SWR: Chapter 754/755

Chapter 754: Jazz Opens a Blind Box

"I guessed long ago that you'd treat me to a meal."

At the same restaurant in Old Eyridge where Gao Shen had previously invited Ferguson, he once again met the former Manchester United manager.

Ferguson appeared to be in high spirits, showing no signs of disappointment or defeat.

Manchester United had ended the season empty-handed.

"How did you guess that?" Gao Shen asked bluntly.

Ferguson chuckled, as if watching the Monkey King perform a somersault. "I figured it out from the start. Your tricks are nothing new."

He said it with full confidence.

"Keep boasting," Gao Shen scoffed, refusing to believe him.

"That Guardian reporter outside Old Trafford, is he your friend?" Ferguson suddenly changed the subject.

Gao Shen shook his head. "I don't know him."

He spoke sincerely and confidently, because it was the truth. He really didn't know the guy and hadn't arranged anything.

"If he's not your friend, then he's at least connected to you." Ferguson didn't care. To him, that was still Gao Shen's man.

In fact, Gao Shen taking the initiative to invite him to dinner was proof enough.

It was all part of the same operation.

These kinds of things happened frequently in the football world.

Ferguson had fallen for them before—sometimes willingly, as a strategic exchange of benefits. Other times, he was just unlucky and learned a lesson.

"Honestly, I think the one who regrets it the most now is Ken Bates." Ferguson couldn't help but laugh. "That old guy has spent his whole life scheming against others, as crafty as a fox, but in the end, he got played by you."

"Stop!" Gao Shen quickly waved him off. "I didn't set up Ken Bates."

"So, you're admitting you schemed against Queens Park Rangers?"

"I didn't. Don't accuse me falsely."

"Sometimes, I really wonder what's going on in the heads of these rich people. Why do they think they can handle an industry they know nothing about?" Ferguson genuinely couldn't understand.

Take Tony Fernandes, for example.

There was nothing wrong with investing in Queens Park Rangers. The acquisition price was high, and the Italians made a good profit. Fair enough—they're now a newly promoted Premier League team with significantly increased value.

But the problem started after the takeover. He let a Datuk's son run the club, and then passed it to his Indian son-in-law. Did he really think nothing would go wrong?

Recruitment and spending should follow basic principles.

There were plenty of cases in European football where people jumped in blindly and lost everything.

Why were they all so confident?

Gao Shen couldn't understand it either. In the coming years, a lot of wealthy Chinese investors would also enter the football scene abroad.

Maybe what the rich see isn't the loss from running the club but something else entirely.

Who knows?

Either way, Gao Shen himself didn't have any money left.

"This time, you made 10 million pounds selling Jonathan Howson, and it only cost you 15 million to buy Leeds United..."

"It was 30 million," Gao Shen corrected him.

"Alright, 30 million then. Still worth it, right?"

Gao Shen smiled but didn't object.

In a sense, it was worth it.

But the problem was, he and Fernando Lucas had worked hard for months just to sell Jonathan Howson for a high price of 10 million pounds. That couldn't be considered easy by any standard.

Besides, Jonathan Howson had performed exceptionally well in the Championship last season. Otherwise, clubs like Queens Park Rangers and Norwich wouldn't have offered that kind of money.

It was just like Kasper Schmeichel. He'd been well-known for years, but even now, when Gao Shen made an offer to Tottenham, they had to carefully evaluate and consider it. Was that easy?

Still, Ferguson had a point. The key was that Queens Park Rangers had an owner who was easily taken advantage of.

"To be honest, I really don't understand your transfer moves this year," Ferguson raised his head and looked at Gao Shen.

"What's so hard to understand?" Gao Shen didn't believe him.

Ferguson smiled. "I don't understand why you're specifically targeting relegated teams to poach players."

"Cheap and cost-effective," Gao Shen explained.

Many players have relegation clauses in their contracts.

Generally speaking, when a team gets relegated, their revenue drops sharply. They have to sell players to raise funds.

So Gao Shen was right—it really was cheap and effective to buy from relegated teams.

But the key was being able to find real talent, like Gao Shen did.

"Then how can you be sure they'll succeed?" Ferguson asked.

Gao Shen shook his head. "I'm not sure. For example, I think Paulinho is pretty good, but his price was still high—1.5 million euros. I still feel it was a bit much."

"The Brazilian midfielder?"

Gao Shen nodded.

"Is he that good?"

"Let's open a blind box," Gao Shen said with a smile. "You give me Lingard, and in two years, I'll sell him back to you for 20 million pounds. Deal?"

