Starting With Real Madrid

Gao Shen prides himself on being a strong head coach with a strong desire for control, so he naturally feels uneasy around powerful club owners.

He tends to avoid bosses like Berlusconi and Roman Abramovich, and De Laurentiis is no exception.

The Naples tycoon is also quite famous as of 2021.

A typical example of his style is the incident with Ancelotti, where he demanded that Ancelotti hold a closed training session as a form of punishment for the players, which sparked protests from both Ancelotti and the players, creating quite a stir.

Long before coming to Europe, Gao Shen had analyzed certain aspects of De Laurentiis' character based on this incident.

On the negative side, he is impulsive, can't control his mouth, and likes to meddle in team affairs. Even with top-tier coaches like Ancelotti, he overstepped his bounds let alone with others.

Of course, there are two sides to everything. Looking at it positively, while De Laurentiis is forceful, he is clear about his likes and dislikes. He is direct and blunt, with not much room for manoeuvre or deceit.

When a club owner gets upset about losing and wants to punish the players, it's not uncommon in European football. It's also not unusual to impose closed training sessions as punishment. But what sets De Laurentiis apart is that he handles matters personally and aggressively. Some other presidents and bosses might take a more roundabout approach, applying pressure through the general manager or sporting director, while keeping themselves out of the conflict.

Whether De Laurentiis is a good or bad boss depends on personal opinion.

Gao Shen was not familiar with De Laurentiis, so he had a rather negative view of Napoli. While he agreed to meet in Europe, he did not finalise the time, only giving a rough idea of when he would return to Europe.

In contrast, he directly told Blanc the exact date of his return to Europe, and the difference was clear.

But Gao Shen never expected De Laurentiis to be so eager that he flew directly to the Chinese capital.

When Gao Shen received a call from Marino in his hometown and learned they had arrived in the capital, he was surprised but also sensed Napoli's sincerity. So, he packed up, changed his plans, and flew to the capital.

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In a luxury hotel in the capital, Gao Shen met De Laurentiis and Marino for the first time.

De Laurentiis wasn't tall. He sported a slicked-back hairstyle, white hair and beard, and had sharp, bright eyes. Despite wearing a suit, his rebellious temperament was unmistakable.

Marino, on the other hand, was a middle-aged man in his fifties, bald, and wearing short-sighted glasses. He had a gentle demeanour and a kind smile, easily leaving a favourable impression.

When Gao Shen saw them together, he found it interesting because their temperaments did not match at all.

But that's how the professional world works.

Often, when two people with similar temperaments collaborate, conflicts are more likely to arise. In contrast, the combination of completely different temperaments can produce a more harmonious relationship.

The two had arrived in the capital the day before and had a day to adjust to the time difference. Although they had been staying in the hotel, the air quality in the capital hadn't been particularly good over the past two days. They noticed a pungent smell in the air as soon as they got off the plane.

Ironically, this became the first topic of conversation after the three sat down.

De Laurentiis repeatedly complained about the weather in the capital, which he saw as a major issue.

Gao Shen admitted to this fact but also offered some explanations in front of the foreign guests. He talked about the geographical location, the consequences of industrial development, and the country's ongoing efforts to address these issues.

Unexpectedly, De Laurentiis accepted this explanation and even mentioned that China's economy had developed rapidly in recent years. Many of his friends in Hollywood highly valued the Chinese market.

This reminded Gao Shen of another aspect of De Laurentiis: his prominent role in the Italian film industry and his extensive network in Hollywood.

Though this was their first meeting, Gao Shen considered himself well-versed in reading people. He found De Laurentiis less disagreeable than he had imagined. The man was strong-willed and rebellious, but his thoughts and actions followed their own logic.

One notable detail was that, from the moment they met, De Laurentiis did most of the talking. Marino sat beside him with a polite smile, occasionally nodding and chiming in, much like a dutiful sidekick.

Thinking about this, Gao Shen conjured a metaphor. Marino was like a sidekick in a comedy duo, the straight man who supports the more flamboyant lead. But unlike the typical comedic sidekick, this "bald, little white fat man" was a seasoned professional.

This analogy made Gao Shen view them more favourably.

Their conversation gradually shifted from discussing the air quality to talking about movies, and then from movies to football.

De Laurentiis talked about some situations in Napoli. Some of these Gao Shen already knew, but there were many details that contradicted the public rumours.

For example, a report Gao Shen had read claimed that when Napoli was demoted, five players chose to stay. But according to De Laurentiis, after the demotion and the ensuing debt crisis, most players had lost faith. As soon as the demotion was confirmed, any player with an exit option left.

