Chapter 122: We Sold Too Cheap! Let's Go All In—We're Going for the Title!
Real Madrid's first offer was instantly dismissed by Bayswater Chinese FC.
Why? Because they wanted to buy Pepe, who had just been called up to the Portuguese national team.
Like Yang Cheng would indulge them.
After all the effort it took to pry him away from Porto, would Yang Cheng really sell his prized world-class center-back to Real Madrid?
They must be dreaming.
But soon after, Real Madrid came back with another offer—this time for Martin Škrtel.
And they offered a whopping £13.5 million right off the bat.
That's around €20 million.
Yang Cheng and everyone at Bayswater Chinese FC were caught a bit off guard.
"That's a solid offer," Adam Crozier said with a smile, glancing at Yang Cheng with a questioning look.
"Looks like Real Madrid really are getting desperate."
"They're definitely desperate. Right now, all of European football is facing a center-back shortage. Rich clubs like Real Madrid can still shout and throw money around. Poor ones like Arsenal? They can't even squeak," Crozier said, taking a jab at Arsenal.
Why the jab?
Because Wenger had claimed the transfer market was chaotic and that center-back prices were wildly inflated, making him reluctant to act.
Sounds reasonable, sure—
But to put it bluntly: they just don't have the money.
So the media and fans have been mocking Arsenal.
With this level of spending, they still expect to fight for top four?
The Sun even boldly declared that Arsenal had already locked in fifth place before the season began.
A brutal hit before a ball had even been kicked.
One wonders if Wenger took it personally.
"From a footballing perspective, is this a sale we can afford to make?" Crozier asked.
Yang Cheng had been reviewing scouting reports on his laptop the entire time, particularly footage and data on Fluminense's matches in Brazil.
Brazil's domestic league doesn't align with Europe's calendar—it runs from May to December.
Before the league kicks off, they have cup competitions.
Thiago Silva returned to Brazil from Dinamo Moscow in January 2006.
While in Russia, he had contracted tuberculosis, nearly died, and spent six months hospitalized.
After returning, his performance was average.
Fluminense was also struggling, finishing 15th in the Brasileirão—just two spots above relegation.
As a defender, Silva led a back line that conceded 58 goals in 38 matches. He played in 31 of those.
Not surprising.
Someone who almost died from tuberculosis, took half a year off, and then came back to compete at the top level—of course he wouldn't be in peak form.
But in the first half of 2007, Fluminense purchased Silva outright from Dinamo Moscow for €2 million.
That's when everything changed.
In the just-concluded Brazilian Cup, Fluminense emerged as champions.
Thiago Silva started all 12 matches, playing every minute and scoring 3 goals.
More importantly, the team conceded only 11 goals throughout the tournament.
In Brazil—where offense reigns supreme—this was a massive achievement.
Yang Cheng also checked Fluminense's transfer activity and noticed they hadn't added any major reinforcements.
The squad was mostly the same as last season's—
They'd even sold one of their other center-backs, Renato Silva.
So now they had just three center-backs: Thiago Silva, Luiz Alberto, and Roger Machado.
Among them, Thiago Silva was clearly the defensive lynchpin.
After reviewing Silva's performance, Yang Cheng turned back to assess Bayswater Chinese FC's own defense.
José Fonte—nicknamed "The Commissar"—was a solid center-back and a key presence in the dressing room.
But his abilities were beginning to fall short of the club's current level.
Bayswater Chinese FC were Premier League champions and Champions League quarterfinalists.
Relying on José Fonte alone to marshal the defense was no longer sustainable.
Pepe and Koscielny were excellent—both quick, good at recovery, and aggressive in pressing.
Škrtel, on the other hand, was tall and strong—an obvious physical specimen—but a bit slow to turn.
Since midway through last season, Yang Cheng had been gradually pushing the defensive line higher.
This made things more difficult for Škrtel, especially when facing quick strikers.
Purely based on ability, Yang Cheng thought Škrtel might even be stronger than Koscielny.
But in terms of tactical fit, Koscielny suited Bayswater Chinese FC better.
And with Thiago Silva in the picture, the answer was obvious.
After listening to Crozier, Yang Cheng nodded slightly. "Yeah, we can sell him."
