Chapter 251: Transfer Battle

Sometimes, Gao Shen really thought it was too easy for European football clubs to make money.

Take Real Madrid last season, for example.

When Gao Shen left and Capello took over, Capello reused many of the same players that Gao Shen had developed. However, he had his own set of criteria for selecting players.

That wasn't necessarily a bad thing at worst, it limited the development of the young players Gao Shen had promoted.

But then, this summer, Capello was replaced by Schuster, who introduced a completely new system and even considered a full squad overhaul.

How much wastage of resources was that?

Some might argue that Calderon and Mijatović were trying to make money from the transfers.

Sure, that's part of it. But this kind of behavior was rampant across European football.

Each new manager came in with his own entourage, bringing different players and plans.

The most famous example, Gao Shen recalled, was when Barcelona considered hiring Mourinho before ultimately choosing Guardiola. What a joke that was.

There was also the infamous "CD incident" where Mourinho supposedly gave Barcelona a CD of his plans, and they ended up hiring Guardiola to implement them. Gao Shen believed the CD existed, but the idea that Barcelona management listened to Mourinho and had Guardiola follow his plan was pure conspiracy theory—totally unrealistic.

Having worked in a large company in his previous life, Gao Shen simply couldn't understand the logic behind how club managers operated.

Did they have too much money or too much talent to care about?

And then there were the players themselves.

When Gao Shen was at Real Madrid, he remembered hearing about an incident involving Anelka.

Years ago, Real Madrid had paid a huge sum to sign Anelka from Arsenal, and with that money, Wenger bought Thierry Henry and built Arsenal's state-of-the-art training center. That move was praised by countless people, but what did Real Madrid do?

Most people knew that Anelka didn't last long at the club. But why?

Those in the know would say that Anelka was eccentric, introverted, and hard to get along with there was a lot of talk about his difficult personality.

But the real question was, shouldn't Real Madrid have figured that out before buying him?

Wasn't that the bare minimum?

Then something very interesting happened.

On Anelka's first day at Real Madrid's old training complex, no one greeted him.

From the moment he signed the contract to the time he arrived, no one at the club helped him get settled. There was no locker prepared for him in the dressing room, and he didn't know what to do. He ended up wandering around, moving his things aimlessly.

Imagine how a sensitive, introverted, and eccentric young man would feel in a completely unfamiliar environment on his first day.

Gao Shen didn't think this was the sole reason for Anelka's failure at Real Madrid, but wasn't it worth reflecting on?

And a few years ago, Chelsea signed Didier Drogba for a hefty fee. What did they do?

They left him in a hotel with no further support no help with accommodation, no guidance. The same thing happened to other players who joined at that time.

Drogba, with his limited English at the time, had to go out on his own and find a place to live.

Everyone knows football stars are wealthy, but they don't always have much education or know the local market. Real estate agents aren't stupid—they see wealthy foreigners and hike up prices.

How can a player perform well on the pitch when they haven't even settled in off the pitch?

Clubs buy and sell players carelessly, chasing after the latest hot talents. Many players suddenly rise to fame after a single competition, and their market value skyrockets. But once they're bought, clubs often neglect them, assuming they'll just perform at a high level without any further support, as if they were superhuman.

This wasn't a problem with just one or two clubs it was widespread across the entire industry.

Gao Shen, having worked in the corporate world in his previous life, knew that in any company, key employees—those with high salaries and critical skills, like players were extremely important.

From the very start, there were various levels of selection, evaluation, interviews, and negotiations. When onboarding, companies would assist with everything, from housing to finding schools for employees' children. They would even assign mentors to guide new hires through the early stages.

All of this served one purpose: to help the employee integrate smoothly and contribute quickly to the team.

But European clubs? They rarely did any of this. They felt that once they had spent the money and signed a player, the player should perform. If the player didn't, well, that was the player's problem.

Even Florentino Pérez's Real Madrid, praised for its modern management, couldn't get this part right.

When Gao Shen arrived in Naples, he quickly realized this issue. After many discussions and observations, he chose Montervino to take on the role of team captain.

Montervino acted like a company's HR department, helping new players integrate into the dressing room and assisting with off-field matters, such as housing and other personal concerns.

These day-to-day details often went unnoticed, but the players in the Naples dressing room certainly appreciated it and benefited from it.

