Chapter 246: Right Road

What Valdano mentioned about the controversy Gao Shen stirred up in Argentina is actually not that big of a deal.

The reason it caught the attention of the Argentine media, and then many other outlets followed suit, was due to the involvement of high-profile individuals.

As previously mentioned, all the players that Gao Shen had his eye on were highly sought-after.

Napoli had sent an email to Gao Shen before from Roman Dias, an Argentine agent, listing information on numerous players, many of whom Gao Shen was already familiar with. These included players like Rodrigo Carlos from Boca Juniors, the famous braided player Palacio, and the rumored Colombian forward Falcao, who had allegedly changed his age and was now playing for River Plate.

But what truly stood out from the list was a relatively unknown name: Javier Pastore.

This Argentine teenager, who had just turned 18, was playing for a second-tier Argentine team called Talleres. He had only made five appearances in the past season, but he showed good potential and caught the attention of the Argentine Primera División team Huracán, who were keen to sign him.

Unexpectedly, just as the deal was about to go through, Napoli swooped in and offered a higher price of 500,000 euros for Javier Pastore, which was 100,000 euros more than Huracán's offer.

For a team like Talleres, this was no small amount, so they naturally chose to sell him to Napoli.

However, this left Huracán feeling frustrated.

From a procedural standpoint, Napoli's move was perfectly legitimate no agreement had been signed yet, so there was no breach of contract. However, Napoli's sudden intervention was undeniably unsettling.

To make matters worse, upon hearing that Napoli was interested, Pastore quickly opted to join them without hesitation. The transfer was completed within two days, leaving Huracán with almost no time to react.

In the end, Huracán publicly accused Gao Shen of "robbing" them in the Argentine media.

Given Gao Shen's status as one of the most influential figures in the football world today, it's no surprise that this small incident blew up into a major controversy.

"I'm really helpless. Obviously, this has nothing to do with me, yet now it seems like I've committed a major crime," Gao Shen said with a helpless smile, explaining the entire situation.

"Javier Pastore? I've never heard of him," Valdano shook his head.

He couldn't figure out how Gao Shen had unearthed this player.

"He's only just debuted, only 18 years old, and he'll need some time to develop, but I'm very optimistic about his future. He's 1.87 meters tall, his physique is decent, and his style of play reminds me a bit of Kaka," Gao Shen said with a smile.

"Kaka?" Valdano was taken aback.

Not only Valdano but also Florentino, Butragueño, and Zidane were surprised.

After leading AC Milan to the Champions League title last season, Kaka had become the world's top football superstar.

Could Pastore really play like Kaka?

"He's good at dribbling through the middle, very similar to Kaka, but in some ways, I think he's also a bit like Zidane. He just needs to be molded," Gao Shen explained with a smile.

Upon hearing this, both Valdano and Zidane became intrigued.

"When I get the chance, I must watch him play," Valdano said expectantly, especially since he is also Argentine.

Zidane felt the same. In recent years, many players had been dubbed the "next Zidane" in France, but so far, none had truly filled his shoes. Ribéry, for example, wasn't really in the same mold as Zidane.

"Honestly, you've built a lot of talent now, but you should also be cautious there are many who will try to poach your players," Valdano warned.

Gao Shen nodded. Over the past period, he had stayed in close contact with his players.

Napoli's situation was improving, and Gao Shen had big ambitions for the upcoming season. The players were aware of this and sensed that moving to teams like Palermo, Parma, or even Roma wasn't necessarily a better move than staying in Napoli, given the team's strength.

Gao Shen had big plans, and the players wanted to follow him to achieve great things. Thus, none of them were considering leaving.

Of course, the club would have to shell out some money, and players would expect their salaries to rise accordingly.

This is why Gao Shen was reluctant to spend too much on new signings. Leaving some room in the budget for the club to increase salaries would keep the club happy, and the players even happier. This approach could be just as effective as making big signings.

Gao Shen was also dealing with issues related to commercial sponsorships.

Several companies had approached him.

Florentino always believed that Gao Shen's commercial value had yet to be fully tapped, especially since Gao Shen had the entire massive Chinese market behind him. However, China's weak football culture only made Gao Shen's potential value even more prominent.

How to strategically plan his commercial career was a complex matter, and it was a key topic Gao Shen discussed with Florentino.

After all, Florentino was an expert in this field.

He had handled commercial sponsorships for many top stars, including Zidane, Ronaldo, and Beckham. His experience and advice were extremely valuable.

Zidane also chimed in, offering his perspective as someone who had been on the receiving end of sponsorship deals.

