SWR: Chapter 537/538

Chapter 537: Legendary Gatekeeper

Every league has its own unique characteristics.

For example, Premier League teams tend to have poorly located training facilities, often situated in remote villages. Even Arsenal and Chelsea, despite their newly built training grounds, are still far from the city.

Manchester United is no exception. Their Carrington training complex sits right next to Manchester City's.

Well, if I'm ever in a bad mood in the future, I'll just kick a ball and smash United's windows—that'll teach them!

Serie A clubs are also quite unique. Since they don't own their stadiums, their club offices, match venues, training grounds, and even youth academies are often scattered across different locations.

Take Napoli, for example. Gao Shen coached there for three years but barely visited the youth academy.

This setup creates a major problem, first-team coaches often have little connection with the youth setup, making player development and promotion much harder.

The Bundesliga, on the other hand, follows a different model. Many German clubs centralize everything, their stadiums, offices, training facilities, and youth academies are all clustered together in one place.

This is highly convenient, but not every club can do it, as it requires a massive amount of land.

For instance, Bayern Munich's training complex, youth academy, and headquarters are all located on Säbener Strasse. Their former home, the Olympic Stadium, was eventually replaced by the Allianz Arena, situated on the opposite side of the city.

Meanwhile, Schalke 04 follows the traditional German model.

Their stadium, formerly known as the AufSchalke Arena—now called the Veltins Arena due to naming rights—sits just south of the club's headquarters, training ground, and youth academy.

Gelsenkirchen itself isn't a particularly large city, and Schalke 04's facilities are located in its northern suburbs.

…

Gao Shen's team scheduled their visit in advance.

Upon arriving at Schalke 04's headquarters, they were personally greeted by executive assistant Markus Cohen.

"Welcome to Gelsenkirchen, Gao!"

"Thank you, Mr. Cohen!"

After shaking hands, Cohen immediately led Gao Shen and his team into the club's administrative offices.

By now, Gao Shen's status in European football was undeniable. At just 30 years old, he had become one of the most respected young managers in the game. No club would dare treat him with anything less than full respect.

After all, no one could predict when they might need to work with him in the future.

Schalke 04's management structure had undergone major changes in recent years.

In January 2006, the club's entire executive team was replaced, except for Supervisory Board Chairman Clemens Tönnies.

Former club captain Andreas Müller became General Manager, while Peter Peters joined the Board of Directors. Former Vice Chairman and Financial Manager Josef Schnusenberg took over as Chairman.

But in March 2009, Andreas Müller left for Hoffenheim, leaving Schalke 04 under the control of Tönnies, Peters, and Schnusenberg.

Essentially, as long as these three agreed on something, it would get done.

Meanwhile, Schalke had struggled on the pitch.

Last season, the club had two different head coaches, Fred Rutten and Mike Büskens before eventually hiring former Bayern Munich manager Felix Magath for the upcoming season.

With Gao Shen's imminent move to Manchester City, his visit to Gelsenkirchen could mean only one thing, a transfer pursuit.

Although there was no official announcement yet, the European football world wasn't big. Reports had already linked Gao Shen's assistant to Manchester, and the consensus was clear, Gao Shen was about to take charge of City.

Schalke 04's management team knew exactly why he was here.

In the 2008-09 Bundesliga season, Schalke had finished eighth in real history. But in this timeline, they had fallen to tenth, a sign that something was off.

Before coming to Schalke, Gao Shen had done his homework.

He suspected that their struggles were linked to Rakitic's absence.

In Gao Shen's previous timeline, Rakitic had been the heart of Schalke's midfield. But now, with him gone, the team lacked stability.

Still, Schalke boasted a wealth of talented players.

Up front, they had Kevin Kurányi and Jefferson Farfán.

In midfield, they had Altıntop Jr. and Zé Roberto.

Their defense featured Bundesliga stars like Rafinha, Benedikt Höwedes, and Heiko Westermann.

And in goal, they had one of the brightest young talents in Germany—Manuel Neuer.

Tönnies and his colleagues assumed that Gao Shen's target was Rafinha.

The Brazilian right-back had been Schalke 04's best player last season and was currently their most valuable asset.

It was no secret that Gao Shen preferred attacking full-backs, so Schalke's board was bracing for an offer.

To them, selling players was just part of business.

If they could cash in on Rafinha, they could reinvest those funds to strengthen other areas of the squad.

…

Once everyone was seated, the meeting began with some cordial introductions and small talk.

Gao Shen wasn't in a hurry to get to the point.

Instead, it was Schalke 04's executive Peter Peters who lost patience first.