"I've always said—there's only one irreplaceable player at Bayswater Chinese FC."
No need to name names—everyone in the room knew who that was.
"But Real Madrid right now? They're just flailing. Especially Calderón and Mijatović. Do they even know how to handle transfers?"
Crozier, ever the sharp one, instantly picked up on Yang Cheng's subtext.
"You mean… fleece them hard?"
As he spoke, Crozier even made a slicing motion with his hand—like he was chopping meat.
The whole room burst into laughter.
"Think about it—a fat sheep walks through your front door. If you don't slaughter it, how can you live with yourself?"
Yang Cheng now fully understood why Porto had fleeced Real Madrid so hard in his past life.
"So what price do we quote?" Crozier asked, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Thirty million…"
Everyone's eyes lit up. Now that's a price.
"…pounds!"
The room practically keeled over in shock.
You've gotta be nuts!
"£30 million? That's €45 million!" Crozier gasped.
"Exactly. That's what we'll quote."
"Real Madrid will never agree to that."
"Even better. We don't really want to sell him anyway," Yang Cheng chuckled.
He wanted to create the illusion that Real Madrid were the ones desperately begging—
And Bayswater Chinese FC were reluctantly slapping a sky-high price on the player to scare them off.
That way, even the fans would understand.
"Not only that," Yang Cheng added, "you quote the price, but simultaneously, you leak to the media that Škrtel is not for sale."
Rule number one of being a good hustler: double-deal.
Say one thing, do another.
If you can't master that, you've got no business hustling.
"You know our players' weekly wages aren't high. Even if the transfer fee is big, when you look at the total contract cost, it's not much different from signing others," Yang Cheng explained.
Total cost = transfer fee + wages over the length of the contract + taxes.
Take Chivu, for example. His agent demanded €5 million net annual salary.
That's about €7 million gross.
In Spain, foreign players get tax breaks (a.k.a. the Beckham Law) for the first three years. After that, full taxes kick in.
So over five years, the average gross salary would be around €7 million/year = €35 million.
Add the €18 million transfer fee = €53 million total cost.
Škrtel's current salary wasn't even close.
Based on last season, he earned around £1 million/year = €1.5 million.
Let's say Real doubled it to €3 million net. That's roughly €4.2 million gross.
Over five years, that's about €21 million in wages.
Add the €45 million transfer fee, and the total cost is €66 million.
€13 million more than the Chivu deal.
But—
Doesn't sound quite so outrageous now, does it?
Besides, Real Madrid isn't stupid. You think they won't try to haggle?
If Calderón and Mijatović were really that generous and didn't even try to bargain, Yang Cheng wouldn't have anything to say.
"In the current climate, Real Madrid really doesn't have a choice!" Yang Cheng said with a grin.
It's that classic hypothetical again:
If I meet Jack Ma in the desert and he's dying of thirst, how much should I sell him a bottle of water for?
…
Once the decision was made, Yang Cheng left the negotiations to Adam Crozier.
He was really trying to free himself from day-to-day matters.
With Xia Qing overseeing the admin side and Crozier handling operations, Yang Cheng felt confident stepping back a bit.
Side note: after returning to London, Yang Cheng openly packed his things and moved straight into the apartment Xia Qing was renting.
The apartment wasn't far, but it wasn't very big either, and the neighbors were quite close.
Xia Qing had been fretting over where to find a new place in London.
But Yang Cheng was totally clueless when it came to that stuff.
So, he dragged Chris Hunter into it—the head of infrastructure.
What's that? The infrastructure director doesn't handle house-hunting?
Wanna try saying that again?
Is the boss's house not considered infrastructure?
Under Yang Cheng's not-so-subtle pressure, Chris Hunter had no choice but to sacrifice his personal time.
Good thing he came from a background in bankruptcy restructuring—he got results fast.
He found a bunch of listings in areas around Bayswater:
From Notting Hill to Westminster, down through Knightsbridge and the Holland Park area—he had it all.
Expensive ones, cheap ones, standalone mansions, townhouses, apartments… everything you could ask for.
Yang Cheng set aside a whole day and took Xia Qing and the human lightbulb Chris Hunter to tour houses all over London's West End.
