From the moment Gao Shen decided to acquire Leeds United, he had no intention of keeping it secret from Mubarak and his assistants.
This was a matter of trust.
At the right time, Gao Shen disclosed it to Mubarak.
The Manchester City chairman was initially surprised, but after an in-depth conversation with Gao Shen, he consulted Mansour, who was in the Middle East. Mansour's response was one of trust and support.
In fact, there was no need for Manchester City to react strongly, because this was Gao Shen's personal matter. More importantly, it wasn't a bad thing for the club. As Gao Shen explained, he was optimistic about the future of youth development in European football and wanted to acquire a lower-league club to focus on youth training. This was actually beneficial for Manchester City.
Since the two clubs occupied different competitive tiers, there would be no conflict of interest.
Of course, Gao Shen didn't reveal everything. He didn't mention his long-term ambition to reach the Premier League.
However, a potential complication would arise if Leeds United were eventually promoted to the Premier League. At that point, it would conflict with his role as Manchester City's head coach.
Many people don't realize that the Premier League operates more like a supervisory organization.
What does that mean?
The Premier League's CEO and staff are all employed by the league, but the ownership of the league belongs to the 20 participating clubs.
Before each season, the Premier League holds a roundtable where representatives or owners of the 20 clubs gather to discuss the upcoming season's direction.
If Leeds United, owned by Gao Shen, were promoted to the Premier League in the future, it would undoubtedly trigger protests at that meeting.
And the consequence of such a protest would be two options—one or the other.
That's why Gao Shen wanted to communicate with Manchester City in advance. He didn't want any misunderstanding between them.
He even told Mansour that if the club chose to replace him this season, he would accept it without asking for any compensation.
But Mansour gave his full support and promised to honor Gao Shen's contract. He also said that if Gao Shen needed help with the new club after the acquisition, Manchester City would do its best to assist.
…
Besides clarifying things with Manchester City, Gao Shen also informed his core coaching staff.
Fernando Lucas was his chosen candidate to become the future CEO of Leeds United.
During the recent negotiations in London, Lucas's preparation and competence had already earned Su Qing's recognition.
If the acquisition went through, Gao Shen would hand over all his responsibilities at Manchester City to Brian Kidd, including the analysis team he had built, ensuring the club could continue to operate smoothly.
Aside from Lucas, Gao Shen also spoke with Sarri.
The Italian coach had been with Gao Shen for three years and had learned a great deal. Gao Shen felt it was time for Sarri to take on a bigger role. He didn't pressure or bribe him, but asked him to think it over carefully.
If Sarri wanted to return to Italy, Gao Shen would help him, at least securing a job in Serie B or even Serie A. But if he chose to stay, and the Leeds acquisition was completed, he would become head coach of Leeds United. Gao Shen would then build a squad tailored to him.
Sarri had deep respect for Gao Shen's abilities. Since Gao Shen promised to build the team around him, he had no doubts and agreed.
With the chairman, the CEO, and the head coach in place, there was still one crucial position left.
Technical director.
As a coach, Gao Shen disliked being restricted by a technical director. But as a club owner, he had to admit that a technical director was essential for long-term stability.
Managers come and go. A technical director, however, must remain steady and ensure continuity.
For Leeds United, the top priority was youth development.
The first person Gao Shen considered was Carlo. Back in Spain, Carlo had spent years coaching in the lower leagues, including Mallorca B and Real Madrid B, developing many players and proving his abilities.
More importantly, Carlo was meticulous, steady, and trustworthy.
Gao Shen believed Carlo would make an excellent technical director, but it would mean losing a vital assistant, someone who could cover his blind spots.
Buenaventura could still handle training, but Carlo's role would be hard to replace.
After much deliberation, Gao Shen chose someone else.
Rodolfo Borrell.
If Carlo had strong credentials in youth development, Borrell's were equally impressive.
At just 40, he had been coaching in Barcelona's youth system since he was 25, rising from the lower levels to become head coach of the U18 team. His personal capability was unquestionable.
Having followed Gao Shen for years, Borrell had become one of his most trusted technical coaches. He also served as a technical consultant for Manchester City's youth academy and had a deep understanding of youth development in England.
More importantly, those familiar with Borrell knew that he wasn't just a great trainer. He advocated for attacking football and technical style, had strong tactical understanding, and was a master at spotting talent.