This is why, after Napoli won the Serie B title last season, Gao Shen insisted that Montervino take the stage and lift the trophy.

No one on the team objected.

On the pitch, Montervino's ability might not have warranted the captain's armband, but off the pitch, he was the true leader.

If he didn't deserve the honor, who did?

In addition, Gao Shen took great care to help new signings integrate into the team.

For example, he introduced a mentor system similar to what corporations use, where experienced players would guide new arrivals. This system had its potential pitfalls, though.

For instance, Gao Shen couldn't pair Lichtsteiner with Garics, as that would create direct competition between them.

Everyone knew Lichtsteiner was there to take Garics' position. How could Garics be expected to mentor him in good faith?

Instead, Gao Shen assigned Rakitic to mentor Lichtsteiner.

Why? Although Rakitic was of Croatian descent, he had lived in Switzerland from a young age and played for Basel, while Lichtsteiner came from Zurich's Grasshopper Club. They shared common ground and would likely communicate well. On the pitch, their roles were also complementary.

Other players, like Callejón and Parejo, were assigned to Sánchez, since they all spoke Spanish. Sánchez was one of Gao Shen's most trusted players, a leader in the squad, and someone who would follow Gao Shen's orders without hesitation.

Thiago Motta was paired with David Luiz, both Brazilians. Thiago Motta lacked confidence, while David Luiz was known for his carefree, upbeat personality. Gao Shen hoped Luiz could help Motta regain his self-assurance.

Once the mentor list was finalized, Gao Shen didn't stop there.

He kept in regular contact with the players, calling them frequently, ensuring that they were mentally prepared for the upcoming season's training camp. His goal was to make sure every Napoli player was fully focused and ready to perform.

---

By July, the European summer transfer market was in full swing.

La Liga and the Premier League continued to dominate, with their financial clout on full display. The Premier League's purchasing power was unrivaled, and Real Madrid and Barcelona were once again the big players in the transfer market.

Real Madrid brought in stars like Robben, Sneijder, Pepe, and Drenthe, all for hefty sums. Barcelona, meanwhile, signed Henry, Gabriel Milito, Abidal, and Yaya Touré, also spending large amounts.

But the real surprise was Atlético Madrid. After selling Fernando Torres, they reinvested the money in big names like Diego Forlán, Simão, Raúl García, Reyes, and Luis García.

Aguirre's team was clearly preparing for a strong push in the new season.

In contrast, Serie A was more low-key, with Juventus leading the way in terms of investment.

After failing to win the Serie B title last season, Juventus underwent a major overhaul. Deschamps was replaced by Ranieri as head coach, and the club brought in players like Iaquinta, Thiago, Almirón, Andrade, and Salihamidžić, while also reclaiming players like Nocerino and Molinaro.

Juventus had spent over 55 million euros in the transfer market, signaling their intent to rebuild.

One interesting tidbit was the story of young striker Paolucci, who had played on loan at Ascoli last season. After facing Napoli in the Coppa Italia, Paolucci shared detailed information about their tactics with Juventus, hoping to stay with the Bianconeri. However, despite his efforts, Juventus sold him to Udinese, leaving Paolucci in tears during a post-transfer interview.

Once Juventus was done with him, they discarded him ruthlessly.

It was yet another example of how being too eager to please doesn't always pay off.

Meanwhile, AC Milan made headlines by signing Pato from Internacional for 22 million euros, marking their biggest signing of the summer. Roma sold Cristian Chivu to Inter Milan for 16 million euros, making him Serie A's most expensive transfer.

Napoli, by comparison, spent less than 10 million euros on new signings. However, by selling Gervinho for 15 million, the club had actually profited by 5 million in the transfer market, a rare feat in Serie A.

They had brought in eight players with a modest investment of under 10 million euros , which ranked Napoli 15th in Serie A in terms of transfer spending comparable to relegation-threatened teams like Catania and Siena. Among the three newly-promoted teams, Napoli's spending was far below that of Juventus, who had splurged at the top end of the table, and even Genoa, who spent 25 million euros.

This led many to believe that Napoli's true aim for the upcoming season was simply to avoid relegation.

Otherwise, how could one explain their frugality in the transfer market?

After all, have you ever seen a team that made money in the transfer market, strengthened their squad, and still managed to achieve a high ranking?