Notting Hill was close to Bayswater, but most of the listings were flats, and the style of the townhouses there just wasn't to their taste.
There were lots of mansions on the east and west sides of Holland Park, but the prices were insane.
You couldn't even get your foot in the door for one or two million pounds.
But the area had its perks: wealthy residents and a great environment.
To the east was Hyde Park, west was Holland Park, and to the north and south were massive shopping centers and high streets. It was basically perfect.
Especially west of Holland Park—tons of standalone villas.
What made them rare gems was the front yard, back garden, 999-year leases, and huge square footage.
Yang Cheng remembered that in his previous life, after Prime Minister Cameron stepped down, he moved into a place on the west side of Holland Park.
It was in the prime location of Ilchester Place—large detached houses—worth about £16 million back then, and later jumped to over £20 million.
Once he moved in, police were stationed at the ends of the street every day, making it one of the most secure areas in London.
Well, it already was one of the safest wealthy neighborhoods in the city.
Chris Hunter had brought Yang Cheng to see a similar standalone villa.
Three stories, roughly 700 square meters in total, with a private garage beside it.
From there to Bayswater was just over 2 kilometers by foot, similar by car.
In terms of location, safety, and environment, it ticked all the boxes.
The only downside: the interior design was a bit dated. Old money aesthetic. Neither Yang Cheng nor Xia Qing liked it.
And since it had been a long time since it was last renovated, a lot of it was worn out and not suitable for living in as-is.
Precisely because of this—and the fact that the owner was a foreigner—the property was up for sale.
"Since last year, the UK has tightened mortgage lending, so the luxury housing market isn't doing that well. A house like this is going for around £3.5 million," Chris Hunter explained.
The moment he said that, Xia Qing gasped.
"Three-point-five million pounds?" she looked at Yang Cheng, her eyes saying: do we really need a house this fancy?
"That's just the purchase price. Once you buy it, you'll have to renovate it completely—and renovations for standalone homes are super expensive," Chris Hunter reminded them.
Xia Qing did a quick mental calculation—it would likely total around £7 million. That's 70 million RMB.
Dear lord!
"Let's just stick to Notting Hill. I like it there," Xia Qing tugged Yang Cheng's hand and suggested.
Way too expensive!
"What about the property fees?" Yang Cheng asked.
"Ten pounds per square foot per year—so that's about £70,000 annually."
"That's enough to rent us a place for a whole year!" Xia Qing said, heart aching at the cost.
It really was too much.
But Yang Cheng had other things in mind.
It looked expensive now—but a few years down the line, it wouldn't.
In the near future, the UK's interest rate would drop to nearly zero. At that point, investors from all over the world would pour in, driving regular property prices down—
But luxury homes in London would skyrocket.
Take billionaire Wang Dawen, for example—didn't he buy a mansion next to Holland Park as an investment?
So yes, this deal was worth it.
Once he made up his mind, Yang Cheng immediately had Chris Hunter take over the whole thing.
Renovations were also added to the agenda.
As it happened, Norman Foster had been hired to design the stadium—
Why not kill two birds with one stone and ask him to help with the house?
In a few days, Yang Cheng would be attending Foster's design briefing as the client to finalize the plans.
…
"You're really buying it?" Xia Qing still felt it was too much.
"Don't worry, I've got it figured out," Yang Cheng said with a smile, wrapping his arm around her soft shoulder.
"You know my mom's been hoarding a lot of private cash lately. And since we're living in the UK full-time, if I don't get some of it out of her, what if she and my dad go and have another kid? I'd be totally out of luck!"
Xia Qing burst out laughing, but gave him a playful smack. "Stop talking nonsense."
Though they hadn't been together long, she could tell that Yang Cheng's parents spoiled him to the skies.
But he wasn't just joking.
His adoptive parents obviously wouldn't have another child, but as for how to be a proper second-gen rich kid? Yang Cheng had no idea.
He had zero experience.
So since his mom said she'd help, he figured—why not just do it?
Besides, they actually needed the space.
"Alright, I'll handle it. But there's something I need you to do for me," he added.
"Name it."
"The £6 million in my account—put it into the US stock market for me. Buy Apple stock."
"Why Apple?"
"Because letting money sit around is useless," Yang Cheng said confidently.
