Starting With Real Madrid

"Tell me, did I not explain it clearly enough last time, and now Gao has misunderstood?"

In the president's office at the Bernabéu, Florentino began reflecting deeply as he read the transfer market report Valdano had just submitted.

Because he realized that Real Madrid had actually broken even in the transfer market.

Yes, it was that outrageous.

If one day you find that Real Madrid is no longer spending money in the transfer market, don't be surprised. That day is now!

José Ángel Sánchez, Valdano, and Butragueño all exchanged looks.

Zidane had stepped down from his role as presidential advisor after agreeing to become an assistant coach.

This summer, Real Madrid had sold Khedira, Coentrão, Adebayor, Carvalho, Özil, and Sahin. In return, they had signed Toni Kroos, Modrić, Verratti, Courtois, Marcos Alonso, and others.

Just two days ago, Gao Shen had asked Valdano to sign 20-year-old Brazilian youth international Casemiro from São Paulo for 5 million euros.

Even with that signing, Real Madrid had still made a profit in this summer's transfer window.

This prompted Florentino's serious reflection.

Because back in Cheshire, he had once told Gao Shen that Real Madrid had been spending heavily since 2009, leaving the club's finances in a not-so-great state.

But in truth, what he meant by "not particularly well-off" was that they could afford any player except the very top-tier superstars.

Now, they were turning a profit.

When had Real Madrid ever made money in the transfer market?

It was absurd.

"I don't think it was a misunderstanding," Valdano said with a smile.

Florentino was a little confused. "Then what's going on?"

"Take a look at this." Valdano opened the folder he had brought with him, quickly pulled out another document, and handed it to Florentino.

It was a list that Gao Shen had asked him to pass on to Castilla's head coach, Alberto Toril.

In it, Gao Shen listed several players who were to report to the first team for the new season: Castilla captain Dani Carvajal, versatile defender Nacho, right winger Lucas Vázquez, forward Jesé, striker Álvaro Morata, and striker Joselu.

Florentino stared at the list, stunned for a few seconds. Then he looked back at Valdano. "These players…"

"They're all from our youth academy. And they all have real ability. Some are promising talents, like Jesé and Joselu. Carvajal has even been Castilla's captain for two years but never got a shot with the first team."

"We originally planned to sell him. Bayer Leverkusen were very interested and offered about 5 million euros, but once Gao Shen found out, he blocked the deal. He said he rates Carvajal very highly."

Florentino now understood what Valdano was getting at.

When a player is around 20 years old, it's usually not hard to tell whether they're good enough.

In other words, their potential is basically set.

The key is whether there's a tactical setup that allows them to thrive.

Take Carvajal, for example.

In the past, Real Madrid would only let reserve players participate in less important matches, like Copa del Rey games.

Jesé, Joselu, and others had gotten chances, but Carvajal, despite being the captain, had never been called up.

Why?

Because Mourinho believed he was better going forward than defending and wasn't the type of full-back he preferred.

Now, Gao Shen believes Carvajal is exactly the full-back he wants.

The player hasn't changed much. What's changed is the manager, the tactical ideas, the choices being made, and the overall direction.

If Carvajal had continued under Mourinho, the best he could hope for would be a situation like Marcelo's now—market value around 20 million euros.

"You know what? I suddenly feel like I'm back in 2006," Florentino couldn't help laughing.

"I still remember, the day after Gao Shen took over as head coach, he went straight to the youth academy and brought up a whole group of players…"

Florentino took a deep breath, reminiscing.

"Arbeloa, Juan Mata, De la Red, Granero, Filipe Luís, Callejón…"

"If I recall correctly, all those guys were promoted under Gao Shen's second team stint, right?"

Valdano, Butragueño, and the others all exchanged smiles and nodded.

Even now, Real Madrid fans still speak fondly of that scene.

A young coach, just starting his career, went into the youth ranks and promoted a group of young talents—and the key point is, they all turned out to be successful.

If not for Calderón's cowardice, if Gao Shen had stayed at Real Madrid, with the current squad and the club's profitability, there probably wouldn't have been these recent years of decline.

But Gao Shen's actions in 2006 had indeed gone down in Real Madrid history.

It was a legendary moment.

The situation at Real Madrid today wasn't all that different. There were still locker room factions, internal conflicts, strong external rivals, and the team was dealing with issues both inside and out.

