Starting With Real Madrid

The first thing Gao Shen did upon returning to Manchester was move into his new home.

Before leaving Naples, he had already packed his belongings and arranged for a moving company to airlift them to Manchester, where they were temporarily stored in his hotel.

Meanwhile, Manchester City had been actively helping him find a permanent residence.

Gao Shen's requirements were simple:

He didn't need too many rooms.

The place had to be quiet and private.

The neighborhood needed good security and convenient amenities.

Most importantly, he didn't want to worry about burglaries every other week.

With no family or schooling concerns, finding a place was relatively easy.

After careful selection, Manchester City found him a detached villa in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, just south of Manchester.

Alderley Edge was one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the UK, often compared to London's Windsor, only this was the northern version. It was home to many football stars and wealthy individuals.

For example, Manchester United's legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson lived in Wilmslow, just a couple of kilometers away.

The villa came with a private garden and state-of-the-art security features. Automatic alarm systems were installed both inside and outside, directly linked to the local police station. In the event of an emergency, police would arrive within five minutes.

Security wasn't an issue at all.

The best part?

The villa was just a ten-minute walk from the town's commercial district, which had everything he needed.

After making two visits, Carlo confirmed that the location was ideal.

So, Gao Shen agreed to rent the house, with Manchester City covering all expenses.

This was a luxury benefit typically reserved for top players.

Other members of the coaching staff were also looking for homes, and most chose to live near Wilmslow and Alderley Edge.

The only exception was Lucas, who enjoyed nightlife and preferred a high-rise apartment in the city center.

…

Upon returning from Madrid, Gao Shen also received a package from Naples at his hotel.

Inside were five tailor-made suits, specially prepared for him.

Back when he was coaching Napoli, a well-known local custom suit brand, Chidon, had invited him to be their brand ambassador.

Why?

Because Gao Shen's suits kept getting ruined by his players during celebrations, which became a running joke in the media.

When Chidon approached him, he learned that Naples was home to some of the world's most prestigious suit makers.

The sponsorship deal wasn't huge, just €2 million per year but it came with a valuable perk:

Chidon would custom-make several suits for him every year, free of charge.

In return, Gao Shen had to exclusively wear their suits at all formal events.

Now that he had left Naples for the Premier League, Chidon took this transition seriously.

They immediately sent him five brand-new "battle suits" to ensure he looked sharp for the new season.

Since Gao Shen hadn't been around to collect them earlier, they had been delivered directly to his hotel.

…

Moving into his new home was a straightforward process.

Since he didn't have too much luggage, he didn't even need a moving company, the hotel arranged for staff to help transport everything to Alderley Edge.

After settling in and exploring the neighborhood, Gao Shen felt very satisfied.

Carlo had done an excellent job—as expected. Gao Shen had always trusted him.

News of his return quickly spread.

Soon, Carlo, Lucas, Sarri, Borrell, Buenaventura, Pintus, and the rest of the coaching team showed up at his new home.

They claimed they were there to "report on their work", but in reality, it was an excuse to check out his house.

Not long after, Mubarak, Mawood, and Hakim also arrived.

Meanwhile, Brian Kidd and Gary Cook were still in Spain, handling transfer business.

Once everything was settled and the house was in order, Gao Shen decided to treat everyone to dinner.

He picked a high-end restaurant nearby, which Carlo had strongly recommended during the house-hunting process.

According to Carlo, this place was "where Alderley Edge's wealthy residents dined".

After enjoying the meal together, everyone agreed—it was top-notch.

There was an extensive menu, offering delicacies from all over the world.

…

After dinner, the conversation naturally shifted to preparations for the new season.

At this point, almost all of Gao Shen's transfer targets had been signed—except for Modrić.

So far, Manchester City had brought in:

Rakitic

David Luiz

Eden Hazard

Manuel Neuer

Luis Suárez

Javi Martínez

David Silva

Arjen Robben

Filipe Luís

Gary Cahill

Gareth Bale

A total of eleven players.

With so many new signings, last season's Manchester City squad had been almost completely cleared out.

However, there was still a major financial gap between transfer spending and income.

The main reason?

Most of the players Manchester City offloaded weren't highly valued on the transfer market, meaning the club didn't recoup much money from sales.

One of the biggest issues Manchester City faced was the high premiums they had paid for players in previous years. Selling them now meant significant losses.