These past years, he'd been so busy he barely had time to breathe—he never paid attention to his finances.
But now that he had some spare funds, he wanted to make long-term investments.
For example, Apple stock.
The market goes up and down, and Yang Cheng knew he wasn't cut out for day trading.
So he figured he'd copy Warren Buffett's strategy: pick one stock, buy and hold, then forget about it for 10–15 years.
In March 2005, Apple had a 2-for-1 stock split. The price dropped from $90 to $43 but gradually rose again—now hovering around $100.
The first iPhone had already launched, but sales were lukewarm, and there wasn't that earth-shattering impact people talk about today.
All of that came in hindsight.
At the time, that phone didn't even support 3G—and it was expensive. Who was gonna buy it?
It wasn't even available in the UK yet.
Before 2005, Yang Cheng truly didn't have the money.
Now that he did, he wanted to put the entire £6 million into Apple.
That would get him about 120,000 shares.
In 2014, Apple would do a 7-for-1 split—turning it into 840,000 shares.
Then in 2020, another 4-for-1 split—making it 3.36 million shares.
By the 2024 peak, with Apple trading over $200 a share—
That would be…
Um… just under $700 million.
Huh. Not even that much.
Still not enough to build a stadium…
How disappointing!
Those transmigrators who made fortunes on the stock market—how did they even do it?
Sorry, I've disgraced us transmigrators!
Forget it, I'll just treat it like I'm earning a retirement fund.
Worst case scenario? I head back to China and inherit a billion-dollar empire.
At that point I'll grab BYD with one hand, Jingdong with the other, lie flat and not even divine intervention could wake me!
…
Real Madrid really was shocked by Bayswater Chinese FC's asking price.
£30 million?
Get outta here!
Coupled with Adam Crozier's comments in The Times, saying Škrtel was vital to the team and absolutely not for sale—it was obvious Bayswater Chinese FC was trying to scare Real Madrid off with a sky-high price.
But this time, Real Madrid was acting… different.
Florentino was the kind of super-playboy who'd breeze through a field of flowers without a petal clinging to him—a true veteran of the transfer market.
But Calderón and Mijatović? Not even close.
They were more like poseur playboys—guys from humble backgrounds pretending to be suave.
They didn't have the mindset or the skills, yet still tried to play the game.
Their handling of the Chivu transfer made it crystal clear: sloppy.
Trying to juggle multiple targets at once—and failing at all of them.
Barcelona and Juventus had already moved on, Chivu made it clear he wanted to go to Inter, yet they kept clinging to him like some lovesick fool.
What, you think it makes you look romantic?
Now, with Bayswater Chinese FC firmly rejecting their advances, Calderón and Mijatović doubled down.
Mijatović personally led a team to London, banner in hand:
Bring Robben and Škrtel home!
Robben, meanwhile, was in an awkward spot at Chelsea.
No doubt about his talent, but his injuries were a major problem—he was never reliable in key matches.
That was a huge headache.
Mourinho had wanted to sign another top winger to complement Robben, but the Dutchman didn't take it well. When it came time to renew, he refused Chelsea's offer.
So Chelsea made a preemptive move—signing Malouda from Lyon.
That was as clear a signal as any: Robben was on the way out.
The British media had been reporting all along that Robben refused to re-sign and was preparing to leave.
So Mijatović landed in London, and ultimately signed Arjen Robben from Chelsea for £24.5 million—around €36 million.
While negotiating with Chelsea for Robben, Real was also simultaneously in talks with Bayswater Chinese FC.
To their credit, Calderón and Mijatović did at least behave properly—no sneaky approaches to the player behind the club's back.
Thus, the negotiations were a constant tug-of-war over the transfer fee.
Bayswater Chinese FC held firm: not for sale.
Real Madrid insisted: we must buy him—but you need to lower the price.
Yang Cheng's confidence came from the current transfer market—there were no quality center-backs available.
Škrtel had performed well in both the Premier League and the Champions League last season—his strength was proven.
That gave Real Madrid peace of mind.
After several days of negotiations, Real kept raising their offer, and Bayswater Chinese FC kept rejecting.
Adam Crozier was a real playboy—a flirt who spent his evenings charming women all over town.
A guy like that was a master of the slow play.
