"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.)