SWR: Chapter 683/684

Chapter 683: A Game That Cannot Be Played by Experts
When a person has no money, they have to live frugally.

When a football club runs out of money, it also has to tighten its belt.

The principle is the same: focus on cost-effectiveness and practice thrift.

But Moratti refused to do so.

There are many high-paid players at Inter Milan, but the club's financial strength cannot keep up. The team's competitiveness cannot improve either, leaving Inter Milan in a very awkward situation.

They call it a high-input, high-output model, but there is no money to sustain it.

It could be described as a cost-effective, low-to-medium risk approach, but in reality, it completely lacks cost-effectiveness.

The simplest example: should Ibrahimovic be sold?

There are a number of redundant veterans in the squad—should they be cleared out?

You're already so poor, why not increase revenue and cut expenses?

Put nicely, Moratti calls this sentimentality. Put bluntly, it is being overly concerned with saving face and unwilling to make the tough decisions.

A heart higher than the sky, but a life as thin as paper.

The true cost-effective approach is what Napoli is doing.

Regardless of the proceeds from selling players in the past two years, Napoli is the only club in Serie A currently turning a profit.

Yes, Napoli is profitable!

Why?

It's simple. They sell when they should sell.

They buy at good prices, and when they sell, they push the price as high as possible. Their players' wages are low, the financial pressure is light, and naturally, the club makes a profit.

What's that? You still want to win the championship while playing the cost-effective game?

That depends on luck!

If you're fortunate, the players hit good form and achieve solid results, maybe you'll have a chance at the league title or the Champions League. But most of the time, you are just playing it safe, buying low, selling high, and progressing steadily.

Of course, you could also learn from Juventus. After accumulating a certain amount of wealth, they began to push forward aggressively.

With a bit of luck, a bicycle can become a motorcycle.

But the premise is that you must first accumulate wealth.

Juventus reached the Champions League final twice in three years without winning the trophy, but they built up considerable strength and financial power, which is why they are ambitious about breaking into the top tier.

But what about Inter Milan?

Right now, they don't even have a complete commercial structure. The club loses 70 to 80 million euros every year, and Moratti has already lost the financial backing of his family. How can you play this game under these conditions?

…

Although Gao Shen spoke very tactfully, Little Moratti fully understood what he meant.

This game is no longer playable.

If Inter Milan can truly make up its mind this summer to clear out the squad, reorganize, streamline the lineup, and adopt a cost-effective approach, Gao Shen believes they will suffer some short-term pain but will recover and come back stronger.

But now, Inter Milan cannot avoid long-term suffering.

Gao Shen's words hit the nail on the head. Angelo Moratti felt helpless after hearing them.

After all, he had no other choice but to come to Gao Shen for advice.

But with Gao Shen's current status, it is basically impossible for him to take over such a mess like Inter Milan, and Inter Milan can't afford Gao Shen's staggering annual salary either.

According to Gao Shen's suggestion, Inter Milan still needs to act quickly, starting the cleanup and restructuring as soon as possible.

"If you keep hesitating like this, in two years you might not even qualify for the Champions League!" Gao Shen warned.

"Is the situation really that bad?" Little Moratti was shocked.

He wondered whether Gao Shen was deliberately trying to scare him.

"Do the math yourself," Gao Shen said. "Look at Italy's current performance in Europe. The Bundesliga is chasing closely behind. If you're not careful, the Bundesliga could overtake Serie A at any time. Once that happens, Serie A will be down to only three Champions League spots."

"Right now, AC Milan and Napoli are doing well. Juventus has just restructured its management, with Andrea Agnelli returning to take charge. They will increase investment. If Juventus makes a comeback or Roma rises again, do you think Inter Milan can hold on to a top-three spot?"

Little Moratti was speechless.

The allocation of Champions League places for the major European leagues is based on UEFA coefficients, calculated from European competition points.

The top three leagues in the rankings get four Champions League spots. The fourth-ranked league only gets three.