And his "playboy skills" were on full display during the talks with Real Madrid.
When you hesitated, he'd tease a little; when you stepped forward, he'd step back ever so slightly; then as you moved closer, he'd reluctantly inch forward…
Just like that, the distance slowly closed.
In the end, the two sides reached an agreement.
£23.5 million—about €35 million.
Why that number?
Because Mijatović was on the verge of tears.
If the fee exceeded Robben's, he'd have a hard time explaining himself to the fans back home.
If Bayswater Chinese FC truly refused to sell, Real Madrid would've had to walk away.
But seeing there was no more juice to squeeze, Crozier nodded and agreed—throwing Mijatović a bone.
"I can see you're struggling. We'll sell at this price."
"Just don't let our boss kill me later!"
In the end, Martin Škrtel joined Real Madrid for £23.5 million.
…
"How much?!"
"£23.5 million?!"
In his Knightsbridge mansion, Roman Abramovich nearly jumped out of his seat.
That number was outrageous.
"We sold Robben for £24.5 million, and they bought a center-back for nearly the same price?!"
The Russian billionaire might not be a football expert, but even he knew that forwards usually fetched higher fees than defenders.
And Robben was a star.
"We sold too cheap!" Abramovich shook his head, full of regret.
He hadn't expected Real Madrid's two clowns to be this clueless.
"But this might work in our favor," he quickly recovered. "They sold a center-back. That's going to hurt their defense. They'll have issues next season."
He turned toward his personal advisor, Marina Granovskaia.
"This year's U.S. tour is crucial. Last year, Bayswater Chinese FC raked in profits across Asia. We need to earn, too—we can't keep relying on investor cash."
Granovskaia nodded.
She knew exactly what her boss wanted—to pass that message along to Peter Kenyon and the others.
"This season, no matter what, we must beat Bayswater Chinese FC!"
"And then there's Shevchenko…"
Just thinking about the Ukrainian striker gave Abramovich a headache.
Mourinho, that stubborn bastard, wouldn't even let Shevchenko play in friendlies.
It was downright humiliating.
Last season's 0–5 home loss to Bayswater Chinese FC? Abramovich had already forgiven that.
But this—this was beyond disrespectful!
…
"They really sold him?"
Up in north London, at Arsenal's Colney Training Centre—
Wenger felt a wave of satisfaction upon hearing that Bayswater Chinese FC had sold Škrtel.
"Confirmed," Pat Rice nodded firmly.
"We also got word that Manchester City are making a bid for Danny Collins."
"The left-back?" Wenger chuckled.
"He can also play center-back."
Wenger nodded—he knew the player.
Last season, Bayswater Chinese FC's starting left-back was Leighton Baines. Danny Collins appeared as a substitute in many matches, serving as a key rotation piece.
Didn't expect him to be poached too.
That's the trouble of managing a team at this level.
People always think the starting eleven is what matters most.
They're not wrong—but the bench is just as tricky.
Look at players like Danny Collins or Gökhan Inler.
Once they show promise and prove their ability, they'll start looking for chances elsewhere—even at mid- or lower-table Premier League clubs—just for the chance to be a starter.
After all, it's easier to prove yourself playing full-time for a weaker team than warming the bench at a powerhouse.
And let's face it—Bayswater Chinese FC didn't offer top salaries.
"With Ashley Young gone, now Škrtel too… add Inler and Danny Collins to that, and it looks like we've got a real shot at top four this year!"
Wenger felt a renewed sense of anticipation.
Arsenal might be back in business.
…
"They sold that many players?"
By the time Ferguson got the news, the Škrtel and Manchester City announcements were already official.
Danny Collins transferred to Manchester City for £10 million.
In one go, Bayswater Chinese FC sold four players. Among them, Ashley Young and Martin Škrtel were key starters.
Gökhan Inler and Danny Collins were part of the rotation.
Add in backup keeper Danny Coyne, and there was no way the squad wouldn't face some instability.
"Yang Cheng hasn't signed anyone?"
"He brought in backup goalkeeper Begović earlier, and also signed 18-year-old midfield prodigy Rakitić from Basel, and local talent Aaron Ramsey from Cardiff," reported Martin Ferguson, his younger brother and Manchester United's chief scout.
