SWR: Chapter 728/729

Chapter 728: Signed
There's a saying among Chinese students studying in the UK: "Outside of London, everything's a village."

And there's quite a bit of truth to that.

If you're used to the big and medium-sized cities in China, you'll find that Leeds looks rather rural in comparison.

There's no subway here, so people either take the bus or walk.

Interestingly, the city isn't that big. You could ride a bicycle and loop around it pretty quickly.

What's more surprising is that the per capita income here isn't low at all.

In recent years, Leeds has developed rapidly. It's become the UK's second-largest financial and legal center, the third-largest city, the fourth-largest metropolitan area, and it has the lowest unemployment rate and the fastest population growth.

Even knowing all this, every time Gao Shen came to Leeds, it still felt rural to him.

…

Elland Road Stadium is located between two large overpasses in the southwest of Leeds, making transportation fairly convenient.

To the west and north of the stadium lies a large patch of wasteland.

This was once the Prerton Park training center used by the original Leeds United, but it was abandoned at the start of the century.

Reportedly, the initial plan was to expand Elland Road. At the time, there were proposals to build a hotel and the largest shopping mall in Leeds on this land. It caused quite a stir back then because while Leeds had strong spending power, it lacked a large shopping center.

But everyone knows what happened later—Leeds United went bankrupt.

The land was left undeveloped and now serves as a temporary parking lot.

However, it rains often in England, turning the area into a muddy mess. Even as a parking lot, the conditions are terrible.

To the northeast of Elland Road is the junction where the M621 and A643 meet.

Don't expect some massive, towering overpass like those in China. It's actually just a large roundabout. The east-west section is elevated, while the rest stays at ground level. Trees line both sides of the road, so from the outside it doesn't look much different from the regular roundabouts in China. There's nothing grand about it.

Heading north from the overpass, the A643 becomes a dead-end road. Both ends of it were completed, but a 300-meter section in the middle just stops abruptly. Apparently, there were some disputes back then, and the project was shelved.

Who knows the full story?

To the west of the dead-end is Leeds United's largest automotive hub, where most household car brands can be found, along with various auto parts suppliers.

To the east is another vast stretch of wasteland, even larger than the one beside Elland Road. It's surrounded by old warehouses rented out to store scrap. The site is in poor condition, with even mountains of plastic barrels piled up outside one of the warehouses.

This is where Gao Shen and his team are headed today.

…

"They said this used to be a high school, but it was abandoned over ten years ago. When the road was built, even the school buildings were demolished. It's been left like this ever since," Su Qing explained as they stood on the dead-end road, pointing toward the wasteland.

"According to the Leeds City Council, this entire area, including the warehouses around it, can be allocated to us for building a new training base, as long as we connect this dead-end road for them."

"That's it?" Gao Shen sounded skeptical.

Su Qing smiled. "Of course it's not that simple. We'll have to pay for the demolition of the warehouse area. But the government will reimburse us, so it's not a big issue. I asked Richard Cramer to look into it. The area is massive. It's more than enough to build a training base."

Gao Shen took a quick look. From what he could see, the land area was indeed huge.

This land was basically worthless after being idle for so long.

Not to mention, using so much land around Elland Road as a parking lot seemed downright extravagant.

Although land in Leeds isn't particularly expensive, it's not like it should be this cheap without a reason.

They clearly had their own calculations.

They hoped Leeds United would bring the training base back into the city.

A well-equipped training base—especially one fit for a Premier League club—requires at least £20 to £30 million in investment. It can provide more than a hundred jobs long term and stimulate surrounding industries, including service businesses.

Modern football is already a complete industry. It's not just about training and matches.

According to Richard Cramer, if no one invests in land like this, it'll remain vacant for decades. The dead-end road would remain broken and neglected.

Because it costs money to manage.

That's also why the area around Elland Road was left deserted after Leeds United went bankrupt.

If the club planned to build a new training base in the future, this plot would be perfect. The city council could take this opportunity to launch an urban renewal project, transforming a rundown scrap depot into a high-end training facility that could also serve nearby residential communities.