In some ways, Borrell was even more suitable than Carlo.
After thorough discussion with both Carlo and Borrell, Gao Shen made his decision.
Once the acquisition was complete, Borrell would become the technical director of Leeds United, responsible for competitive affairs, especially youth development, which would be central to the club's strategy.
Su Qing, Lucas, Borrell, and Sarri. This was the leadership team Gao Shen envisioned for Leeds United.
And all of them came from his coaching staff.
It's worth noting that in Gao Shen's newly designed management structure, Borrell's title would be Technical Director, not Director of Football.
The key difference lies in authority over transfers and recruitment.
A technical director is more like a consultant in transfers. A director of football, by contrast, has final say.
Moreover, technical directors focus on youth development, while directors of football oversee all competitive matters.
Gao Shen believed Borrell was better suited to the role of technical director.
At least when it came to negotiating transfers and handling transactions, that wasn't his strength.
…
After Su Qing returned to Cheshire from London, Gao Shen called Lucas and Borrell together.
This was the first meeting of Leeds United's future leadership team—and Gao Shen's most trusted inner circle.
Sarri, as head coach, wasn't yet qualified to attend such a meeting.
Su Qing first detailed her meeting with Ken Bates in London, especially the issue of the £20 million.
"Have you been back to Leeds United since?" Gao Shen asked.
"I have," Su Qing replied. "Of the £20 million, the most valuable property is Elland Road and the land surrounding it. The Thorp Arch training ground is in the suburbs, about 20 to 30 kilometers north of Leeds, on the outskirts of a town called Wetherby, near a small village named Walton."
It sounded complicated, but in fact, it was just outside that tiny village.
Of course, in the UK, being rural doesn't mean being bad. In fact, rural areas often have better public safety than urban ones.
A village like Walton might not even have a thousand residents.
"Of the six full-sized pitches, two are abandoned. There's a tin-sided training building with no geothermal system. It'll be hard to train in winter," Borrell said with a frown, shaking his head.
The facilities were seriously lacking.
In a place like the UK, a geothermal system is standard. Without it, what happens when it snows?
If the pitch freezes, how can you train?
Not long ago, Real Madrid had made headlines because of snowfall. The staff at Valdebebas forgot to switch on the geothermal heating, and the first team's pitch froze. Mourinho was furious and fired the staff immediately.
Indoor training grounds are high-end features. You can't expect that here yet, but at the very least, there should be geothermal heating.
Leeds United didn't even have that.
"From what I gathered, Leeds United's original training ground was Fullerton Park, just west of Elland Road. It's now totally abandoned. The space is roughly equivalent to four full pitches, currently flattened and used as a temporary parking lot on match days," Lucas added, sounding helpless.
"If we want to renovate the training base, how much would it cost?" Su Qing asked seriously.
Lucas and Borrell exchanged glances before Lucas responded.
"Hard to say right now. First, the water supply and drainage systems must be redone. The pitch conditions are extremely poor. The first team's pitch isn't even standard length. There's no geothermal heating either, so that'll need to be installed."
"Also, the fencing around the fields is in bad shape. I walked around, and in several places people could enter directly. That's just unacceptable. Even if there aren't many people nearby, we need to be prepared."
"If we're following our standards, we'll need a new training facility, a composite track, outdoor pitch analysis cameras and systems, a heated pool and gym, plus essentials like ice baths and hydrotherapy pools."
Su Qing frowned again and turned to Gao Shen.
Seeing her expression, Gao Shen smiled helplessly and said, "You know, when it comes to spending money, we're the most professional!"
Su Qing and the others burst out laughing.
Gao Shen wasn't wrong. His coaching team was top-tier in both software and hardware. Naturally, their standards were the highest. That included a full set of advanced training equipment.
And while adding equipment and renovating facilities was just the hardware cost, there would also be long-term expenses for staffing.
For example, those analysis systems on outdoor pitches would require at least two dedicated analysts to operate.
This wasn't just a one-time investment. It was a long-term financial commitment.
Is it useful?
Extremely. The results were obvious.
But to implement all of it, you needed one thing above all else—money.
Broke and bare, that was the current state of Leeds United.
To put it humorously, it was like a blank canvas. Gao Shen could paint anything he wanted.
The prerequisite was having enough money.
(To be continued.)
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