Ferguson nodded as he listened.
Rakitić was a widely recognized midfield genius across European football, but he was still only 18.
There were plenty of so-called prodigies these days, but very few ever made it to the top.
As for Aaron Ramsey, Ferguson felt a pang of regret.
He'd had his eye on the young Welshman for quite a while.
So why didn't he move earlier?
Because Ferguson had already decided to sign Anderson.
Another young player—this one from Brazil—nicknamed "the next Ronaldinho."
Missing out on Ronaldinho in 2003 was one of Ferguson's deepest regrets.
Now, with the chance to bring in his spiritual successor, he wasn't going to miss twice.
Aaron Ramsey?
Let him stay in Cardiff and level up a bit longer.
At the time, Ferguson was convinced Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea were all thinking the same thing.
As for offers from clubs like Everton or Spurs, those were irrelevant to the top clubs.
In fact, big teams often hoped those mid-table sides would sign talents like Ramsey, nurture them for a few years, and when the time was right, the giants would swoop in with cash in hand.
That's how elite clubs played the game.
What no one expected was for Bayswater Chinese FC to make a move.
But no matter.
Ferguson now had a clear picture—Bayswater Chinese FC would be short on cash for years to come.
"I heard they quietly signed a 22-year-old center-back from Brazil and are preparing to use the special talent clause on him."
"This kid really knows how to stretch a rule—he uses it every year," Ferguson chuckled.
"Last year too, right? Who was it for again?"
"Last year? Maicon? No, Di María… no, wait…"
Martin Ferguson smacked his forehead. "Right! That kid Marcelo. He's 19 now."
Ferguson nodded slightly, committing the name to memory.
Knowing Yang Cheng, this kid was no simple character.
"I also heard something else," Martin added.
"What's that?"
"Back in May, there were rumors that David Dein brought in an investor, right?"
"That American guy, Kroenke. He bought 9.9% of Arsenal shares from Granada Ventures, a subsidiary of ITV."
"Yeah, well, I heard he's brought in another one."
"Another one?" Ferguson was surprised.
How desperate was Arsenal, trying to serve two masters?
"Word is, it's a Russian billionaire."
That was enough to make Ferguson groan.
Manchester United was already being dragged down by the Glazer family.
Sure, they had delivered on some of their promises—
But Ferguson never imagined they'd dump all their debt onto the club.
Now they were playing with leverage, and Ferguson was getting slaughtered by the fans.
"Arsenal haven't made the Champions League for two straight seasons, and the new stadium's debt is crushing them…" Martin sighed.
Arsenal was stuck in a vicious cycle.
To ease their debt, they had to qualify for the Champions League.
To qualify, they needed a stronger squad.
To strengthen the squad, they needed to sign players.
To sign players, they needed money.
But the club had none.
And if they borrowed, even assuming a lender could be found, it would only deepen the debt.
Why did Henry refuse to renew and instead join Barcelona after the Champions League final?
Because Arsenal couldn't even qualify for the Champions League.
Letting Henry go at least brought in some funds.
But this year?
Arsenal had no one left to sell!
In the end, they offloaded Reyes, Ljungberg, and others to scrape together cash to sign Eduardo da Silva, Sagna, and Fabiański.
In and out, it pretty much balanced.
Under these circumstances, could Arsenal claw their way back into the top four?
Hard to say.
Especially since Liverpool was broke, too.
"If another Abramovich-level billionaire enters the scene, the Premier League's competition will only get fiercer," Martin said with a sigh.
Before Abramovich, United had ruled the Premier League with an iron fist.
That's the era every United fan longs for now.
…
Before preseason training kicked off, Yang Cheng made a point to visit the Brent Training Base for the club's annual Youth Academy Selection Day.
It was a clear show of how much the club valued youth development.
Over the past few years, with consistent investment, the number of participants at Bayswater Chinese FC's trials had grown each year.
Of course, among them were a few players whose selections had already been decided—
Like Paul Pogba.
The French midfielder's talent was unquestionable.
His biggest mistake in life? Going back to Manchester United.
At Juventus, he had a meteoric rise—
If he had avoided that return, whether he joined Real Madrid or another club, he'd have been a guaranteed core player.