Of course, some money would be needed for demolition, but not a lot.

According to the plan proposed by the Leeds City Council, Leeds United and the stadium owner would sell Elland Road Stadium, the Prerton Park land, and the Thorp Arch training base to Gao Shen for a high price—£15 million.

In return, the government would compensate Leeds United through a long-term arrangement. As long as the club paid the relocation costs, the former high school, the wasteland, and surrounding warehouse areas would be handed over to the club, but strictly for building a new training base.

"What do you think?" Gao Shen asked Su Qing.

Su Qing nodded. "I think it's good."

The facilities at Thorp Arch are in really bad shape. Even as a temporary site, it needs to be refurbished.

If Leeds United becomes financially strong in the future, the first thing to do will definitely be to build a new training base.

Instead of expanding Thorp Arch, it'd be better to relocate to the city and turn Thorp Arch into one of Leeds United's youth development centers.

As for the city site, if it's developed here and a pedestrian bridge is built, it could directly connect to Elland Road Stadium, which would be very convenient.

It's an ideal plan, but reality is still tough.

Because all of it requires money.

Gao Shen had already instructed Fernando Lucas to begin preparations for building a data center at Leeds United.

This would be an upgrade of the existing analytics team.

The so-called data center would consist of two parts. One is data related to team training and matches—various performance metrics and analysis of current players. Many clubs, including Manchester City, already do this.

The second part is a player database.

Most fans probably don't know this, but many clubs have such systems, though the methods vary.

There's a story in football circles that back in the 1990s, a Ligue 1 club received so many videotapes of players from around the world that they stacked up and collapsed the floor.

This story is actually true.

It's like that one bestselling Chinese author who bought several houses just to store fan letters.

At first, clubs used videotapes, then VCDs and DVDs, and now some have moved onto the internet.

Take Sevilla for example. In recent years, Monchi has been working on shifting Sevilla's scouting system online.

To be honest, Monchi's scouting network isn't huge.

They only have about ten full-time scouts stationed in different regions globally, plus various amateur scouts gathering info and tips. The full-timers are tasked with compiling all the data.

The fact that Sevilla was able to discover Dani Alves in Brazil's second division shows just how deeply their network runs.

Actually, many clubs operate similarly, but not all of them succeed. That's normal—this model doesn't work for everyone.

Coincidentally, Fernando Lucas is a world-class analyst who's given lectures to many in the data analysis field. One of his most outstanding students—though "student" is just a label since they're about the same age—is Victor Orta, who works in Sevilla as Monchi's right-hand man.

He studied chemistry in university. After graduating, he became a football reporter, writing for Marca and Eurosport. Later, he worked as an agent for a Spanish sports agency, which is when he got into data and met Lucas.

Eventually, he joined Sevilla as Monchi's assistant, focusing on data analysis and reporting.

According to him, the whole project is massive and extremely complex.

Gao Shen's plan is to systematize and expand this whole model into a fully functional data center.

Scouts from around the world would be able to upload player data and video using software provided by the club. The data center would then compile, analyze, and identify potential players—or even coaches.

Additionally, the data center would collect and analyze information from the first team and youth teams, including fitness, injuries, form fluctuations, and more.

In the past, this all required extensive manual work. Now, it can be handled by the data center.

This will dramatically reduce workload and save on labor costs.

But it requires significant upfront investment.

Gao Shen had already signed off on the plan. No matter what, the system had to be built first.

Once the acquisition of Leeds United is complete, Victor Orta will come over from Sevilla to become the club's first-ever Director of Data Center—a brand-new position.

Meanwhile, the scouting director and head of the youth academy are also being recruited.

Right now, Leeds United is flat broke. The club owns nothing.

Once Gao Shen completes the acquisition, the investment won't just stop at the £15 million purchase fee.

But Gao Shen believes that once the new framework is in place, the club's future potential will be far beyond what anyone imagines today.

As for the piece of land in front of them…

"Signed!" Gao Shen declared with ambition.

Su Qing, Lucas, and Borrell all nodded.

