Starting With Real Madrid

The reason Gao Shen emphasized a ten-year plan wasn't just to align with Mubarak's vision, it was how he had always approached football.

When he coached Real Madrid, he promoted a generation of young players from the second team. If presidents Calderón and Mijatović had simply made gradual adjustments and improvements based on the squad he built, those players could have thrived at Real Madrid without requiring heavy investment.

But instead, they chose Capello, and the young talents were discarded.

As Calderón had proudly claimed, "Real Madrid has never been a place to develop young players."

But that begged the question, what about Raúl, Casillas, and Guti? What about the legendary "Quinta del Buitre" generation?

There wasn't a single top club in world football that outright rejected talented young players, especially homegrown talents.

Many people often say that English players are overpriced.

But let's be honest, is there any top European league where high-quality domestic players aren't expensive?

The Premier League's inflated market prices were simply a result of financial strength. Moreover, England's youth development system was weak, leading to a scarcity of elite domestic talents, making them even more valuable.

This was exactly why Calderón was heavily criticized by Real Madrid fans and the media.

Later, at Napoli, Gao Shen built a squad with the youngest average age in both Serie A and the Champions League.

Had Napoli possessed the financial resources of Manchester City, they could have maintained their competitive level for ten years without issue.

This was why Gao Shen wasn't focused on short-term results but rather long-term sustainability. His goal was to transform Manchester City from the ground up, tactically, technically, and structurally, giving the club an entirely new identity.

Mansour and Mubarak shared similar ambitions for Manchester City. Their plans included expanding the stadium and building a world-class training facility—projects that aligned with Gao Shen's vision.

Hearing Gao Shen's long-term approach, both men were even more optimistic about the club's future.

More importantly, Mubarak believed that Gao Shen's top-four target was actually quite conservative. If the squad gelled well and new signings integrated quickly, he was confident the team could achieve even better results.

Mansour, however, wasn't concerned about Mubarak's expectations. He was already more than satisfied with a top-four finish.

"You build a house brick by brick."

"Rome wasn't built in a day."

He understood that success required patience.

Compared to Mark Hughes, who had spent a fortune only to finish 10th, this was already a massive improvement.

"My team tells me that you're only 28 years old, yet you're regarded as the most innovative and influential coach in world football today," Mansour said.

"They all praise your advanced tactical approach and your ability to build teams that impress the entire football world."

"I will say this, we want to be successful, but we're not desperate for instant results. We won't pressure you about immediate trophies, but we do want to see a Manchester City that is different from its past, different from any other Premier League team."

Gao Shen nodded.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. I didn't come to Manchester City for money. I came here to test myself, to compete against the world's best managers, and to fight for the Premier League title."

His words carried undeniable confidence.

After all, he had never negotiated salary terms with Mubarak, because the offer was already more than generous.

The contract was for three years, with an after-tax salary of €10 million per year, the highest in world football.

This figure put him ahead of every active coach, including Mourinho at Inter Milan and Ancelotti at Chelsea.

According to British media, Ancelotti's pre-tax salary was €7 million, which meant he took home only €3.5 million after taxes.

Mourinho, the highest-paid coach before this, earned €10 million before tax, taking home just over €5 million.

And now, Manchester City was offering Gao Shen €10 million after tax.

In other words, he was making "a small goal" (€10 million) per year.

With bonuses and additional income, his annual earnings would exceed €15 million. If the team achieved major success, such as winning the Champions League, his total earnings could reach €20 million.

For comparison, his final salary at Napoli was just €2 million after tax, even after a raise.

This was a fivefold increase overnight.

And it wasn't just Gao Shen, his entire coaching staff received significant salary raises as well.

Manchester City had shown their sincerity in financial terms, which was why Gao Shen never even mentioned money during negotiations. He had no doubts when he said he had come to Manchester City for the challenge, not the paycheck.

…

By this point, Gao Shen had a clear vision for Manchester City's new season strategy.

First and foremost, several players would have to leave, as they did not fit into his tactical plans.

This included:

Captain Richard Dunne

Veteran midfielder Dietmar Hamann

Neither suited Gao Shen's tactical requirements or the team's transformation plan.

There were also several loanees he had no intention of keeping, such as Jo, whom he had already decided to offload.

Robinho was the most complicated case.

He was Manchester City's biggest star, and he had previously worked with Gao Shen at Real Madrid. But to be blunt, Gao Shen was not satisfied with his performances at City.

That being said, it was understandable.

When Manchester City signed Robinho, they had promised to bring in multiple superstars, including Messi and Kaká. But in the end, they only signed Robinho.

No matter how talented he was, he couldn't carry the team alone.