If Serie A really gets overtaken by the Bundesliga, they will have to give up one spot to Germany.

When that happens, Inter Milan's situation will be even worse than it is now.

"You don't have much time left. Hurry up!" Gao Shen urged.

With that, he picked up the white porcelain coffee cup and took a sip of the black coffee. The bitterness made him frown slightly, but he still politely nodded to Little Moratti and turned to leave.

Little Moratti was left sitting there alone. No one knew what was going through his mind.

…

Gao Shen actually still has feelings for Inter Milan.

Of course, his favorite club is Real Madrid. But he also has a fondness for Inter Milan, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Manchester United…

In fact, he likes them all.

Because he loves football.

If Inter Milan were not in Serie A but in the Premier League, he might really consider working with the Moratti family.

For example, becoming a consultant and even investing money to hold shares in the club.

He believes that Moratti would be very interested.

But Inter Milan is in Serie A.

There are too many restrictions in Serie A. It is simply not a game that experts can afford to play.

With Inter Milan's current situation, even 100 million euros would only be enough to cover the club's losses for a single year. What impact could that possibly have?

On top of that, the decline of Serie A is already inevitable.

Once Serie A's Champions League quota is reduced, it will be extremely difficult to get it back.

In fact, many fans probably haven't noticed a very interesting phenomenon.

In the past, present, and foreseeable future, La Liga has always stood out, relying on Real Madrid and Barcelona, plus emerging teams like Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, to rack up plenty of European points with their strong performances in the Champions League and Europa League.

The Bundesliga is also poised for a major comeback in the next few years. First, they will overtake Serie A, and then challenge the Premier League.

Gao Shen vaguely remembers that around 2016, the Bundesliga ranked second in the UEFA coefficients.

The Premier League was third but very close to Serie A in fourth.

Because the European competition points are calculated based on results from the past five years, Serie A had done relatively well in the years before 2016. With the rise of teams like Juventus and Napoli, there was even a moment where they looked like they might surpass the Premier League.

But soon after, the Premier League rose sharply.

Teams like Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City began performing at a high level in the Champions League.

If UEFA coefficients are seen as a kind of war, then this is also a very exciting battlefield.

There is fierce competition between clubs within each league, but there is also intense rivalry between the leagues across Europe.

After all, a Champions League spot is extremely valuable.

…

Manchester City defeated Inter Milan 3-1 away.

Almost at the same time, Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Schalke 04 at home.

Raul returned to the Bernabeu as an opponent for the first time and scored against his former teammate Casillas.

The former Real Madrid captain did not celebrate after scoring. The Bernabeu fans gave him a warm round of applause.

As a result, the group stage situation became very complicated.

Currently, Manchester City is the only team standing out with three consecutive wins.

Next is Real Madrid with four points, Schalke 04 with two points, and Inter Milan at the bottom with only one point.

Any of these three teams still has a chance to finish second in the group.

Manchester City seems to have secured the top spot, but they cannot afford to be careless.

No one knows what kind of determination these three teams might show when they are fighting for survival.

However, Gao Shen didn't have the energy to worry about this for now.

After returning to Manchester from Milan, he immediately led the team into intensive preparations for the ninth round of the Premier League.

Their next opponent: Arsenal!

Wenger's team has shown clear improvement recently, especially after their home win over Birmingham.

On one hand, Arsenal's problems are still there and quite serious. Otherwise, why would they need to stage comebacks so often?

But on the other hand, the Gunners' progress is also obvious to everyone.

In Gao Shen's view, whether it's as a direct opponent on the pitch or as a future competitor in the league standings, there is no reason to let Arsenal gain momentum.

The best strategy is to defeat them decisively at home and push Wenger's team back down again.

This is the cruelty of professional football.

…

As the new season progressed, especially after returning from Milan, Gao Shen clearly felt that the competition within his team was becoming fiercer.

Although he maintained control and the dressing room remained harmonious, every player was competing intensely.

There are only eleven positions on the pitch. Excluding Neuer, whose starting position is secure, there are only ten spots left—but each position has at least two strong competitors.

