Chapter 367: Zidane: Look at my Materazzi’s Hammer!

When the European Championship was in full swing, the new season of European football had already begun quietly.

After returning to Barcelona, Guardiola and Begiristain officially submitted their team plan for the upcoming season. The proposal was highly praised by notable figures, including Cruyff and Begiristain himself.

Not long after, Guardiola was formally appointed as the head coach of Barcelona for the new season.

Meanwhile, Mourinho, who had been eagerly eyeing the Camp Nou, was left utterly disappointed after Barcelona's coaching trio returned from China and decided on Guardiola. Upon hearing the news, Mourinho was reportedly so enraged that he almost lost it. His frustration was amplified when the Catalan media revealed that it was Gao Shen who had recommended Guardiola for the position. The revelation left Mourinho seething and further deepened his animosity toward Gao Shen.

For Mourinho, this was a bitter pill to swallow. Coaching Barcelona had been his singular obsession for the past six months.

But after Barcelona's decision, Mourinho didn't wait long to accept the offer to coach Inter Milan.

Inter Milan, after dismissing Mancini, had set their sights on Gao Shen as their primary candidate. Despite Gao Shen politely declining their persistent overtures even after Angelo Moratti and Marco Branca returned from China they remained hopeful that he would reconsider. But after Gao Shen opted to renew his contract with Napoli, Inter Milan made their decision and turned to Mourinho.

As the Gazzetta dello Sport put it: "Mourinho is a stand-in for Gao Shen."

Whether it was Barcelona or Inter Milan, Mourinho was perceived as a second choice. This sentiment greatly agitated the Portuguese manager. At his first press conference as Inter Milan's new head coach, Mourinho openly challenged this narrative, expressing his frustration with Naples winning the Serie A double last season. His critical tone even included a jab at his predecessor, Mancini.

Essentially, his words conveyed: "Mancini, you were pathetic! Watch how it's done!"

Mourinho didn't stop there. He also criticized those who believed Zlatan Ibrahimović was a redundant player for Inter Milan.

"No professional coach would ever say such a thing!" Mourinho declared, emphasizing that Ibrahimović was a world-class player and an irreplaceable part of Inter Milan.

These comments were clearly aimed at Gao Shen. Reports in the Italian media had previously suggested that, if Gao Shen had taken over at Inter, Ibrahimović would have been his first target for departure, as the Swedish striker didn't fit his tactical preferences. Mourinho's remarks were a direct rebuke to this narrative, labeling it unprofessional.

The outspoken Mourinho then continued in his typical Premier League fashion, confidently proclaiming, "With my arrival, Serie A will no longer be the same. Inter Milan will win everything next season!"

Mourinho and Inter Milan wasted no time backing up these claims.

Shortly after taking over, Mourinho began reshaping the squad. Players such as the Portuguese youngster Pelé were sold, Suazo was sent out on loan, Solari returned to Argentina, and Maniche whose loan deal wasn't extended returned to Atlético Madrid. Brazilian midfielder César also left on a free transfer after his contract expired.

Several key players and regular substitutes from last season were cleared out.

Mourinho and Inter Milan then switched to a buying spree.

For €13 million, they signed Mancini from Roma; for €16 million, they secured Sulley Muntari from Portsmouth; and for €23 million, they brought in Portuguese winger Quaresma from Porto.

They also completed the buyout of Jiménez and signed young Coutinho, although the latter, due to his age, wouldn't join until 2010.

…

At AC Milan, after securing Champions League qualification thanks to Napoli's help last season, Ancelotti embarked on a major squad overhaul.

Players like Gilardino, Oliveira, Gourcuff, Cafu, and Ronaldo left, but Milan brought in high-profile names like Ronaldinho from Barcelona and Flamini from Arsenal. They also added Zambrotta, Borriello, Antonini, Shevchenko, and Senderos to their roster.

It was clear that the Rossoneri were gearing up for a fresh start.

…

Juventus, meanwhile, strengthened their attack by signing Brazilian striker Amauri from Palermo for €23 million after failing to secure Cavani. They also added Danish midfielder Poulsen from Sevilla for €10 million.