"So, Mr. Gao, what brings you here today?"

Gao Shen smiled and got straight to the point.

"To be honest, I came to discuss the transfer of Manuel Neuer."

As soon as he said this, the expressions of Schalke 04's three top executives shifted.

How could they describe it?

A mix of relief, disappointment, and surprise.

At least it wasn't Rafinha.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gao," Schnusenberg replied politely. "Neuer is a homegrown talent from our youth academy. He's very important to us and not for sale."

Not for sale?

Gao Shen didn't believe that for a second.

In football, "not for sale" usually just meant "only for sale at the right price."

"That's a good line for the media," Gao Shen said with a smile. "But we're behind closed doors here, let's be honest with each other."

The three Schalke executives exchanged glances.

After a brief pause, Tönnies gave a small nod.

Gao Shen caught that detail immediately.

It was clear that Tönnies, Schalke's longtime Supervisory Board Chairman, held the most influence in the room.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gao," Schnusenberg said again, this time hesitating slightly. "It's not that we don't want to sell, but… we already have an agreement with Bayern."

"I figured as much," Gao Shen replied with a knowing smile.

"You knew?" The three Schalke executives were visibly surprised.

Even Brian Kidd and Lucas looked at Gao Shen in shock.

They worked alongside him every day, when had he figured this out?

"This wasn't hard to guess," Gao Shen said, reading their expressions.

The truth was, Neuer wasn't a standout name just yet.

At this point, he wasn't too old or too young, and his performances had been inconsistent. He had won Bundesliga's Best Goalkeeper, but he had also had poor outings.

Typical for a young goalkeeper.

But that wasn't the key issue.

Right now, German football was undergoing a transition.

With Kahn and Lehmann retiring, Germany's next generation of goalkeepers had emerged:

Michael Rensing (Bayern Munich) – Kahn's direct successor, playing for the biggest club with the highest expectations.

René Adler (Bayer Leverkusen) – Consistently strong performances, already a backup for the national team.

Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04) – Talented, but not as highly regarded as the other two.


There had even been reports that Sir Alex Ferguson was eyeing Adler as Van der Sar's replacement.

By comparison, Neuer's trajectory didn't seem as promising.

But Bayern saw something others didn't.

Uli Hoeneß had always believed that Neuer had more potential than Adler, primarily due to his exceptional athleticism.

And in one year's time, everything would change.

Rensing would lose his place at Bayern.

Adler would miss the World Cup due to injury.

Neuer would rise from third choice to Germany's No. 1, lead them to World Cup glory, and begin his legendary career.

Looking back, Neuer's story was almost mythical.

But here in 2009, nobody knew that yet.

Neuer had barely made Germany's national team roster.

He had only appeared in a few meaningless friendlies and had zero minutes in World Cup qualifiers.

This summer, instead of training with the senior squad, he had joined Germany's U21 team for the European Youth Championship in Sweden.

You could call that a sign of his youth but it also showed he wasn't considered a top-tier option yet.

"I believe you," Gao Shen continued. "Bayern probably has an agreement in place. But I don't believe it's legally binding."

The Schalke executives didn't respond but their expressions gave it away.

"Bayern is still uncertain about Rensing," Gao Shen pointed out. "And they're not entirely convinced about Neuer's long-term potential."

Bayern had a long-standing tradition:

Bayern's goalkeeper should also be Germany's national goalkeeper.

The question was should Neuer join Bayern first and then become Germany's No. 1?

Or should he establish himself in the national team first before moving to Bayern?

Right now, Bayern was still in a wait-and-see mode.

Which meant Schalke had no real guarantee that Bayern would commit to Neuer anytime soon.

"If I had to guess," Gao Shen continued, "Schalke has probably given Bayern a verbal promise—if you sell Neuer, Bayern gets first refusal at a matching price. That's about as far as it goes, right?"

Because anything more than that would be terrible business.

Would Schalke really sign a formal agreement locking themselves into selling only to Bayern?

That would be absurd.

Besides, Bayern was still heavily invested in Rensing.

They weren't going to suddenly give up on him.

"So the reality is," Gao Shen summed up, "Schalke isn't in a rush to sell, and Bayern isn't in a rush to buy."

The Schalke executives remained silent.

"Then there's another issue," Gao Shen added. "Neuer's future isn't guaranteed either. What if he gets injured again?"

"At the start of last season, he fractured his tibia and was out for months. What if something similar happens again?"

Gao Shen leaned forward slightly, delivering the punchline.

"Neuer's current market value is €8.5 million. Manchester City is willing to offer €10 million, right now.