Take the left wing for example. Gareth Bale shone brightly in the match against Inter Milan. Can Hazard, Robinho, and Sturridge feel at ease?

Van Persie is scoring goals steadily in the league, while Suarez is performing well in the Champions League. Do you think they aren't competing against each other?

The right wing is similar. Robben's position seems stable, but he still faces competition.

There's also the battle between Yaya Toure and Javi Martinez, as well as Rakitic and the others.

This was all intentional on Gao Shen's part.

Whether it's as big as a country or as small as a football team, competition is necessary.

Only competition can drive progress.

At Manchester City today, whether on the training ground or in matches, every player gives their all, full of hunger and ambition like wolves and tigers. No one wants to waste an opportunity to prove themselves.

Gao Shen loves this atmosphere.

Because every time his players step onto the field, they give their best.

It reminds him of his previous life managing a team. Back then, everyone worked hard, stayed late, and always completed the tasks he assigned—often exceeding expectations.

As the head coach, what Gao Shen needs to do now is maintain this atmosphere and keep the intensity of the locker room competition at just the right level.

If the intensity crosses the line, it could easily lead to disputes and conflicts, which would harm the unity of the team.

Managing this balance is the coach's responsibility.

In this regard, whether in his past life or in this one, whether at Real Madrid, Napoli, or now at Manchester City, Gao Shen has always been confident.

Now, all that's left is to see how the players perform against Arsenal on the pitch.

After some time, Gao Shen also began thinking about another major event in his life.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 684: Earn a Few Small Goals
In the ninth round of the league, Manchester City would face Arsenal at home.

Just as Gao Shen had said before, he had plenty of experience when it came to beating Arsenal. This weekend, he was planning to show it once again. After all, Arsenal played in the Premier League, which meant they couldn't avoid running into him.

While preparing to deal with Arsenal and Wenger, Gao Shen couldn't help but start thinking about something else.

Angelo Moratti had brought up an idea to Gao Shen.

And the more he thought about it, the more tempting it became. The longer he considered it, the harder it was to control the desire.

Buy a football club!

Everyone knew that acquiring a football club was no easy task. It required a significant amount of money.

The purchase itself was just the beginning. Continued capital investment would be needed for operations.

At the very least, transfer fees, player salaries, and various operating costs all required funding.

It wasn't unusual for players or head coaches to transition into club management, like the Bayern Munich "Big Three."

But even they didn't own Bayern.

Cases like Bayern were rare in European football.

However, Gao Shen was now wealthy.

Just from the two summer transfer windows during his time at Napoli, Gao Shen had earned over 50 million euros from his share of the profits, not to mention the stocks and real estate he had invested in previously.

No one knew, not even Su Qing, that back in May of this year, Gao Shen had bought 10,000 bitcoins from an American programmer for thirty dollars.

In the following years, Gao Shen planned to continue purchasing Bitcoin, waiting for its appreciation.

Those 10,000 bitcoins alone would be worth hundreds of millions in the future.

Along with his current coaching career, Gao Shen had already stepped out of the financial class that needed to worry about money.

So, what should he consider next?

Buy houses? Invest in company stocks?

Neither of these options excited him.

All they did was make the numbers in his bank account bigger.

What he needed was assets and status!

True wealth was never reflected in money, but in assets.

And money alone could not buy status or influence.

After meeting with Angelo Moratti, Gao Shen began seriously considering acquiring a football club.

First, because European football was his career stage. Second, he was very familiar with the industry. From the presidents of FIFA and UEFA down to the average player, he knew the landscape well. Most importantly, this would be the best way for him to make use of his advantage as a time traveler.

If he could successfully transition from being the top head coach to a successful club owner, his status and influence in world football would reach an entirely new level.

In the past, he could use the excuse that he had no money, so there was no need to think about it. But now, he had money.

If he wanted to acquire a football club, the first thing to consider was how much money he had and what level of club he could realistically afford.