Additionally, everyone knew Manchester City had deep pockets, so when they tried to offload players, buyers lowballed them.

But for City, money wasn't the issue.

As long as the gap wasn't too large, they were willing to sell at a loss and move on.

…

The current squad had undergone a massive overhaul.

Goalkeeper:

Shay Given remained, while Joe Hart was sent out on loan.

Defenders:

Kompany, Zabaleta, Bridge, and Micah Richards were still in the squad.

Gao Shen also promoted a youth player—Kieran Trippier.

Midfield:

Only Nigel de Jong and Stephen Ireland were left.

Forwards:

Just Robinho, Sturridge, and Shaun Wright-Phillips remained.

For a club that had spent €150 million in the past year, the fact that so few players survived the purge highlighted how poorly managed City had been.

…

City's previous recruitment strategy was chaotic, often overspending without a clear plan.

Take Jô, for example.

His real market value was around €10 million, yet City had paid €22 million to sign him from Russia.

The result? He flopped. By February, he was loaned to Everton—who weren't even interested in buying him permanently.

Then there was Elano, signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for €11 million despite being valued at just €7 million.

He failed to impress, and City were now offloading him to Galatasaray for just €6.5 million.

Nigel de Jong was another example.

He was bought from Hamburg in January for €16.5 million, even though his actual market value was only €8 million.

City had countless similar cases, overpaying for players who never justified their price tags.

In Gao Shen's assessment, only Kompany and Zabaleta had truly been worth the investment.

…

Even Mubarak knew the club's past transfer dealings were a mess.

Gary Cook, the club's CEO, had come from Nike and had no experience in football management.

That's why City had advisors like Brian Marwood and a technical director in Brian Kidd.

But the silver lining?

With no real opposition within the club, Gao Shen had full control over City's football operations.

…

"Looking at our current squad, we're still thin in midfield and up front," Carlo pointed out.

Gao Shen nodded.

David Silva, Rakitic, and Javi Martínez would be key starters, but their success depended on how quickly they integrated.

The only real midfield backups?

De Jong

Ireland

That wasn't enough depth.

The Premier League's demanding schedule, particularly the Christmas fixture congestion, made squad rotation crucial.

If injuries struck, City would be in trouble.

At the same time, signing too many players would create another problem—players not getting enough game time.

Right now, what City needed most were quality substitutes.

City also lacked a true No. 9.

Luis Suárez had played mostly as a winger at Ajax.

Robinho, Robben, Hazard, and Sturridge were all wide forwards, not central strikers.

Gareth Bale was a left-back.

That meant Suárez playing as a central forward was still just a theory, it hadn't been tested yet.

And even if he adapted, could City really rely on just one forward?

At 1.82m, Suárez wasn't exactly a physical presence in the box.

City needed a proper striker.

"What's the latest on Pellè?" Gao Shen asked.

Carlo shook his head. "Napoli aren't selling."

Napoli had already sold enough players this summer—€330 million worth!

That was an insane profit from the transfer market.

With that kind of cash, De Laurentiis and Marino were flexing their power—talking about stadium renovations, upgrading their youth academy, and more.

After keeping Cavani, Napoli saw Pellè as too valuable tactically to let go.

Allegri wasn't willing to part with him.

Pellè had a clear tactical purpose, especially in physical battles and aerial duels.

"What about Edin Džeko?" Brian Marwood suggested.

Carlo nodded. "He's good, but expensive. After last season, his price has shot up at least €25 million now."

Mubarak waved his hand dismissively. "That's not a problem. If we want him, we can get him."

After all, City had already spent over €200 million—what was another €25 million?

But Gao Shen wasn't convinced.

"Džeko is a great player, physically and technically," he admitted.

"But I've watched his games at Wolfsburg, he doesn't actually play as a pure center forward. He operates more like a second striker."

City's previous experience with Džeko had been hit or miss.

When they brought him in later in real life, he was used as a No. 9, but his performances were inconsistent.

It wasn't until he moved to Roma, where he refined his target man skills that he truly exploded.

Spending €25 million on a player who might need time to adapt and might not even fit the system was a risk Gao Shen wasn't willing to take.

"I don't believe in spending that much money on a backup striker," he said firmly.

"As for our center forward… I have someone else in mind."

(To be continued.)