For instance, he had signed some sponsorship contracts that ended up being exhausting, and he didn't believe they were worth it.

He advised against signing deals in certain fields, even if they offered a lot of money, as they could harm one's brand image. For instance, accepting deals from gaming companies could backfire. On the other hand, doing public welfare sponsorships, even for free, could enhance one's public image.

In summary, brand management was a complex topic.

Before Zidane joined Real Madrid, he had almost no experience in this area. But during his five years at the club, he had become one of the hottest football brands globally.

"I'll give you José Ángel Sánchez's number later. If you need anything, contact him; he can help you," Florentino said cheerfully.

It was clear from his tone that even though Florentino no longer held an official position at Real Madrid, his influence still reached every corner of the club.

After dinner, Gao Shen chatted with Zidane, Valdano, and others about football for quite some time.

They mainly discussed Gao Shen's ideas and strategies for Napoli, as well as his plans for forming the team. He showed a strong desire to win the Serie A title, which surprised everyone. They realized that Gao Shen had made significant progress since leaving Real Madrid he was no longer the inexperienced coach who had once saved Real Madrid.

Now, he was a truly famous young manager in Europe.

And he was only 26 years old.

Florentino even joked that if Gao Shen were to return to Real Madrid, the club would have to pay a hefty transfer fee.

Gao Shen jokingly responded, "Will I be allowed to pick the players I want?"

Florentino was momentarily speechless.

Zidane and Valdano laughed, and the conversation moved on.

By the time Gao Shen returned to his hotel, it was already midnight.

Even in Spain, a country known for its late nights, it was quite late.

But he still checked the text messages and emails Marino had sent him, updating him on the day's developments.

Good news!

Earlier, after learning that both Arbeloa and Cicinho were out of reach, Marino had flown to Lille, France, to negotiate with Lille's management. In the shortest time possible, he successfully signed Swiss right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner from Lille for the high price of 3 million euros.

Gao Shen had been following Lichtsteiner since last summer, but back then, Lille was third in Ligue 1, and Napoli was still a Serie B team. After some evaluation, they had concluded that Lichtsteiner wouldn't consider joining Napoli.

However, this past season, Lille had fallen to 14th place in Ligue 1, and their performance had plummeted.

Lichtsteiner wasn't even a starter for Lille he was a substitute.

Even this season, he was merely a rotation player, as Lille already had a more established player in Matthieu Chalmé and a promising academy graduate in Mathieu Debuchy.

Yes, the same Debuchy who would later join Newcastle and Arsenal.

With such competition, Lichtsteiner had yet to establish himself as a regular starter, and his performances were average at best. Yet, his price wasn't low Napoli had to pay 3 million euros to secure him.

This marked the highest transfer fee Gao Shen had spent since taking charge of Napoli.

But Gao Shen thought it was worth it.

After scouting many players, Gao Shen's need for a right-back had become increasingly urgent.

From Zabaleta, Sagna, and Srna to Belletti, Arbeloa, and Cicinho, Gao Shen knew how scarce quality right-backs were. So, signing Lichtsteiner for 3 million euros felt like a good deal.

As Marino put it, if he had more time, he could have negotiated with Lille to bring the price down to 2 million euros.

But Gao Shen was in a hurry. He feared that once word got out, another club might swoop in and sign Lichtsteiner, leaving Napoli with no choice but to pay a higher price or pursue someone like Maicon.

Rather than risk that, it was better to secure Lichtsteiner for 3 million euros straight away.

In Marino's email, Gao Shen also noticed that Arsenal had ramped up their efforts to poach Gervinho, even going so far as to contact his agent.

This gave Gao Shen an ominous feeling.

Gervinho was already quite dissatisfied with the football environment in Italy, where he had been subjected to racist remarks on several occasions. If Arsenal truly decided to pursue him aggressively, it would be difficult for Napoli to hold onto him.

If Gervinho left, Napoli's front line might have to be restructured once again.

With players like Di Maria, Sánchez, Mertens, and Callejón, Napoli's attacking combination should be able to handle the upcoming season with two competitions. But should there be any injuries, things could get tricky.

Plus, the adaptation of the two new recruits had to be considered.

Feeling uneasy, Gao Shen thought the safest option would be to retain Gervinho.

He immediately replied to Marino's email, instructing him to try his best to keep Gervinho at the club. Gao Shen planned to personally call Gervinho the next day to persuade him to stay.

However, to Gao Shen's surprise, the next morning, before he even had the chance to make the call, Gervinho's phone call came first.