What do you think?"

After finishing his pitch, Gao Shen calmly sat back and waited.

Now, it was Schalke's turn to make a move.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 538: Why Are You All So Unprofessional?

"Mr. Gao, are you joking?" Peter Peters asked, clearly uncomfortable.

A market valuation of €8.5 million, and the offer is €10 million?

That kind of bid was insulting for a young talent like Neuer.

It was practically saying that he had no future.

Of course, market valuations already took into account a player's potential and age, but the offer was still too low.

Gao Shen wasn't offended.

He simply glanced at Peters, then at Tönnies and Schnusenberg and instantly understood their mindset.

Neuer wasn't truly unsellable to Schalke 04.

Quite the opposite.

The club needed to sell valuable players to generate transfer funds and reinvest in strengthening the squad.

Given the financial realities of the Bundesliga, this was the only way for mid-tier clubs to remain competitive.

"€13 million!" Gao Shen said calmly.

He didn't argue, he just raised the offer.

"And that's a one-time payment, in cash."

The three Schalke executives immediately perked up.

It wasn't just the €3 million jump in the offer.

In the Premier League, that kind of increase wasn't a big deal but in the Bundesliga, it was bold.

What really caught their attention was the payment method.

European football transfers rarely involved full upfront payments.

Instead, most deals were structured with installments.

That led to situations where:

A player transferred from Club A to Club B.

After two years, he transferred from Club B to Club C.

And yet, Club B still owed Club A part of the original transfer fee.


There were even extreme cases where a player had moved multiple times, but the original transfer fees were still unpaid.

Another issue was buyer's remorse.

If a player underperformed, his new club might decide to send him back to his old team, sometimes because they hadn't even finished paying for him yet.

Fans often thought these were sentimental moves—a "homecoming" story.

In reality?

It was often just unpaid debt.

This practice was common across European football.

Even Real Madrid, despite their enormous spending power, preferred to pay in installments.

Some of their massive transfer fees only looked high because the payment period was stretched over five to ten years, incorporating interest and financial costs.

Eventually, clubs adapted.

When selling a player on an installment plan, they would take the contract to a bank, secure a loan against the transfer fee, and use that immediate cash to reinvest in the squad.

That's why modern football transfers weren't just about buying and selling players they involved complex financial operations.

This was also why the CFOs of football clubs had become so important.

But Gao Shen was offering cash.

A €13 million full payment might seem low, but in practical terms, it was far more valuable than an installment-based €15–20 million deal.

For Schalke 04, cash on hand meant greater financial flexibility, they could immediately reinvest in the transfer market without waiting years for payments.

Of course, Gao Shen had already discussed this strategy with Mubarak, Cook, and Manchester City's board before coming to Schalke.

For the Middle Eastern billionaires, €10–20 million in cash was nothing.

…

"Mr. Gao, to be frank, we really can't sell Neuer at this price," Schnusenberg said.

Gao Shen nodded.

"I see."

He paused for a moment—then smiled.

"€15 million. Cash."

Another €2 million increase.

The Schalke executives were stunned.

How the hell was he negotiating like this?!

That's €2 million!

Did he even understand what €2 million could buy in the Bundesliga?

Bayer Leverkusen had just signed Lars Bender from 1860 Munich for €2 million.

Werder Bremen had bought Claudio Pizarro from Chelsea for €2 million.

Stuttgart had secured Aliaksandr Hleb from Barcelona for €2 million.

Dortmund had brought in Sven Bender from 1860 Munich for €1.5 million.

Hertha Berlin had signed Adrián Ramos from América de Cali for just €1.4 million.

Right now, Gao Shen was sitting across from Schalke 04's Big Three, and every time he raised the offer, it was by millions of euros.

€2 million, €3 million—just like that.

The Schalke executives were stunned.

They had met plenty of wealthy people before but never anyone this rich.

"Mr. Gao, we appreciate your sincerity, but... our fans won't accept us selling Germany's future No. 1 at this price," Schnusenberg said, his voice trembling slightly.

It wasn't that he had never handled large sums of money before—it was just that he had never experienced negotiations like this.

Normally, transfers involved back-and-forth communication via fax or phone calls. Each bid would be carefully analyzed before making a counteroffer.

But this?

Gao Shen was sitting right in front of them, raising his offer on the spot, and improvising as if he were haggling at a market.

How were they supposed to negotiate like this?!

At this point, Schalke's executives were genuinely excited.

It was clear that Manchester City really wanted Neuer.

And it was also clear that Schalke was willing to sell.

