Starting With Real Madrid

The advertisement Gao Shen filmed for Emirates Airlines had two shooting locations: Beijing and Dubai, UAE. Exterior shots were filmed in these cities, while the rest were shot inside the aircraft cabin. The production team was said to include world-renowned advertising directors.

After half a day of shooting in Beijing, the entire crew boarded an Emirates flight to Dubai for further filming.

The entire production took two days.

During this time, all of Gao Shen's expenses, accommodation, meals, and transportation were fully covered by the UAE. He was put up in a royal suite at the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, with no restrictions on how long he could stay. When he looked it up, he was stunned to discover that the suite cost nearly €20,000 per night.

Over the next few days, Gao Shen traveled around the UAE, primarily filming promotional ads for the UAE Tourism Board. A new director and production team took over, also reportedly world-class professionals in the field. However, it was the first time Gao Shen had worked with them.

After two days of filming in Abu Dhabi, Gao Shen was accommodated at the Emirates Palace Hotel, considered one of the most luxurious hotels in the world. This time, he was placed in the top presidential suite.

From Dubai to Abu Dhabi, Gao Shen experienced the extravagant lifestyle of Middle Eastern royalty.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, he was still amazed.

People might question the extravagant spending of Middle Eastern billionaires, but one thing was undeniable, if you throw enough money at something, it can become a work of art.

The Burj Al Arab and Emirates Palace Hotel might not be considered artistic masterpieces today, but who's to say they won't be in a few years?

During his stay at the Emirates Palace Hotel, Gao Shen also met with diplomats, and executives from state-owned oil companies who were visiting the UAE for trade discussions.

It was rumored that Sheikh Mansour himself was the key figure handling these negotiations on the UAE's side. And during these discussions, he had repeatedly mentioned Gao Shen, openly expressing his desire to bring him to Manchester City.

The wealthy elite of the Middle East weren't just rich—they were smart. They knew how to build relationships.

This aligned with what Gao Shen had observed firsthand during his time in the UAE.

They were willing to spend money, but they also respected professionals.

For example, both directors who worked with Gao Shen were highly satisfied with the advertising shoots and production arrangements.

And that, in itself, was a skill.

Of course, if Gao Shen's family had oil reserves under their land, he could probably do the same.

The problem was… his family didn't own a mine.

…

Gao Shen's meeting with Sheikh Mansour was scheduled for the third day after he finished filming the UAE tourism advertisements.

During the two days leading up to it, Mubarak took him on a sightseeing tour around Abu Dhabi.

On the morning of the meeting, Mubarak personally came to pick up Gao Shen from his hotel. Together, they headed to a private palace complex near the Emirates Palace Hotel.

Within a large, privately owned park, a number of grand palaces stood in all their splendor.

This was where Sheikh Mansour and his brothers lived.

Nearby, a new Emirates Palace was under construction, a future landmark for Abu Dhabi.

The private park wasn't excessively large, but it was certainly spacious enough to house a herd of elephants if needed.

In the water-scarce Middle East, maintaining such a vast green space was already an impressive feat.

But that wasn't all, this park spanned nearly 1,000 acres.

Sitting inside the Rolls-Royce, Gao Shen couldn't help but marvel at the sheer grandeur of it all.

If nothing else, this private estate alone was enough to solidify Sheikh Mansour's status among the wealthiest in the world.

As they entered the private park, Gao Shen didn't see elephants, leopards, or lions roaming around, but what he did notice were massive circular fountains and helicopter landing pads in front of each palace.

This was luxury on another level.

After stepping out of the car, Mubarak led him straight through one of the opulent palaces, not stopping inside but heading directly to the back garden.

There, Sheikh Mansour was already seated, dressed in a traditional white robe and head covering.

Upon seeing Gao Shen enter, Mansour smiled, stood up, and extended his hand from afar.

"Welcome to Abu Dhabi, Gao!" he said in fluent American English.

Gao Shen had done his research beforehand, Mansour had studied in the United States as a young man.

The same was true for Mubarak. It seemed that sending young elites to study abroad was a common practice among Abu Dhabi's ruling families.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness," Gao Shen replied, shaking hands firmly.

As they sat down, a maid promptly brought over a tray of fresh fruits and mineral water.

Gao Shen couldn't help but feel a sense of quiet satisfaction at the gesture.

It turned out that Middle Eastern royals served mineral water to their guests, just like Gao Shen did when he entertained guests at home.

Now that feels a lot more balanced.

…

In reality, this meeting was more about finalizing the decision.

