Starting With Real Madrid

"We should start preparing as early as possible."

After the match, while Manchester City's players were celebrating their victory, the Leeds United players were disappointed, but they had no regrets.

They had given it their all.

Gao Shen walked over to shake hands with Sarri.

As preparations for the podium got underway, Gao Shen, Sarri, Borrell, and Fernando Lucas, who had come down from the stands, stood off to the side and chatted.

When he said this, Gao Shen had a helpless expression on his face.

Because many things had gone beyond his expectations.

If Gao Shen had followed his original plan, he wouldn't have wanted the team to be in the spotlight this early.

Why?

Because European football is starving.

Yes, starving—literally.

In recent years, from Manchester City to Paris Saint-Germain, from Málaga to Roma, more and more foreign capital has poured into European football, frantically searching for footballing talent.

At first, they fought over famous stars. At PSG, it was Pastore and Cavani. Málaga landed Van Nistelrooy and Demichelis.

But that's only a small part of it. The truly frightening part is the purchasing power of the Premier League.

With skyrocketing revenue from domestic and international TV rights, Premier League clubs now have astonishing buying power.

Take Newcastle, for example.

They were promoted from the Championship to the Premier League in 2010. This season was their second back in the top flight, and so far, they had maintained a solid position around fifth to seventh place.

During the winter break, they signed Cissé from Bundesliga side Freiburg. The transfer fee wasn't high, but his weekly wage was £100,000.

Add in Demba Ba and Andy Carroll, and Newcastle's overall strength was nothing to scoff at.

Newcastle's owner, Mike Ashley, made his fortune in sporting goods retail. When he took over the club in 2007, he spent £134 million and took on £70 million in debt. The result? The Magpies' performance declined and they were relegated.

Why?

Because Ashley tried to buy low, sell high, and develop young players, relying heavily on the legendary Kevin Keegan as manager. Needless to say, that approach failed miserably.

But in the Championship, Ashley figured things out. Upon returning to the Premier League, he focused on maintaining squad stability and making targeted signings in key positions. The overall investment was modest, but the results were much better.

Especially this season.

Credit goes to manager Alan Pardew.

And it's not just Newcastle—look at Southampton.

After the Saints were promoted from the Championship to the Premier League, they spent over £20 million on Jay Rodriguez and Gastón Ramírez. But Ramírez, the most expensive signing, didn't make much impact.

This proves one thing: after promotion to the Premier League, the best approach is stability.

Maintain the core squad, strengthen a few key areas, and gradually raise the overall level.

That's the best and most efficient path to Premier League survival.

But right now, Leeds United are too eye-catching—and that's not a good thing.

Premier League clubs and others across Europe are already targeting them.

Talents are hard to come by in today's football world. Leeds United now have a group of highly performing young players in their early twenties. Who wouldn't be keeping an eye on them?

Some clubs even made offers during the winter break, but Leeds United rejected them all.

Come summer, however, the club will face a dilemma.

Sell, or renew contracts?

Neither is ideal.

Selling would disrupt the stability of the squad. The systems and tactics refined in the Championship would collapse.

Renewing contracts isn't any better.

Contract negotiations will be tough. Leeds United can't match the offers of wealthier clubs. Even if they did, the result would be a bloated wage structure.

One raise leads to another. Eventually, the whole salary system collapses.

That's why, more often than not, clubs prefer selling players to raising wages.

It's not about being stingy.

Lucas, Borrell, and Sarri all shared Gao Shen's concerns.

They were well aware that this problem was inevitable.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was just a "happy problem" that gave them headaches.

If the team had performed poorly, that would be a real problem.

"Next, we need to further stabilize and improve the team's tactical framework, build a mature and systematic style of play, and prepare mentally for the loss of core players," Gao Shen reminded.

This is almost unavoidable.

Take Courtois for example. He conceded six goals tonight, but Manchester City fired nearly 35 shots, 16 of which were on target, and only six resulted in goals. What more could be asked?

Leeds United also performed admirably, registering 18 shots, 7 on target, and scoring 3.

Tottenham Hotspur, who are desperate for a goalkeeper, have been chasing Courtois since the winter break. Their initial offer was £5 million, but Leeds United refused to even entertain discussions.

But what about the summer window?