Gao Shen's approach seemed similar to back then. The difference was that he had taken over in February that year, while now he was starting from the beginning of the season.

"Now that you mention it, it really does feel like that," Butragueño said with a smile.

He had lived through it firsthand.

"There's never been a lack of talent in our youth academy. After all, we attract the best young players in Spain. What we've lacked is a head coach who knows how to discover and use that talent. I think Gao Shen definitely has something in mind," Valdano added.

The current locker room was generally split into two camps, and within those, even more sub-factions.

In the local group, Ramos and Casillas stood together. Arbeloa didn't get along with them. Xabi Alonso remained mostly neutral.

Cristiano Ronaldo was considered a leader among the outsiders. He was close to Pepe and Marcelo, who shared the same Latin American cultural background.

Benzema, Higuaín, and others were relatively neutral.

There used to be a German group with Özil, Khedira, and others, but now they had all been cleared out.

The departures of Coentrão and Carvalho had also hit the foreign players hard.

That sparked speculation: would Ronaldo be next?

Manchester United was currently chasing Benzema. It was undeniable that the Frenchman wasn't being valued at Real Madrid, and now Ronaldo's agent had come out saying the Portuguese superstar was reconsidering his future at the club.

It sounded like, "I'm not very happy right now. Real Madrid, you'd better come and reassure me."

Florentino's response was simple: ignore it.

Because no one could tell if it was Mendes stirring the pot or if it was Ronaldo's own idea.

Goalkeeper Antonio Adán transferred to Real Betis, a move arranged by Real Madrid. He was satisfied with it, especially since Gao Shen had given him his word.

In Cheshire, Gao Shen personally called Adán and told him the situation had reached a dead end.

Even though it was Mourinho's decision, the fact remained that Adán had started in place of Casillas for a season. But it was also a fact that he hadn't shown he could replace Casillas at the top level.

In this scenario, all Gao Shen could offer was a backup role.

But in that kind of environment, could Adán play comfortably?

On the phone, Gao Shen explained everything clearly. Adán understood. He also knew he didn't yet have the strength to take over as Real Madrid's No. 1.

In the end, he took Gao Shen's advice and left the club.

Gao Shen promised him that if he played well, he would still have a chance to return to Real Madrid in the future.

Was this a sign of Casillas regaining power?

That's how many people interpreted it.

But after a few days of speculation, everyone began to sense something strange.

Because Real Madrid had signed Belgian prodigy Thibaut Courtois from Premier League newcomers Leeds United for a high fee of 20 million euros.

Suddenly, the future of Casillas sparked heated discussion throughout Spanish and even European football. Everyone wanted to know what Real Madrid was trying to do.

But under immense pressure, Casillas still performed at a very high level at the European Championship and was selected for the Team of the Tournament.

Regarding Courtois' signing, Valdano had proposed it, Florentino had approved it, and Gao Shen had agreed. But from start to finish, Gao Shen had not been involved in the operation. He only agreed that the club could bring in a young goalkeeper who could compete with Casillas.

Now, everyone was guessing how Gao Shen would handle the Courtois-Casillas situation.

Especially since Casillas had just proven himself again at the European Championship.

Not only that, the entire city of Madrid—and even all of Spain—was watching to see how Gao Shen would manage the Real Madrid locker room, especially the tension between superstars like Ronaldo and Casillas.

Since Real Madrid had not officially announced anything, no one was openly expressing support or opposition.

But everyone knew that Gao Shen was about to take over Real Madrid.

Many were worried, wondering if he could replicate the success he had at Napoli and Manchester City, or if he would suffer a Waterloo-like collapse at Real Madrid, like Mourinho and others had before him.

However, it wasn't all bad news.

After serving as Málaga's sporting director last year, former Real Madrid captain Fernando Hierro resigned after just one season. He reached out through Butragueño and Valdano, hoping to return to Real Madrid and join the coaching staff.

This marked Hierro's return to Real Madrid after nine years, having left the club in 2003.

With Gao Shen's approval, Real Madrid would have three assistant coaches in the new season: former head coach Carlo, former captain Hierro, and Ballon d'Or winner Zidane.

According to AS, this was without question the most luxurious group of assistants in the history of professional football.

Real Madrid had made all the necessary preparations. Everything was ready.

They were just waiting for Gao Shen to arrive.

Unexpectedly, just before departure, Gao Shen suddenly canceled his trip to Madrid.

(To be continued.)

***

For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves

(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)