This wasteland is the true future of Leeds United!

(To be continued.)

Chapter 729: God Helps Manchester City

"Remember, don't become the second Arsenal!"

On the morning of May 14, inside an upscale manor hotel in the northwest suburbs of London, during Manchester City's pre-match tactical meeting, Gao Shen gave his players a stern reminder.

Standing beside him, assistant coach Brian Kidd had a strange look on his face. He wanted to laugh but held it in.

Unlucky Arsenal had once again become the negative example.

Fortunately, it was only said behind closed doors. If Wenger heard it, he would probably be furious.

He might even take back the Colney training base.

No more borrowing!

The reason Arsenal was brought up was because of their League Cup final against Birmingham earlier this season.

The whole world thought the Gunners had that trophy in the bag.

But who would've thought they'd lose?

Sometimes it's truly unbelievable. Losing to Birmingham in a final continued Arsenal's long-standing tradition of coming up short, as if Wenger's team was determined to maintain their trophy drought to the very end.

Ahead of this FA Cup final, Manchester City were undoubtedly the top favorites.

Not just because they had already beaten Manchester United four times this season, but also because United were in complete disarray.

The story is quite something.

United's chaos stemmed from Giggs.

News of the Welsh player's scandal had already made headlines. At first, the media and fans treated it as a bit of juicy gossip, but the hype soon died down.

After all, Giggs was nearing retirement.

The real issue was with his sister-in-law, Natasha.

Her explosive revelations in News of the World sent shockwaves across the globe.

It turned out that behind Giggs' affair was a far more outrageous scandal. The key detail? It had lasted eight years. That was beyond shocking!

All taboos suddenly became headline material, and public opinion exploded overnight.

Within a few days, Natasha kept revealing more and more through News of the World.

According to Daily Mail, she earned up to £500,000 just from those disclosures.

That's pocket change to a superstar like Giggs. But to an ordinary person, it's a massive amount. Especially when you consider that Giggs had only given Natasha £500 for an abortion.

Now, paparazzi across the UK were swarming like sharks that smelled blood. They wanted a piece of the action, digging up more about Giggs' mistresses.

This sort of thing isn't unusual in the football world.

Professional football is a world of fame and fortune. Any woman who gets involved with a star player instantly becomes high-profile, appearing on front pages and attracting major attention.

Players don't think much of it either. First, at this age, their physical condition is better than most people's and they don't break easily. Second, as long as they perform on the pitch, no one cares about their private life.

As long as it's legal, it's fine.

Morality?

That's only for ordinary people. For top-level footballers, especially those in elite leagues, morality is the rarest luxury.

Besides, fans don't care how many women you've been with. They only care about your form.

The media?

They'll stir things up for a while, but it'll pass. Sometimes, these scandals even increase a player's market value.

But this time, Giggs went too far. This was his brother's wife. That made it worse than John Terry's scandal with a teammate's partner. The backlash inside and outside Manchester United was intense.

Sources said that Ferguson was furious.

And that, indirectly, helped Manchester City.

…

"This season, we've played Manchester United four times and won all four. Like I said before, beating United five times in one season is an unprecedented feat."

"So, in this FA Cup final, I want you all to be in your best form. I want to see your best performance. I want to see that FA Cup trophy after the match!"

The players nodded in response.

At this point, nothing more needed to be said. The players understood the importance.

This treble would be the first in Manchester City's history, and only the second in the history of English football.

More importantly, the club's management had offered generous championship bonuses.

In addition to individual rewards, Manchester City's bonus scheme included extra payouts for a domestic double, treble, and even quadruple. It was incredibly generous.

So whether for glory or money, the players would go all out.

This season, Manchester City had beaten Manchester United four times. In some games, Ferguson went on the offensive from the start. In others, he was more cautious. But regardless of United's approach, City always responded with a steady start.

They advanced step by step, exuding the calm and confidence of a powerhouse.

This was seen by the media and fans as a sign of Manchester City's maturity and evolution.

This time, Gao Shen once again emphasized the importance of a steady start.