The next question was which league's club should he target?

The Bundesliga was the first option Gao Shen ruled out. He simply couldn't enter that league.

Serie A was also quickly rejected. With his current financial resources, he couldn't compete there. On top of that, most Serie A clubs didn't even own their stadiums, making it impossible to play the financial game properly.

That left only La Liga and the Premier League.

It was clear that La Liga was dominated by the two Spanish giants. Apart from them, the other clubs were basically struggling to survive.

In Gao Shen's previous life, Ronaldo had purchased 51% of newly promoted La Liga side Valladolid, and later increased his stake by another 22%. But three years later, when Gao Shen traveled back in time, the club had already been relegated to the Segunda División.

To some extent, Spanish teams all had it tough.

So the answer was obvious.

If Gao Shen wanted to acquire a football club, the best choice was the Premier League.

But the Premier League was too expensive. He couldn't afford a top-flight team, so the only option was to look at the lower leagues.

For example, the Championship or League One.

…

"Buy an English football club?"

During a video call, when Su Qing heard Gao Shen's idea, she was genuinely shocked.

"Do we even have that kind of money?"

In everyone's mind, acquiring a football club was extremely costly.

Manchester City had spent hundreds of millions. Chelsea had invested billions by now.

"The approach is different. We're not aiming for the championship right away. My initial plan is to keep it under 50 million euros. We would have to choose a club in the lower leagues like the Championship or League One. It shouldn't be a big problem." Gao Shen explained.

Over the past few years, because of Gao Shen, Su Qing had also started learning about professional football. Watching games with Gao Shen every day, her understanding of the football world was now better than that of many veteran fans and even some football journalists.

She had always been a top student.

"But the pressure to survive in the lower leagues is huge."

"Then we aim for promotion to the Premier League," Gao Shen replied matter-of-factly.

If he were buying a club with the goal of winning the Champions League, that would obviously be an exaggeration and unrealistic.

His goal was to earn promotion to the Premier League.

"How confident are you?" Su Qing asked, frowning.

In her view, promotion to the Premier League was extremely difficult.

Otherwise, why would so many Championship and League One clubs fight so hard year after year but fail to make it?

"I'm certain. It's just a question of time," Gao Shen answered confidently.

Su Qing was stunned. "Are you planning to coach the team yourself?"

"Of course not!" Gao Shen immediately denied. "I'm not that foolish."

He was now a world-renowned coach. His annual salary could easily exceed 10 million euros at any club. If he went to coach a team in the Championship or League One, wouldn't that be crazy?

From an investment standpoint alone, it wasn't cost-effective.

The best solution was for him to continue coaching at the top level while buying a club and hiring a separate head coach to manage it.

With his network and reputation in European football, did he really need to worry about finding the right coach?

"Let me tell you something. Starting from this season through 2013, the domestic broadcasting rights for the Premier League are worth 1.7 billion pounds for three seasons. And that's just the domestic rights. There are also overseas and digital media rights."

"You know how the Premier League shares its broadcasting revenue, right?"

"Well, you've mentioned it to me before," Su Qing replied.

Gao Shen paused for a moment. What a genius this woman was.

"According to the Premier League's revenue-sharing system, even the second-to-last team in the table this season would still earn close to 40 million pounds. In other words, if we buy a lower-league club for no more than 50 million pounds, once we're promoted, we could recover the investment within a single season."

This was why so many Championship teams were fighting desperately for promotion to the Premier League.

Even if you were relegated, the so-called parachute payments were there to cushion the fall.

"What you said makes sense. If we can make it to the Premier League, the profits would indeed be huge. But…"

"I haven't finished yet." Gao Shen interrupted her with a smile.

"You know I'm very familiar with David Bernstein from the English FA, right?" Gao Shen smiled.

Of course, he was thinking to himself that he had no choice but to use Bernstein's name to back up his information.

Otherwise, how would he explain the source of his data?

"He told me that the general expectation within the Premier League is that over the next three years, domestic rights could be sold for 3 billion pounds."