In the Belgian league, there were still doubts about the quality of performances. But now, after featuring in the League Cup and FA Cup—especially this final against Manchester City—there's no more doubt.

This final was the ultimate test for Leeds United.

Gao Shen and the Leeds United board understood this well, which is why they fully supported Sarri in going all-out against Manchester City.

Put simply, since you can't keep them, you might as well put them on full display—and raise their value.

"We plan to increase our efforts to develop other players, give them more chances, and make multiple preparations," Borrell said.

This was actually a plan that Gao Shen had proposed earlier, though Sarri hadn't done the best job implementing it.

"Jorginho and Brozović can both be tested as deep-lying playmakers or in a double-pivot with Schneiderlin. They need more playing time. As for the front line, Mané, Salah, Harry Kane, Icardi, and Zaha should all get more chances."

"And Navas. That keeper is still very capable. I've watched him in international matches."

Gao Shen had always been cautious.

As a Virgo, he disliked leaving gaps or vulnerabilities, so whenever he made a plan, he always prepared for multiple scenarios.

Now, Leeds United needed to do what Gao Shen did with Napoli a few years ago—give more chances to the substitutes, experiment with more tactical setups, and raise the team's overall technical and tactical level.

As long as the tactical structure is stable and mature, even if key players are poached, it won't be catastrophic.

Just like Southampton in a previous life. After performing brilliantly in the Premier League, their spine was gutted. They lost nearly all their starters.

But what happened?

They did even better.

Why?

Because they already had a mature and stable tactical system.

As long as that system is in place, you can simply bring in replacements to fit into it.

Of course, that tactical system must continue to evolve and improve over time.

That part fell under Borrell's domain.

"Don't worry. We've already prepared for that. We'll try to keep two of the three midfielders and maintain a stable back line, especially at center back, to preserve the spine of the team," Borrell said.

Leeds United's situation was different from Gao Shen's Napoli back then.

Napoli's goal after promotion was to win the title. Leeds United's goal was to avoid relegation after reaching the Premier League.

Different goals require different approaches.

Benteke was currently the Championship's top scorer, Paulinho was third among midfielders, and Adam Lallana led the assist charts. They were Leeds United's best-performing players—and also the most valuable.

And then there's Courtois.

Even though Leeds conceded six tonight, the Belgian keeper's stock will only rise.

Running a club and operating in the transfer market is a complex and delicate matter.

Sometimes it's like a quiet war.

Take Manchester United for example. After Ferguson's retirement, their transfer operations seemed to regress to pre-modern times. The club spent heavily under Woodward, inflating prices, yet results were disappointing.

At the root of the problem was the club itself.

From Ferguson to Moyes, then Van Gaal, Mourinho, and Solskjær, United never developed a consistent tactical framework or playing philosophy.

For instance, after spending massive fees on Di María and Pogba, did the club ever build the system around them?

Even if Di María was an exception, what about Pogba?

With his reputation as one of the world's top midfielders and a World Cup winner, has he ever been played in his best position at United?

What else can you expect when you insist on using fine porcelain as an ashtray?

Leeds United was still a young team, but they were growing and improving steadily.

Most importantly, the direction was right.

And that direction had always been guided by Gao Shen and managed by Su Qing.

So who to sell and who to keep would ultimately be a matter of careful decision-making.

It could even be influenced by dynamic changes in the transfer market.

For example, if you planned to keep a certain player but then a wealthy club offered a sky-high fee, should you sell?

Transfer decisions directly impact squad planning, which in turn affects performance on the pitch.

Gao Shen knew this well—and so did Lucas, Borrell, and the rest.

This summer's transfer window would be the biggest test for the Gao Shen-led team since taking over Leeds United.

Once the podium was ready, the two teams began preparing for the trophy ceremony.

Runners-up Leeds United went first, followed by champions Manchester City.

This was Gao Shen's first League Cup win since arriving in the Premier League.

It was only the end of February, and already he had a trophy. That was something special.

But the upcoming Champions League and FA Cup were the competitions Gao Shen valued most—especially the Champions League.

Spalletti was no fool. With plenty of time to prepare and having traveled south early to adapt to the climate, Zenit St. Petersburg would be a very tough opponent.

They couldn't afford to be careless.

(To be continued.)

***

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