One side wanted to buy, the other side wanted to sell, the only thing left to decide was the price.

The problem was, the Schalke executives weren't sure how high they could push it.

What if they asked for too much, and Gao Shen walked away?

Would he come back with another offer?

Schnusenberg, as the club's financial officer, was especially nervous.

Because he knew exactly what they could do with this money.

Gao Shen immediately caught the hidden meaning behind his words.

At first, they claimed Neuer wasn't for sale.

Now, the excuse was "the fans won't accept the price."

The real message?

"We actually want to sell him but your offer is still a little low. Add a bit more, and we'll make this work."

If Manchester City raised the bid just a little more, Schalke could then sell the idea to the fans.

They'd make it seem like they had no choice but to accept because City's offer was too good to refuse.

That way, Manchester City gets the player, Schalke gets the money, and the club's executives keep the fans happy.

A win-win for everyone.

Gao Shen was thrilled.

This was the first time he had used money as a direct weapon like this.

In his past life, even though he had a good corporate job, his company had strict budgets and stingy financial controls.

Getting funding approved was a nightmare, the finance department was full of soulless bureaucrats.

But now?

Now, he was throwing around tens of millions so easily that it made his legs feel weak.

This…

This is how a transmigrator should live!

Damn it!

I must have traveled into the wrong script.

I should have been reincarnated as the crown prince of some oil-rich Middle Eastern royal family, spending every day throwing money at people, living like a king.

Why do I have to buy just two Bugatti Veyrons?

What about the license plate restrictions?!

If I'm getting a private jet, it has to be the party kind—like Tony Stark's in Iron Man.

That way, I'd never get bored while traveling.

Wake up in London's One Hyde Park, have a barbecue in Madrid for lunch, watch the sunset over Rome in the afternoon, hit up a cabaret show in Thailand in the evening, then fly to Tokyo to… experience the local hospitality.

Now THAT'S life!

Gao Shen almost let out a cheer just thinking about it.

But despite his wild thoughts, he remained completely serious on the surface.

After pretending to think for a moment, Gao Shen made a new offer.

"€18 million. In cash."

His tone was firm.

"This is the highest offer we can make. Think it over carefully."

But in his mind, Gao Shen was already planning his next move.

If they reject this, I'll just jump straight to €25 million.

Before, I was only raising by €2–3 million at a time but now, let's go all-in.

Big money can create miracles!

Maybe this shock-and-awe strategy would be even more effective.

He nodded to himself.

Yeah. Let's do it.

So, Gao Shen sat there, ready to pounce, waiting for Schalke's inevitable rejection.

Then, he'd hit them with €25 million, leaving them stunned into submission.

But…

That's not what happened.

Instead, after a quick discussion, Schalke's Supervisory Board Chairman, Clemens Tönnies, spoke up.

"Mr. Gao, we feel your sincerity," he said.

"€18 million, one-time cash payment. We accept."

Huh?!

Gao Shen was momentarily stunned.

Wait…

You're agreeing now?

But I had more offers coming!

Aren't we supposed to drag this out a little more?

Where's the dramatic back-and-forth?

You sold him for less than €20 million, is that even reasonable?

Shouldn't you at least pretend to hesitate, maybe push for a final bump?

I wasn't done negotiating yet!

The Schalke executives also gave Gao Shen complicated looks, almost as if they were worried.

Did he think he had overpaid and was now regretting it?

Better not give him a chance to back out!

"Mr. Gao," Schnusenberg quickly added, "Neuer is currently in Sweden for the U21 European Championship, but we can contact his agent immediately.

If all goes well, we can finalize the contract today."

He was clearly excited.

No doubt he was already fantasizing about how he'd spend Schalke's €18 million war chest.

Damn it!

How long has it been since Schalke had this kind of financial freedom?!

This time, they were going all out in the transfer market!

…

Thirty minutes later, Gao Shen left Schalke 04's headquarters looking visibly disappointed.

The three Schalke executives personally walked him out, all while feeling secretly delighted.

It looked like Gao Shen had gotten caught up in the moment and overpaid and now, he was regretting it.

Young people are always so impulsive!

So wasteful!

But as soon as Gao Shen got into the car, he let out a deep sigh.

"I was planning to pay €30 million for him…" he muttered.

"But I got him for €18 million instead."

"Why are you all so unprofessional?!"

Lucas and Brian Kidd exchanged helpless glances.

Then, they burst into laughter.

So that was it.

Gao Shen wasn't upset about overpaying, he was disappointed that he didn't get to spend more.

(To be continued.)