from major leagues: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Juventus, and Manchester City.

For City, the trip was part of their plan to develop the North American market.

Although the club had only sold players and not made any major signings this summer, there was still a long way to go before achieving full financial health.

With Paris Saint-Germain's sudden rise, Bayern Munich chairman and UEFA Club Association president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge publicly called on UEFA to launch a financial investigation into all clubs, particularly focusing on Manchester City and PSG.

Clearly, the traditional giants had begun to feel threatened by the Middle Eastern billionaires.

And that threat would only grow.

Who could blame them? PSG could spend over €200 million in a single summer without even flinching. That was terrifying.

Not even Bayern or Real Madrid could do that.

It went far beyond the scope of a traditional football club.

Under Gao Shen's leadership, Manchester City had become Champions League winners in just two years. Rumors were swirling that PSG also wanted to bring Gao Shen on board. If he joined them and won titles there too?

European football would be turned on its head.

That's why UEFA wanted to audit their finances and investigate any financial tricks used to bypass Financial Fair Play regulations. Their goal was to maintain a level playing field.

But everyone knew it was wishful thinking.

Especially Gao Shen. He knew better than anyone that this was just the beginning.

PSG was a super-rich club capable of triggering Neymar's €222 million buyout clause. More and more billionaires would enter the football world in the coming years.

This trend could not be stopped.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 760: The Best in European Football

On the evening of July 16th, at AT&T Field in Los Angeles, USA.

Manchester City played their first warm-up match of their U.S. training camp, facing Mexico's Club América.

Coincidentally, Gao Shen had previously considered signing Jackson Martínez from Club América, and now he finally had a chance to observe him up close.

As soon as the match started, Manchester City took control and opened the scoring in the 12th minute.

Then, in the 16th and 27th minutes, they scored two more goals in quick succession.

After halftime, City made a series of substitutions, and Yaya Touré added another goal.

In the end, Manchester City defeated Club América 4-0.

…

On the evening of July 19th, at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, Canada.

Manchester City's second opponent was the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Fifteen minutes into the match, Van Persie scored City's first goal with a solo effort.

But in the 30th minute, Vancouver managed to equalize.

In the 39th minute, Leighton Baines and Eden Hazard combined on the left. After a series of slick passes, Van Persie struck again to give City the lead.

In the second half, City added two more goals in the 68th and 84th minutes.

Manchester City won 4-1 and recorded back-to-back victories.

…

On the evening of July 24th, at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles.

Their third opponent was LA Galaxy.

Notably, Gao Shen's former player, David Beckham, started for the Galaxy.

From the start, Manchester City launched a flurry of attacks, scoring twice in the 12th and 20th minutes.

In the 29th minute, Sturridge added a third goal.

In the second half, Beckham delivered a free kick assist for a Galaxy consolation goal.

Final score: Manchester City 3, LA Galaxy 1.

…

Manchester City's three consecutive victories in North America left fans and media stunned.

This wasn't normal at all!

After all, Gao Shen had always been known for his wild experimentation in preseason matches. He rarely stuck to conventional tactics and often fielded experimental lineups, leading to historically poor preseason results.

But this time, Manchester City's performances were extraordinary.

Not only did they win all three matches, they clinched the tournament title, finishing above Real Madrid and Manchester United with 11 goals scored and only 2 conceded.

…

After completing the World Football Challenge, Manchester City flew from Los Angeles to Dublin, Ireland to participate in the inaugural Dublin Super Cup.

The tournament was organized by a sports branch of the media company Endemol in cooperation with the Irish Football Association, with hopes of turning it into a traditional summer event like the Amsterdam Tournament or the Emirates Cup.

The inaugural edition featured Manchester City, Inter Milan, Celtic, and an Irish Premier League All-Star Team.

City's first match was against the Irish All-Stars.

Due to the long journey from the U.S. to Ireland, the team arrived fatigued and had only a short rest before playing, which led to a sluggish first half.

However, in the second half, City made adjustments and began to dominate.

Goals came in the 50th, 59th, 75th, and 83rd minutes.

Final score: Manchester City 4, Irish All-Stars 0.

…

The challenge of this tournament was that matches were held two days apart.

The next day, City faced their biggest opponent—Inter Milan.

Just 67 seconds into the match, Leighton Baines cut inside from the left and crossed. David Silva got past his marker and shot low with his left foot. The shot was slightly off target, but Van Persie tapped it in past Julio César.

1-0!

City continued pressing while Inter sat back defensively.

In the 18th minute, Yaya Touré delivered a long pass. Baines crossed from the left again, and Suárez tapped in from close range.

2-0!

Yes, in this match, Gao Shen used a dual-striker setup with Van Persie and Suárez paired up front.