"Three billion?" Su Qing was shocked.

Jumping from 1.7 billion to 3 billion pounds—that was insane.

"Is that really possible?"

"I'm very optimistic. And that's just domestic rights in the UK. Overseas broadcasting rights will also increase significantly. By then, even the club finishing at the bottom of the table would receive at least 60 million pounds per season."

This was why the more Gao Shen thought about it, the more irresistible the idea became.

When he had no money, he could turn a blind eye. But now that he had money, the temptation of this opportunity was simply too great.

In fact, he didn't even dare mention that the broadcasting rights between 2016 and 2019 would end up being sold for 5.1 billion pounds.

The future of the Premier League would be a world where even teams fighting relegation could earn over 100 million pounds.

Many people ask why so many foreign investors are flocking to the Premier League.

It's because the Premier League is crazy like that!

Just imagine. If Gao Shen spent 50 million to buy a club now, and after careful management they earned promotion to the Premier League, he would instantly gain the value of a Premier League team.

What an outrageous opportunity that would be!

For most people, the hardest part about promotion is building a competitive squad. But for Gao Shen, was that really a problem?

As long as he was willing, he could easily find talented, affordable players.

This was the best way for him to maximize his advantage as a time traveler.

"Are you really confident about getting promoted to the Premier League?" Su Qing asked again, cautiously.

"My first consideration is a Championship team. If everything goes well, I believe we can reach the Premier League within two years. If not, I can still make money through player trading."

If Gao Shen were an unknown, no one would believe him.

But he was a world-famous coach, recognized for his skill in scouting and developing players. If he said so, Su Qing would believe him.

She also understood why Gao Shen seemed a bit anxious.

Looking at the history of Premier League broadcasting rights, an interesting trend emerged.

The first domestic broadcast deal from 1992 to 1997 sold for 190 million pounds. The next deal from 1997 to 2001 was 670 million. The third, from 2001 to 2004, reached 1.2 billion pounds.

However, between 2004 and 2007, the number dropped slightly to 1 billion.

Then, from 2007 to 2010, it climbed to 1.7 billion. From 2010 to 2013, it remained at around 1.77 billion.

Most people assumed that Premier League domestic rights would continue along these lines.

After all, these were already astronomical figures.

But if the next deal really reached 3 billion pounds, it would inevitably trigger another wave of investment in English clubs, driving up their valuations.

By that time, even if Gao Shen didn't want the club anymore, he could simply sell it for a nice profit.

If the club reached the Premier League, the returns would be astronomical.

Even Su Qing was moved by this.

With her background in economics, she was particularly sensitive to numbers and wealth. She clearly understood what this meant.

"We need to prepare carefully and do proper research. We absolutely cannot rush into this or take reckless risks," Su Qing reminded him seriously.

"Of course. This would be the biggest gamble of my life. I can't afford to lose!" Gao Shen nodded firmly.

"No matter what, I support you!"

On the video call, Su Qing turned the engagement ring on her finger, smiling affectionately.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 685: Times Make Heroes
"Boss, please tell me what's going on. Why did you call me here so urgently?"

At Manchester City's Carrington training base, Fernando Lucas had just stepped into Gao Shen's office, already grumbling.

"Do you know how busy I am right now? I haven't even finished the analysis report on Arsenal that you asked for, and I have plenty of other tasks piling up. What is it that you need to talk about so urgently?"

Gao Shen smiled, motioned for him to sit down, then got up to close the door. When he returned, he saw Lucas scratching his head.

His hair really was getting thinner by the day.

Poor guy. Spending all day crunching numbers. At this rate, he was probably going to go bald young.

Gao Shen casually touched his own head, feeling the thickness of his hair.

Who said the Gao family had bad hair genes?

"Boss, what exactly do you want from me?" Lucas looked at him miserably.

Gao Shen sat down across from Lucas, staring at his assistant.