In their last visit to Old Trafford, United had a scoring opportunity. Gao Shen reminded his players that such mistakes must not be repeated.

"No matter how Manchester United plays, they'll rely on defensive counterattacks in the end. We have the strength to dominate the game, especially in terms of possession. We must control the tempo and press them hard."

Gao Shen also shared a bit of inside info: Giggs didn't travel south with the team.

Obviously, he wasn't fit to play, and his absence would further limit United.

If nothing unexpected happened, United would either remove Park Ji-sung, move Sneijder to the wing, and play Anderson or Fletcher in midfield...

The aim would be to bolster midfield interception and defense, though it would hurt creativity and wing play.

It was also possible they'd stick to the previous setup, with Park Ji-sung on the left and Sneijder, Carrick, and Lass Diarra in midfield. They might even swap Sneijder for a more defensive midfielder.

In that case, United would be placing all their bets on counterattacking chances.

Ferguson isn't the type to rely on his opponents' mistakes, so Gao Shen guessed he wouldn't bench Sneijder.

The most unpredictable part was the back line.

Evra was fine on the left, but the right was problematic.

Fabio wasn't consistent, and both O'Shea and Smalling had been torched by Gareth Bale. So what now?

Gao Shen now fully understood what it meant to crush an opponent with a higher level of strength.

This time, Gao Shen intended to stick with a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Goalkeeper: Neuer.

Defenders: Leighton Baines, David Luiz, Jerome Boateng, and Zabaleta.

Holding midfielders: Fernandinho and Yaya Touré.

Attacking trio: Gareth Bale, Hazard, and Robben.

Striker: Robin van Persie.

This lineup had carried them through the league and cup this season. The reason they made it to the FA Cup final was thanks to their performance. You can't expect them to collapse in the final, right?

But against Manchester United, Gao Shen still had to go with his strongest XI. That meant Bale and Robben on the wings. It didn't matter if Van Persie or Suárez started up front. Both were among the best strikers this season.

The real concern was still Leighton Baines and Jerome Boateng.

Baines would face Valencia, and Gao Shen was well aware of how fast the Ecuadorian winger was.

Ferguson even preferred him over Nani. That showed the level of trust.

Boateng had improved a lot, but problems remained. He had to be cautious against Rooney.

Still, Gao Shen couldn't bench him. His recent performances had been solid.

Sometimes, when a coach selects his lineup, it's not just about picking the best players. It's also about keeping the dressing room united and maintaining morale.

…

After laying out everything, Gao Shen also tried to ease the players' nerves.

"In short, eat well, drink well, and take a nap today. Get plenty of rest and relax. As for the match this afternoon, just treat it as a trip to Wembley to bring back the FA Cup. That's all there is to it!"

In the end, Gao Shen took a light-hearted tone to reassure everyone.

The players couldn't help laughing.

If only it were that easy!

But hearing the head coach say it like that, the pressure suddenly felt much lighter.

Manchester City did have the upper hand. As long as they played to their usual standard, winning the trophy wouldn't be an issue.

Gao Shen observed their expressions and reactions but didn't mind.

"By the way, when we get back to Manchester tonight, we should have a meal together. Where should we go?"

After asking, he casually pulled out a chair and sat down, arms and legs spread out, letting everyone voice their opinions.

"The barbecue place we went to last time was pretty good." David Luiz, who knew Gao Shen well, was the first to speak up.

"I'm not a big fan of barbecue. I think that Chinese restaurant the boss took us to was nice."

"Chinese food sounds good. I vote for that."

"I think we should have Western food. Barbecue is fine. Or... McDonald's?"

"Damn, can you aim higher? McDonald's after winning the cup? Trying to outshine Giggs in the headlines?"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Anyway, it was just a private chat. No one would leak it. There was no need to be afraid of offending anyone.

"Then, as usual, let's vote by raising hands!" Captain Kompany said.

Everyone agreed and quickly started casting their votes.

The room erupted into lively chatter. Everyone was focused on food.

The FA Cup final? They seemed to have forgotten all about it.

(To be continued.)