Ferguson was stunned.

He knew Gao Shen well enough to know the man never did anything without a reason.

Was that Brazilian midfielder really that good?

But soon, Ferguson let out a long sigh.

He believed Gao Shen—but it was no longer up to him.

At Manchester United, his power was being weakened.

Part of it was performance-related. Part of it was age.

Everyone knew Ferguson was nearly 70 years old. How much longer could he stay in charge?

"You don't look like a good person. I'm not falling for your trick!" Ferguson laughed.

But deep down, he felt conflicted.

Had this been years ago, he would've agreed on the spot—and even forced Gao Shen to sign an agreement.

Why?

Because the players Gao Shen truly believed in were rarely duds.

…

As the two ate, the conversation naturally shifted to Leeds United.

The outside world didn't have a high opinion of Leeds United's transfer operations. Even after selling Jonathan Howson for a high price, the club's situation seemed even more concerning.

After all, the higher the player's value, the bigger his role and impact on the team. Not to mention Howson was a national team player.

More importantly, Gao Shen seemed to be specifically targeting relegated teams, which looked a bit outrageous.

Gao Shen claimed it was just a coincidence.

"Just wait and see. There's more to come," Gao Shen said, feeling helpless.

He hadn't planned for it—it was all just coincidence. What could he do?

"What else? Are you seriously raiding relegated teams from every country?" Ferguson also found it hard to believe.

But Gao Shen could only shrug helplessly. He hadn't meant to.

The Championship was different from the Premier League.

The Premier League had 20 teams and 38 rounds. The Championship had 24 teams and 46 rounds. Add in the League Cup and FA Cup, and Championship teams played more matches.

This gave Leeds United more flexibility in terms of squad depth.

Ferguson also brought some good news—Manchester United had agreed to Leeds United's offer for Paul Pogba.

Pogba was talented and had potential, but his value wasn't high—just one million pounds.

Mainly because his contract only had one year left, and Manchester United couldn't promise him a starting role. As a result, Pogba didn't want to renew, and United was willing to sell.

Two years ago, they had brought Pogba from Le Havre for a compensation of 87,000 pounds. Selling him now for a million meant nearly a million in profit. Why not?

"Thanks!" Gao Shen lifted his glass of boiled water and clinked it with Ferguson's wine glass.

Sir Alex still kept his word.

Of course, under the current circumstances, this deal wasn't a loss for Manchester United either.

After all, the Red Devils had never truly focused on developing young players. With the Premier League growing increasingly competitive, it had become even harder to nurture youth talent.

"You need to convince him to join Leeds United. But I believe if you handle it, it'll work out. I really hope to see him play well and maybe return to Manchester United one day," Ferguson said hopefully.

That was likely his personal wish.

After all, he'd gone to France himself to persuade Pogba's family. Naturally, he hoped the young Frenchman would succeed.

"Don't worry," Gao Shen nodded.

"Well, ten million pounds, barely warmed my hand and now it's gone," he muttered.

Ferguson burst out laughing at Gao Shen's grumbling. "You specialize in raiding relegated teams. What are you spending so much on?"

"Sir, you don't know how expensive things are until you manage a household. It cost me two to three million pounds just to renovate the training ground. You've never seen such a terrible facility. No geothermal heating—can you believe that? A northern English club without geothermal heating?"

Ferguson perked up at the complaints.

"That place wasn't even Leeds United's original base. They just planned to stay temporarily. Who knew..."

Yeah, a temporary arrangement ended up becoming permanent.

"Two days ago, we did a full assessment of Elland Road and planned some minor renovations—small kiosks and stalls to improve match-day revenue. Guess what? The budget submitted was over a million pounds."

Ferguson was even more entertained, drinking two more glasses of wine.

Running a football club really was like that—money had to be spent everywhere.

Not just ten million, even thirty or fifty million could vanish in no time if you weren't careful with your budget.

That's why so many rich people who jumped into European football ended up getting scammed, embarrassed, and forced to exit, spreading the idea that football clubs weren't profitable.

But was that really the case?

If they weren't profitable, why would so many people keep coming?

Professional football was an industry. Like any other, it had its own rules and barriers to entry. Some made money, some lost.

So far, Gao Shen hadn't made any real money—but he hadn't lost any either. And as long as the club operated steadily, got promoted to the Premier League, and avoided relegation, his current investment would be more than worth it.

He had this confidence from the moment he decided to acquire Leeds United!

(To be continued.)