Before the break, Van Persie nearly added a third with a powerful header.

Then, just 32 seconds into the second half, Stanković misplaced a pass in the back line. David Silva immediately played a through ball, and Suárez finished clinically.

3-0!

Near the end, Hazard dribbled past several defenders on the left and squared the ball to the far post, where Robinho calmly slotted it home.

4-0!

Manchester City convincingly defeated Inter Milan to win the Dublin Super Cup.

…

While Manchester City were flying back from Ireland, the European football world was already buzzing about their preseason dominance.

The surprise wasn't that City had this level of ability. It was that the style of play was completely unlike Gao Shen's usual preseason approach.

For the past few years, whether at Napoli or Manchester City, Gao Shen had never taken preseason matches seriously, which led to poor results.

Some fans even joked that his preseason record looked like that of an amateur team.

And honestly, they weren't wrong.

But now, City had won five straight preseason matches. It was unbelievable.

Did this really look like a team managed by Gao Shen?

More importantly, the performances were convincing. The team attacked with fluidity and intensity.

When they landed back at Manchester Airport, reporters swarmed Gao Shen to ask about it.

Even he admitted he was surprised by how good the team looked this summer.

"This proves we're in a great place and at the right stage."

He wasn't wrong.

Fierce internal competition had pushed the players to work harder than ever.

Everyone wanted to seize the preseason opportunity and fight for a starting spot.

Many players, including Yaya Touré, had already begun personal training before the preseason camp and worked even harder during the sessions.

With that kind of dedication, how could they not play well?

The same was true for Van Persie, Suárez, Sturridge, and Giroud. The competition was intense.

Gao Shen understood the situation perfectly.

And he welcomed it. He was happy to use competition to push players to greater heights.

To be blunt, with City's current squad, there were very few teams in Europe that could match them. Even Inter Milan were clearly inferior overall.

In truth, Gao Shen had been having fun this summer.

He experimented freely with formations—4-4-2, 4-3-3, 3-5-2, even 3-3-1-3.

But perhaps because the players now understood his tactical philosophy more deeply and had developed better chemistry, no matter how Gao Shen adjusted things, they adapted quickly and played comfortably.

Even if something didn't feel right at first, they would adjust quickly.

Tactical execution became second nature.

…

August was approaching fast.

The European summer transfer window was entering its final stage.

Although most of the spotlight had been stolen by the wealthy Paris Saint-Germain, Premier League teams were still spending well.

Manchester United brought in Phil Jones, Ashley Young, and David de Gea. These three cost the Red Devils over £50 million—funds that Ferguson had fought hard to secure from the board.

After years of missing out on the top four, Arsenal finally reacted this summer by signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mertesacker, André Santos, Arteta, and more. However, the departure of captain Fàbregas to Barcelona for £25.5 million was a huge blow to their midfield.

The Gunners sell their captain every year. It had become a sad tradition.

All of this was part of their long-term stadium construction plan.

Villas-Boas, once Mourinho's assistant, returned to Chelsea this summer as head coach after achieving great success with Porto.

He had gone from an assistant to the boss, and the difference in status was massive. Still, his signings—including Lukaku, Juan Mata, and Romeu—were important additions.

From the moment he arrived, he made it clear he would lead a youth movement and appeared to challenge veteran locker-room leaders like Drogba, Lampard, and Terry.

Sometimes, Gao Shen couldn't help but sigh—character determines fate.

Villas-Boas was young and impulsive. Targeting senior players right away was asking for trouble.

It was like a new department manager walking into a company, doing nothing at first, and immediately starting fires. It could only end badly.

Even with all the top teams spending, the Premier League's overall investment wasn't as high as expected.

Take Tottenham, for example. They only signed Brad Friedel on a free and bought Scott Parker for £5.5 million. At the same time, they sold Jamie O'Hara for £3.5 million, Wilson Palacios for £8 million, and Robbie Keane for £3.3 million.

Tottenham actually turned a profit in the transfer window.

Clubs like Everton were just as frugal as always. Not only did they not buy, they sold players and made money.

So when the media finally compiled the Premier League's transfer stats, they were stunned.

Leeds United, a Championship team, ranked fifth with £19 million spent—only behind Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool.

Even more surprising, Leeds United brought in over 20 players—the most in European football.

It shocked everyone.

Of course, this stat only covered transfer spending. In terms of net spend, Leeds United was one of the few teams to make a profit.

Jonathan Howson alone brought in £10 million.

Queens Park Rangers signed six players for a total of just over £16 million.

Because they spent big on Jonathan Howson, other signings like Shaun Wright-Phillips were abandoned.

Gao Shen couldn't help but wonder what kind of face Mark Hughes would be making now.

Or maybe, was he regretting it?

(To be continued.)