Especially with the form he showed in the 2018 World Cup.
Pogba's best position wasn't as a defensive midfielder—it was as a left-sided central midfielder.
And in that role, he was among the world's absolute elite.
But someone at United had clearly lost their mind, trying to force a world-class attacking midfielder into a holding role—then blaming him for underperforming.
Wasn't that insane?
At the very least, pair him with a ball-winner to protect him!
But no, United were stubborn—
They invested over £100 million in transfer fees and wages, only to throw it all away.
And this wasn't even a one-off.
Just like when Yang Cheng couldn't understand why Ferguson didn't play Pogba and let him walk for free.
Pogba was now 14 years old.
After joining Bayswater Chinese FC, he would go directly into the U16 team.
But over the past few years, he hadn't received much formal education in France.
So Yang Cheng made it clear: his academic training must be improved.
At the highest level, professionalism is built on culture.
Without a solid education, players are prone to doing reckless things—
Taking strange supplements or banned substances…
One mistake, and it's a suspension!
That kind of incident would never be tolerated at Bayswater Chinese FC.
During the Youth Selection Day, one other boy caught Yang Cheng completely off guard:
Jadon Sancho.
This kid was only 7 years old, born in Kennington.
Important—Kennington, not Kensington.
Kensington is in central London near Hyde Park.
Kennington is on the south bank of the Thames, a heavily Black and immigrant-populated area.
It was precisely one of the neighborhoods Yang Cheng had previously asked Dan Ashworth to focus on for youth development.
By 2023, stats showed that 10% of all Premier League players were born within a 10km radius of that part of south London.
Though Sancho was born in Kennington, he had moved with his family to Northwood in northwest London when he was young.
Northwood is just northwest of the Brent Reservoir and Wembley Stadium, right next to Walcott's hometown of Stanmore, and even closer to Watford.
In Yang Cheng's previous life, Jadon Sancho ended up joining Watford's youth academy.
But now, he had been recommended by his coach to Bayswater Chinese FC.
Yang Cheng specifically watched his game—and among his peers, Sancho's performance was a cut above the rest.
"This kid needs proper development. He's got limitless potential," Yang Cheng casually praised.
And hey, he didn't cost a penny.
Funny thing—yet another player wasted by Manchester United.
Yang Cheng always had a simple principle when judging something:
Once is an accident. Twice is bad luck. But if it happens again and again, something's definitely wrong.
And that's Manchester United for you.
When you've got problems but refuse to admit it—keep pushing through and let reality punch you in the face.
…
While at the Brent Training Base, Yang Cheng also dropped by to check the progress of the Phase II construction project.
The structure was already topped off and was now entering the interior renovation phase.
It was expected to be operational by the summer of 2008.
Meanwhile, the indoor training hall was just getting started.
By popular demand from the players, Yang Cheng had even commissioned an additional indoor football field, right inside the training complex.
No choice—thanks to the infectious energy of the Brazilian and South American players, the vibe around the squad had become more and more lively.
And really, there was nothing wrong with that—so Yang Cheng supported it completely.
The satellite academies were progressing too. Three were already operational, with renovations nearly completed.
Chris Hunter was in talks with two more youth clubs, though negotiations were still ongoing.
As for the Phase I of the Brent Training Base—its facilities, both hard and soft, were second to none among all youth academies.
From leisure areas for young players to academic zones and living quarters—everything was top-tier.
Not to mention the training facilities outside.
Even the youth coaches were among the best in the business.
Not just in England—Yang Cheng had also brought in Spanish youth coaches to take advantage of their strengths in technical training and creativity, complementing the British system.
As Yang Cheng always said: keep investing, never slack off!
On the ride back to central London from Brent, Yang Cheng received a call from Adam Crozier.
It was a fresh piece of intel on Arsenal.
David Dein had found a new investor—a Russian billionaire—interested in putting money into Arsenal.
"What's Hill-Wood's reaction?" Yang Cheng's question wasn't what most would ask.
In his past life, David Dein had always been pushing to bring in foreign investment—from Kroenke to Usmanov.
But in August of this very year, Dein had been ousted by the Arsenal board led by Hill-Wood.
That was a clear statement: the Arsenal board rejected any foreign takeover.