If there was anyone in this world Gao Shen trusted most, aside from his parents and Su Qing's family—it would be Fernando Lucas. From the moment Gao Shen traveled back in time until now, this guy had always been by his side, never leaving him.

The whole world knew that Lucas was the best analyst in football, but very few people knew that he was actually a top student with a degree in economics. God only knew why he had given up such a bright future to become a coach.

Maybe, this was true passion.

"Are you familiar with the Championship or League One?"

"Of course," Lucas replied, frowning. "We were supposed to face a lower-league team in a cup match before, so I made a special effort to gather information. Who knew we'd end up drawing a Premier League team in the first round of the League Cup?"

Speaking of this, Lucas still sounded annoyed. All the work their analysis team had done had gone to waste.

But this was normal. Not every piece of research would be used immediately. The value of analysis lay in long-term accumulation.

"Which teams are currently the strongest in the Championship and League One?" Gao Shen asked.

"The strongest ones?" Lucas thought for a moment. "In the Championship, it's the usual few—Queens Park Rangers, Cardiff, Swansea, Norwich, Watford, Coventry, Leeds United, Hull City, Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United. There are twenty-four teams in total."

"In League One, Brighton is the wealthiest. Their owner invested tens of millions of pounds, and the team has been climbing steadily year by year. They'll probably get promoted to the Championship this season."

"Then there's Southampton, Charlton, MK Dons—the old Wimbledon 'Crazy Gang'—and Huddersfield."

Lucas had a remarkable memory. Gao Shen casually asked, and he could immediately list the key teams.

"Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?"

"I want to buy one," Gao Shen said casually.

"What?!" Lucas jumped up from the sofa, shocked.

Gao Shen quickly reached out and pulled him back down, signaling for him to calm down.

It was just buying a football club. Why make such a fuss?

But seeing Lucas so stunned, Gao Shen still felt a sense of pride.

After all, head coaches were usually just employees. How many could say they were in a position to buy a club?

This would definitely be a first.

The media would be blown away when the news got out.

…

Lucas was genuinely surprised, but after Gao Shen shared his earlier conversation with Su Qing, he quickly became intrigued.

Others might not know, but Lucas, along with Carlo and the core members of the coaching staff, were well aware that Gao Shen's share of the profits from Napoli was worth tens of millions of euros. It wasn't enough to buy a Premier League club, but it was more than enough to purchase a team in the Championship or League One, as long as it wasn't one of the big-name clubs like Queens Park Rangers.

"Is it true that the next auction for the Premier League's domestic broadcasting rights could reach 3 billion pounds?" Lucas asked, still in shock.

Gao Shen nodded. "That's why I feel that by then, Premier League places will become even more valuable, and the market value of English clubs will soar."

"Absolutely." Lucas fully agreed with Gao Shen's judgment. "If you buy in now and aim for promotion to the Premier League over the next few years, this could be a massive opportunity for profit!"

Lucas was so excited he could barely sit still.

He didn't have much money himself and couldn't invest, but if he did, he would jump at the chance to buy a club. This was such a great deal.

But after the excitement passed, Lucas looked at Gao Shen more seriously.

He understood that Gao Shen was only sharing such a secret with him because he trusted him completely. If this kind of information leaked, Gao Shen could be in a lot of trouble—and so could Bernstein.

Of course, Lucas didn't know that Bernstein had never actually said any of this to Gao Shen.

"Leave this to me. Once I finish the Arsenal report, I'll start organizing the data on Championship and League One clubs. I'll also arrange for people outside to gather intelligence, especially on the financial status and debt situations of the clubs."

Lucas paused for a moment, then added, "If you're going to buy a club, it's best to choose one in a big city or metropolitan area. That way, you'll have a solid local fan base, and match-day attendance will be guaranteed."

Match-day revenue, broadcasting rights, and commercial income were the three main sources of revenue for European clubs.

Buying and selling players was just the cherry on top. No one could guarantee that they would always succeed in developing talent.

Among the three main revenue streams, match-day income was heavily reliant on stadium attendance.