Chapter 755: I Am a Professional at Picking Up Bargains

After selling Jonathan Howson, Leeds United seemed to have opened the doors to a supermarket, and things quickly spiraled out of control.

Newly promoted Premier League side Swansea soon announced the signing of Argentine striker Luciano Becchio from Leeds United for £3 million. The 27-year-old striker had made 41 appearances in the Championship last season, scoring 20 goals and providing 9 assists.

Purely in terms of statistics, Becchio's numbers were slightly behind Watford's Danny Graham, who scored 24 goals and provided 8 assists, making him the best striker in the Championship last season.

However, Graham played 3,909 minutes, while Becchio played under 3,000 minutes.

From an efficiency standpoint, Becchio was actually better.

In the end, the Argentine striker who once trained at Barcelona's La Masia made a successful move to Premier League side Swansea.

Compared to Jonathan Howson's transfer, this time Leeds United and Becchio parted on good terms, and both sides expressed well wishes for each other.

Soon after, Leeds United also announced the sale of striker Ross McCormack to Premier League side Aston Villa for £2.5 million. Villa's Scottish manager McRush had a very high opinion of the Scottish international.

Another Scottish international, Snodgrass, moved to newly promoted Premier League side Norwich City for £3 million.

Last season's second-highest scorer, 23-year-old Ivorian winger Marcos Gallardel, joined Ligue 1 club Saint-Étienne for £2.5 million.

These players were all among Leeds United's top performers last season and were currently the most valuable assets in the squad.

After the club failed to secure promotion to the Premier League, they all requested to leave.

Among them, Gallardel was already in contact with Ligue 1 clubs immediately after the season ended. He was eager to leave.

Leeds United fans were disappointed, but there was nothing they could do.

Failing to gain promotion to the Premier League was a major blow for any team.

What really surprised Gao Shen and Fernando Lucas was Schmeichel.

The goalkeeper, who had performed impressively in the Championship last season, attracted interest from Leicester City, Norwich, and Tottenham Hotspur. Of those, Spurs were the most attractive to Schmeichel, and the Danish keeper also hoped to move to North London.

Tottenham had contacted Leeds United early on. The Whites were not opposed to selling Schmeichel. Especially after signing Navas from Albacete, a team relegated from Spain's Segunda División, it became clear that Leeds were ready to let Schmeichel go.

However, the North London club rejected Leeds United's demand of Harry Kane plus £1 million.

Harry Kane, a highly rated young striker at Tottenham, was just eighteen years old but already an England youth international. He had shown flashes of talent during his loan spell at third-tier Leyton Orient last season.

Tottenham felt Leeds United's asking price was too high.

Tottenham, with their squad already packed, had no place for Harry Kane. They preferred to loan him out. So they offered £1.5 million for Schmeichel and proposed loaning Kane to Leeds for two years, with Spurs covering his full wages.

Leeds United firmly rejected this offer.

As a result, talks between the two sides stalled.

Soon after, Leicester City, recently acquired by Thai tycoon Vichai, joined the race and directly offered £2 million for Schmeichel, which was clearly more competitive than Tottenham's offer.

At this point, Fernando Lucas demonstrated his negotiation skills. On one hand, he held Leicester's interest steady. On the other, he personally went to London and spent two days negotiating with Tottenham Hotspur CEO Daniel Levy.

Though they ultimately didn't reach a deal, Lucas shifted the discussion toward signing Harry Kane.

In the end, Schmeichel joined Leicester City for a transfer fee of £2 million.

Meanwhile, Leeds United signed Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur for £1 million.

Although Harry Kane was a Tottenham fan, he recognized that he would not get first-team minutes in the near future and was likely to be loaned out again. After considering the situation carefully, and under Lucas' persuasion, he agreed to join Leeds United.

With this, Leicester got Schmeichel, Tottenham received £1 million, and Leeds ended up with Harry Kane for £1 million. All three parties walked away satisfied.

…

Leeds United sold five players and earned £12 million in transfer fees.

Adding Jonathan Howson's £10 million, the club's total transfer revenue reached £22 million.

This drew attention from both the media and Leeds United fans.

They were growing increasingly concerned. With nearly all of the club's top players sold, would Leeds United remain competitive in the upcoming season?

Some even began to suspect that the ownership was preparing to cash out.

But soon after, Leeds United made a blockbuster announcement: they had signed French midfielder Paul Pogba from Manchester United for £1 million.

This was unquestionably a headline-making signing in the Championship.

The key point was that Pogba was a highly regarded young talent, already well known in both British and European football circles.