With the return of young players like Giovinco and Marchisio, Juventus entered the new season with significant upgrades.

In contrast, Roma's transfer activity was underwhelming. The Red Wolves, strapped for cash, sold Mancini at a high price and later offloaded Giuly and Curci. However, their reinforcements were modest: Ménez from Monaco, Baptista from Real Madrid, and Riise from Liverpool.

Roma's net investment in the transfer market was minimal.

Napoli's spending wasn't exactly extravagant either. The acquisition of Maggio for €8 million was their most notable move. The sale of Garics, along with the signing of an unknown defender, Benatia, left Napoli with a net investment of just €2 million.

Still, compared to clubs like Udinese who profited from the transfer market while focusing on youth development Napoli's situation wasn't too bad.

…

The overall trend in Serie A's transfer market painted a grim picture of its financial decline. The league was no match for the spending power of the Premier League or La Liga and was only marginally ahead of the Bundesliga.

However, the global subprime mortgage crisis also began to impact the Premier League and La Liga, with clubs tightening their budgets.

The only exception was Real Madrid, who were still chasing big names like Kaka from AC Milan, Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, and Fabregas from Arsenal. But with the growing scandals surrounding chairman Calderón and general manager Mijatović, the rest of Europe began to see through the façade of Madrid's leadership.

Real Madrid's golden reputation had noticeably dimmed. Though they continued to win La Liga titles, their image was far less illustrious than it had been during Gao Shen's brief tenure in 2006.

…

Gao Shen, as always, prioritized the team's preparation. Napoli's summer training was scheduled to begin on July 2, allowing a full month for fitness conditioning and tactical refinement before players left to join their national Olympic teams in August.

Before the players arrived, however, Gao Shen welcomed a new assistant: the legendary bald Frenchman, Zinedine Zidane.

After numerous calls and "friendly threats," Zidane finally showed up, albeit begrudgingly.

"This is blackmail!" Zidane complained.

"If you put it that way, I might just explain everything to the media," Gao Shen teased. "Let's clear the air, so no one misunderstands."

Faced with Gao Shen's sly humor, Zidane could only roll his eyes and drop the matter.

Zidane might have been a football icon, but he was a novice in coaching. His only prior experience was helping Napoli's players refine their skills under Gao Shen's watchful eye. Players like Cavani had greatly benefited from his guidance, but that was the extent of his coaching résumé.

So, Gao Shen made it clear: "You're an intern. Less talk, more work. Got it?"

Zidane nearly walked out on the spot.

"Do you think I'm a total rookie?" Zidane retorted, irritated.

"Well," Gao Shen replied nonchalantly, "if you quit now, I'll happily grant an exclusive interview to the media. By tomorrow morning, every newspaper will be full of stories about how unreliable you are. Fans everywhere will see you in a new light."

Gao Shen's deadpan delivery had everyone in the room laughing, including Zidane himself, though he did playfully threaten to hammer Gao Shen like Materazzi.

Fortunately, Gao Shen had anticipated this and quickly dodged out of range.

After some laughter, Gao Shen got down to business. Zidane was tasked with assisting Borrell, Napoli's technical coach, in refining players' technical skills. Gao Shen made it clear he was grooming Zidane for a future head coaching role, but for now, he wanted him to stay close and learn.

The biggest challenge for Zidane was the distance from his family in Madrid, which had been a sticking point. Despite his wealth, Zidane was reluctant to uproot himself. In the end, it was his desire to learn coaching that had brought him to Naples.

To make things easier, Gao Shen arranged for Zidane to stay at his house and provided a club car, even cheekily turning Zidane into his "chauffeur."

"I swear," Zidane muttered, shaking his head. "You just wanted free labor, didn't you?"

Gao Shen smirked. "Too late for regrets now."

With Zidane in place, Gao Shen held a staff meeting to finalize preparations for the summer training camp. Everything was set for Napoli to begin.

On July 2, training officially started, with all players reporting for duty the day before. This year, however, there was something different Napoli's newly introduced cutting-edge technology was about to debut.

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