To make things worse, Mark Hughes was not a manager suited to handling a player like Robinho.

However, before making a final decision, Gao Shen wanted to meet with him and discuss his future.

At the very least, he needed to know, did Robinho still have the same ambition that he had when he first joined Manchester City?

As for reinforcements, Gao Shen had made it clear, the squad needed upgrades in almost every position.

The only two players he was definitely keeping and building around were:

Vincent Kompany (center-back)

Pablo Zabaleta (right-back)

Additionally, Gao Shen specifically requested to retain young English forward Daniel Sturridge.

As for the rest of the squad, including Robinho—everything was still under evaluation.

It wasn't that Gao Shen wanted to spend more money, it was that this squad simply didn't meet his requirements.

Take captain Richard Dunne, for example. Could he play out from the back like David Luiz or Bonucci?

The answer was simple, he couldn't.

He crumbled under even the slightest pressure.

Gao Shen made it clear to the club, they had to do everything possible to sign David Luiz.

For the holding midfielder role, the player Gao Shen wanted most was Thiago Motta.

Having personally coached Motta for two years at Napoli, helping him recover from injuries and refine his game, Gao Shen now considered him the best defensive midfielder in world football, perhaps the very best.

Busquets was too soft, and Yaya Touré was too attack-minded, neither fit the deep-lying playmaker role he envisioned. But Thiago Motta was different.

In addition to these key positions, Gao Shen wanted reinforcements in midfield, attack, and even in goal.

His goal was to quickly build a strong Manchester City squad over the summer and challenge for a top-four finish or even push for a higher position in the Premier League.

…

Mansour didn't fully understand all the technical details of Gao Shen's squad plan, he wasn't deeply knowledgeable about football. But he trusted Gao Shen's judgment.

Without hesitation, he instructed Mubarak to fully cooperate with Gao Shen and give him all the support he needed.

Furthermore, he reaffirmed Manchester City's commitment to backing Gao Shen in the transfer market.

There would be no spending limits.

"Even if you want to sign Messi, we will do our best to make it happen!" Mansour joked with a smile.

Manchester City had indeed made an inquiry to Barcelona about Messi, but the response was total silence, Barcelona had no interest in negotiating.

With Cristiano Ronaldo moving to Real Madrid for over €100 million, signing Messi would require at least €150 million.

Of course, signing Messi would be a fantastic deal after all, it was Messi.

But Gao Shen didn't think it was necessary.

Barcelona's dominance wasn't just because of Messi, it was also built on stars like Xavi, Iniesta, Eto'o, Henry, Piqué, and Dani Alves. They were the foundation that helped elevate Messi to greatness.

Building a team around a single superstar was not the modern way of football. Gao Shen had seen the pitfalls of this approach at Real Madrid, and the lesson remained relevant.

He even joked, "Instead of spending everything on Messi, it'd be far more effective to invest that money across multiple top players, strengthening the squad's depth and overall balance."

…

The meeting stretched from morning until noon.

Afterward, Mansour hosted a grand banquet in the palace to honor Gao Shen, a gesture of his respect and trust.

He repeatedly instructed Mubarak to ensure that Gao Shen had the best possible working environment, free from unnecessary pressure, so he and his coaching staff could maximize their potential.

Before coming to the Middle East, Gao Shen had some concerns.

Given that the Abu Dhabi group had already invested so much money, he assumed they would demand immediate results.

But to his surprise, they hadn't set any strict performance targets for him.

For this, Gao Shen was truly grateful.

As a head coach, he knew that having full trust from management was crucial, it would empower him to make the right decisions, both tactically and in managing the locker room.

Now, with Mansour's full support and Mubarak's backing, even if Gao Shen wanted to sell Robinho, it would be entirely his decision.

If his upcoming conversation with Robinho didn't go well, or if he had any doubts about the player's commitment, he could simply offload him.

Given Gao Shen's knowledge of European football, he wasn't worried about finding a replacement, there were plenty of quality left-wingers out there.

…

What truly concerned Gao Shen was the spine of the team—the core positions that defined a team's strength.

Goalkeeper, center-back, defensive midfielder, and center-forward.

All four positions were critical.

Looking at Manchester City's current squad, Kompany was a reliable option at center-back.

But over the course of a long season, especially in the Premier League, where teams had to compete in two domestic cup competitions while enduring a relentless winter schedule, a single top-class center-back wasn't enough.

At a minimum, he needed three high-level center-backs to handle the demands of a full season.

And if Manchester City wanted to qualify for the Champions League, then ultimately, four top center-backs would be necessary.

Gao Shen wasn't waiting for problems to arise, he was planning ahead.

Preparation was everything.