There had always been a rumor that one of the reasons Abramovich sacked Mourinho—aside from the results—was because he disliked Mourinho's pragmatic style, which led to Chelsea having relatively low attendance rates compared to other Premier League teams.

Why were Arsenal's tickets so expensive?

Because fans were willing to pay to watch.

Why were they willing to pay?

Because Arsenal's style of play was attractive.

Despite their poor results at times, Arsenal's match-day income was still significantly higher than Chelsea's.

Big cities also had stronger industrial foundations, more commercial opportunities, and larger market potential.

Of course, the London clubs were out of reach. Even the cheapest, Queens Park Rangers, was beyond Gao Shen's budget.

"It would be ideal if the club had a good youth academy," Gao Shen added.

In the next few years, the UK would launch major youth development reforms. Many local youth players would emerge, and having a strong youth academy would make it easier to ride this wave.

Anyone with an eye for business could see the value of investing in youth development.

Moreover, as the value of top players continued to rise, excellent youth training would become a reliable source of talent and revenue, perfectly aligning with Gao Shen's philosophy of cost-effectiveness.

Lucas nodded repeatedly, getting more and more excited the more he thought about it.

Just like Gao Shen, this was one of those ideas that once you started thinking about it, you couldn't stop.

…

After reminding him to keep everything confidential, Gao Shen sent Lucas off.

Gao Shen had great trust in his long-time partner and highly respected his abilities.

In recent years, Lucas had earned a reputation as one of the top analysts in world football. While Gao Shen's support had played a part, Lucas's own talent and hard work were undeniable.

More importantly, Gao Shen understood Lucas's strengths well.

With a background in economics, Lucas had a sharp mind for numbers. Over time, Gao Shen had noticed that Lucas also had valuable insights into club management, often reflected in his daily remarks and complaints.

Over the years, Lucas had followed Gao Shen across Europe, witnessing football at the highest level, competing in top tournaments, and gaining a deep understanding of the football industry. His network of contacts was impressive.

In fact, in some areas, especially the media, Lucas's network was even broader than Gao Shen's.

If Gao Shen were to acquire a football club, Lucas would undoubtedly be the first person he would consider for the CEO position—not only because of trust but also because of confidence in his abilities.

Times make heroes.

Gao Shen had always believed that in team projects, there were no individual heroes. Rather, the team itself was the hero.

This had been his belief when he first asked Lucas to join him as an analyst, and it remained unchanged.

The best example was Peter Kenyon.

When Kenyon moved from Manchester United to Chelsea, he was celebrated as a top executive and promised to lead Chelsea to profitability. But in the end, did he succeed in turning Chelsea around?

Or take Monchi at Sevilla. He had been incredibly successful there, but after moving to Roma, was he able to replicate that success?

The media loved to hype certain individuals, and fans, influenced by this narrative and their desire for results, were quick to attribute success to one person or one factor.

But few understood that whether in football or business, true success relied on the team.

There were exceptions, but relying solely on individual heroes was risky and usually short-lived.

Besides Lucas, Gao Shen knew he would also need a technical director—someone to oversee tactics and youth development.

As head coach, Gao Shen had never liked the idea of a technical director. At Manchester City, he handled that role himself and held absolute power.

But if he were to own a club, he would need someone in that position. A technical director was simply too important.

Most importantly, it had to be someone from his own circle. Someone who understood football, grasped its future trends, and shared his vision.

Gao Shen's team already gathered top talent from around the world. Any one of them would be highly sought after by other clubs.

But there was still one position giving Gao Shen a headache.

Who would handle the actual acquisition and day-to-day operation of the club?

Do it himself?

He simply didn't have the time.

The problem was that this person needed to not only understand football but also be familiar with the European football environment—and, most importantly, be someone Gao Shen trusted completely.

However, Gao Shen quickly put these thoughts aside.

There was no deal on the table yet. More importantly, the match against Arsenal was just around the corner.

Right now, the most important thing was to beat Arsenal first.

(To be continued.)