Manchester United had even been sued by Le Havre over his transfer, and at one point faced a potential transfer ban similar to Chelsea. Now, selling him to Leeds United for £1 million was undoubtedly a bargain.

Although Pogba came from a rival club, Leeds United fans were still excited.

Reports suggested that the deal was personally facilitated by Gao Shen, who had met with Pogba in Manchester and persuaded the young Frenchman to join. He even promised to build the team's midfield around him.

"Gao Shen promised that if the team didn't get promoted within two years, Pogba would be allowed to leave on a free transfer!"

This news shocked Leeds United supporters.

The Yorkshire Post and other media outlets expressed amazement at the club's ambition and praised Gao Shen's involvement.

Everyone knew Gao Shen was an expert at discovering young talent. The fact that he brought Pogba to Leeds gave fans a boost of confidence.

But Leeds United fans were quickly left speechless again.

Because the club soon announced the signing of midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia from relegated Ligue 1 side Lens for 500,000 euros.

The 18-year-old French midfielder, who also holds Central African citizenship, made just three appearances for Lens last season. His performances were average, yet Leeds paid 500,000 euros.

This reminded everyone that Leeds United had become a professional bargain-hunting club targeting relegated teams.

Coincidentally, from the youth academy of Monaco—another relegated Ligue 1 club—Leeds United signed left-back Layvin Kurzawa, who holds dual French and Polish citizenship, also for 500,000 euros.

Monaco was nearing bankruptcy and lacked the financial backing that would come later after being acquired by Russian investors. They had no choice but to accept Leeds' offer. Besides, they still received a respectable fee of 500,000 euros.

Kurzawa had made five Ligue 1 appearances last season, with an average performance.

This further solidified Leeds United's reputation as scavengers of relegated teams.

Even the Yorkshire Post could no longer hold back and publicly called on the club to show more ambition.

Surprisingly, Leeds United responded to the public and media pressure.

The club announced the signing of Kalidou Koulibaly from Ligue 2 side Metz for 700,000 euros.

The 20-year-old center back, who holds both Senegalese and French citizenship, made 19 appearances in Ligue 2 last season. From March onwards, he became a regular starter and showed promising form.

This justified Leeds United spending a relatively high transfer fee of 700,000 euros on him.

More importantly, this time they weren't buying from a relegated club.

Although Metz ranked 17th in Ligue 2, just one point above the relegation zone, so it wasn't much of an improvement.

At the same time, Leeds United announced the successful double signing of right-back Nathaniel Clyne and winger Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace, who finished 20th in the Championship last season, for a total of £2 million.

The 20-year-old Clyne made 46 appearances in the Championship, contributing three assists. He had no goals, but his performance was solid.

Zaha made 41 appearances last season, scoring once and providing five assists. He also showed good potential.

This £2 million deal was a timely injection of funds for Crystal Palace, who had narrowly avoided relegation.

…

While Leeds United continued along the path of professional bargain-hunting, the summer transfer window across Europe was rocked by Paris Saint-Germain's sudden and aggressive spending.

The French club began by signing Argentine midfielder Javier Pastore from Napoli for a staggering 50 million euros.

Pastore was one of Serie A's most creative young stars last season. Touted as the next Kaka, he had attracted interest from several top European clubs.

Not stopping there, the ambitious PSG went on to sign Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani for 80 million euros, and Napoli center-back Medhi Benatia for 40 million euros.

In just three deals, PSG purchased the entire central spine of Napoli's team, spending a total of 170 million euros and causing a massive shock across European football.

Everyone was stunned by PSG's spending power.

Who would've thought that a Middle Eastern tycoon would splash the cash so freely?

Juventus, in the midst of their rebuild, responded by signing Italian center-back Leonardo Bonucci from Napoli for 35 million euros.

Bayern Munich signed Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal from Napoli for a record 40 million euros.

These two transfers alone brought in 75 million euros for Napoli.

Adding PSG's deals, Napoli earned nearly 250 million euros in one summer, establishing themselves as the ultimate "black market" team.

De Laurentiis was thrilled counting the money. Even he hadn't expected the Middle Eastern tycoon to be so generous. No bargaining, just upfront payments, and on top of that, PSG offered very high salaries to the players.

He might never meet another buyer like this again. If he didn't squeeze him now, when would he?

But every time he thought about giving 20 percent of the profits to Gao Shen, he felt frustrated.

It was all that damn Marino's fault. Why did he ever sign such a clause in the contract?

At this point, besides Gao Shen, no one else could foresee that this summer's transfers would completely reshape European football.

(To be continued.)