Of course, things would eventually change—Kroenke would slowly gain influence, and to fend off Usmanov, the board would be forced to sell to Kroenke.
But that's another story.
What Yang Cheng cared about now was: what is the current stance of Arsenal's leadership?
Once back at the Bayswater stadium, Yang Cheng went straight to Adam Crozier's office.
Crozier had more updates.
To Yang Cheng's surprise, Hill-Wood and company had no intention of purging David Dein!
"They don't want to preserve Arsenal's purity anymore?" Yang Cheng asked, clearly surprised.
"Purity, my ass," Crozier sneered. "I heard Arsenal missed the Champions League for two straight years. The losses are massive. The Highbury apartment project is on hold. If they can't raise funds soon, they'll be forced to sell players again by the 08/09 season."
Crozier didn't hold a high opinion of Arsenal.
"Who's left to sell?" Chris Hunter asked with a grin.
"Fabregas, van Persie, Adebayor, Aaron Lennon… they've still got a few they can cash in on."
Strangely, after Zymbonda joined Arsenal, his form completely dropped off.
Maybe the Gunners had some kind of built-in debuff?
If Yang Cheng had a choice, he'd consider signing Jack Wilshere—
Just because it would be a shame not to.
Very few English players had Wilshere's profile.
Of course, Aaron Ramsey had just as much talent, and better athleticism.
As for Fàbregas? Whoever wants him can have him—he'll just end up back at Barcelona anyway.
"From what I've gathered, Arsenal is indeed strapped for cash. The squad lacks competitiveness. Hill-Wood's side is okay with the investor providing funds and receiving shares—as long as they don't interfere in club decisions."
At that, Yang Cheng burst into laughter. "The investor's insane?"
Seriously—this was straight out of a CEO-falls-for-me romance plot.
What is this, the girl's section?
Everyone else in the room shook their heads.
Did they really think investors were suckers? That they could act all high and mighty?
You'd be surprised—many old-school Brits really did have that attitude. Still living in the glory of the British Empire.
But this was clearly different from Yang Cheng's previous life.
Dein not being ousted showed that things were changing.
And it made sense—two straight years without Champions League football. If they couldn't find new money soon, they'd probably end up selling their captain again.
They'd sold so often, it was practically a habit.
"There's still about a year to go. I'm sure both sides will continue negotiating. Let's see who wins out in the end."
At this stage, no one could clearly predict what would happen.
"Dein played this move pretty smart," Yang Cheng acknowledged.
"Everyone knows Arsenal needs money. If he brought in only one investor, they'd fleece him alive. Arsenal doesn't have much leverage."
"But now? He brought in two—one American, one Russian. Let them fight it out. Arsenal just sits back and profits."
Like a skilled woman with options.
You're gonna sell anyway—so let them bid. May the highest offer win.
"Among all the Premier League executives, David Dein's definitely one of the sharpest," Adam Crozier agreed.
Back when he was CEO of the FA, it was David Dein and others who schemed against him—
Forcing him to resign in disgrace.
Because of that, Crozier held no affection for Arsenal—or United, or Liverpool.
If he had to choose, he'd probably even prefer Chelsea.
Unlike Yang Cheng, both Crozier and Hunter—even Xia Qing—were starting to get a little worried about the coming Premier League season.
If Arsenal secured outside investment, they could make a strong comeback.
Not to mention Thaksin's Manchester City right next door.
But Yang Cheng? He wasn't worried.
Thaksin's assets were about to be frozen. The real terror would arrive next year—
A man with bottomless money and the patience to invest year after year.
Abramovich wasn't spending like he used to anymore.
Manchester United? With the Glazers' curse hanging over them, the Red Devils were doomed sooner or later.
Liverpool? Even less of a threat. For the next few years, Yang Cheng and Bayswater Chinese FC had nothing to fear from them.
With that in mind, even in the worst-case scenario, they could still hold on to a top-four finish, right?
If things really fell apart, they could always do what Wenger and Arsenal did in Yang Cheng's past life—become a "Top Four Merchant" for a few years. That wouldn't be so bad.
Of course, that was the final fallback plan.
Given the current state of things, Yang Cheng was still confident enough to say to every other Premier League team—
Bring it on—we're going for the title!
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10