Mubarak had already gone over most of the details with Gao Shen in previous discussions.

During this time, Gao Shen had also been working remotely with his coaching staff in Europe, formulating a detailed plan for Manchester City.

This had always been Gao Shen's methodical approach.

Even in his previous life, he had been a master of planning. When he had pursued the Juventus job, he had developed a highly detailed tactical and squad-building plan specifically tailored for Serie A. Although some adjustments had been made along the way, the core strategy remained intact.

This time was no different.

Zidane had recently taken up the role of special advisor to the Real Madrid president, leaving a gap in Gao Shen's coaching staff. However, his departure didn't cause much disruption.

For most of last season, Maurizio Sarri had worked behind the scenes at Napoli. While Gao Shen occasionally rewarded him, Sarri had never been officially on Napoli's payroll.

Now, with Zidane gone, Gao Shen called Sarri. The moment he heard the offer to join Gao Shen's coaching team, the Italian immediately agreed.

Everyone knew that top-level coaching staff were in high demand these days.

Both Guardiola and Zidane had risen through the ranks this way. Even though Zidane wasn't coaching independently at the moment, his influence at Real Madrid was undeniable, he could even sway managerial decisions.

As for Sarri, if he had to go out on his own now, he'd likely end up coaching in Serie B at best. Even with Gao Shen's recommendation, he could probably land a job at a stronger Serie B team, but not beyond that.

After all, every club faced immense competitive pressure.

Instead of struggling in lower leagues, it made more sense for Sarri to officially join Gao Shen's coaching staff, to gain experience, learn at the highest level, and eventually step out as Gao Shen's assistant. That way, he would have a real chance at coaching in one of Europe's top four leagues in the future.

Just like Carlo now, he had no shortage of offers from top European clubs.

Gao Shen understood Sarri's ambitions and promised that if the right opportunity came along, he wouldn't stand in Sarri's way. This assurance put Sarri at ease.

With Sarri's addition, Gao Shen's coaching team remained largely intact:

Chief Assistant Coach: Carlo

Analyst: Fernando Lucas

Head of Fitness & Conditioning: Lorenzo Buenaventura

Fitness Coach: Antonio Pintus

Technical Coach: Rodolfo Borrell

Goalkeeper Coach: Luis Llopis

Tactical Coach & Opponent Analyst: Maurizio Sarri (replacing Zidane)

Additionally, Manchester City removed Brian Kidd from his role as technical director and appointed him as an assistant coach under Gao Shen.

This meant that Brian Kidd and Carlo would now be co-assistant coaches.

In reality, this was a positive move, Brian Kidd's extensive experience in the Premier League was exactly what Gao Shen needed.

Even though the coaching staff were still technically on vacation, they had already begun working behind the scenes.

They were helping Gao Shen prepare a preliminary strategic plan for Manchester City's season.

However, the plan still had several gaps and uncertainties, particularly regarding the winter period.

Unlike other leagues, the Premier League doesn't pause for a winter break—instead, it intensifies the fixture schedule. This posed a major physical and mental challenge for any team.

The coaching staff needed to prepare for this in advance.

For Gao Shen, this was new territory.

He had heard plenty about it, and Brian Kidd had shared a lot of insights and experiences, but secondhand knowledge wasn't enough.

There was a saying: "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles."

The same applied to coaching.

Some things had to be experienced firsthand to be truly understood.

As a result, Gao Shen set a relatively conservative target for his first season.

"I can only guarantee that in the first season, we will at least reach the semi-finals of a cup competition and qualify for the Champions League next season. But even to achieve that, the club must increase its investment this summer."

This goal didn't quite match Gao Shen's current reputation and status, but he had good reasons for setting it.

Manchester City had too many issues, especially in terms of squad composition.

Based on market valuations, Manchester City's squad was ranked sixth in the Premier League, behind Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur.

In terms of total squad value, Manchester City had €50 million more than Everton, but Everton finished fifth, while City was only tenth.

To put it into perspective, City's total squad value was five times higher than Stoke City's, yet in the league standings, they were only two places ahead of Stoke.

The average squad age was under 25, which was reasonable. However, under Mark Hughes, the club had relied heavily on traditional English football tactics, which left players like Robinho and Jô struggling to adapt.

Gao Shen believed that if the club followed his philosophy, he could completely revamp Manchester City.

"I don't want to focus solely on the present or just aim for short-term success in one or two years.

My goal is to build a foundation that will allow Manchester City to be a dominant force in the Premier League and European football for the next decade!"

***

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