When he reorganised the team, only two players remained from the original squad, and neither was of much use on the field.

"Without me, there would be no football club in Naples right now!" De Laurentiis declared arrogantly.

Of course, there is more than one football club in Naples, but this is the only one that is truly famous. This is also why Napoli's attendance rates have always been high.

They are the largest city in southern Italy.

From a business perspective, De Laurentiis may have had this in mind when he made his investments.

In 2004, he restructured the team. To return to Serie B as quickly as possible, De Laurentiis invested five million euros in the first season to boost the squad, bringing in the current attacking line-up.

He spent over a million euros on the tall centre-forward Roberto Sosa and Brazilian left-winger Piá, from Atalanta's youth academy. In the context of the Italian third tier at the time, these were significant expenditures.

However, halfway through the season, the team did not perform well. De Laurentiis spent another 3.6 million euros to bring in the current top scorer Emanuele Calaiò from Serie B side Pescara, but ultimately, the team failed to gain promotion to Serie B.

After learning from last season's mistakes, the team made adjustments this season and finally managed to secure promotion to Serie B.

Also, this summer, De Laurentiis finally re-registered the original Napoli name, and the team officially changed its name back.

---

De Laurentiis's tone was full of pride. He wasn't complaining but rather showcasing his accomplishments in Napoli, demonstrating his dedication and ambition for the club.

"When I restructured Napoli, I made two five-year plans. First, to return to Serie A within five years; second, to make the team a formidable force against the northern trio within the next five years."

Talking about this goal, De Laurentiis was ambitious. "I can now proudly say that we are progressing according to plan. I am confident we can lead Napoli to Serie A within three years."

Gao Shen could see that the boss of Napoli was madly ambitious.

But after hearing this, he shook his head and smiled.

"What? Do you think there's something wrong with my goal?" De Laurentiis asked, a little displeased.

"No, Mr. De Laurentiis, I'm just thinking that our positioning might differ somewhat," Gao Shen replied.

"Oh?"

"If—and I mean if—I were to coach Napoli, staying in Serie B for one season would already feel too long. I don't have the patience to stay for three years, nor to spend five more years after finally reaching Serie A, slowly building strength to catch up with Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan."

De Laurentiis was taken aback.

He prided himself on being audacious, but he hadn't expected Gao Shen to be even bolder.

"Then how long would it take you if you were the head coach of Napoli?" Marino, ever the dutiful cheerleader, asked the question De Laurentiis wanted to ask but felt embarrassed to.

"My goal would be to gain promotion to Serie A in the next season and compete with the northern trio within two seasons. I am confident that I can achieve in three years what you aim to do in the next eight, although you may not achieve it," Gao Shen stated confidently.

De Laurentiis and Marino exchanged glances, visibly shocked.

Build a team to compete with the northern giants in three years?

"That's impossible!" De Laurentiis sneered, shaking his head.

He felt that Gao Shen was exaggerating or even trying to bluff him.

Such tactics are common at the negotiation table.

"There is absolutely no need for me to lie to you, Mr. De Laurentiis," Gao Shen said calmly.

Aren't you crazy? Aren't you rebellious?

I'm crazier than you!

More importantly, I have the credentials to back it up!

"As for what you think is impossible, I want to remind you, Mr. De Laurentiis: When I first took over Real Madrid, everyone said I would not succeed. When I said I wanted to control the dressing room, they said it was impossible. When I declared I would win the league title against Barcelona, they said it was impossible. And when I said I would win the Champions League, they still said it was impossible."

At this point, Gao Shen spread his hands and asked with a hint of helplessness, "So now, do you still think it's impossible?"

This was Gao Shen's confidence—confidence built on solid achievements. What did he have to be afraid of?

Besides, he had more than enough reasons to back himself up.

However, he was also not particularly interested in coaching Napoli.

So, he didn't mind provoking De Laurentiis. And when he saw the hint of anger on the Naples owner's face, he didn't bother to explain much and continued chatting casually with them for a little while longer.

---

"I didn't expect him to be so arrogant!"

Marino watched Gao Shen leave with surprise. He hadn't anticipated that the friendly voice he had heard over the phone would turn out to be so bold and self-assured in person. Yet, he couldn't find any strong arguments to refute him.

After all, Gao Shen's record spoke for itself.

But what Marino hadn't expected was that De Laurentiis, who had been gnashing his teeth in front of Gao Shen just moments ago, would suddenly change his demeanor and burst out laughing as soon as Gao Shen was out of sight.

"I underestimated this kid!"