Starting With Real Madrid

The second time Gao Shen saw De Laurentiis was at noon the next day after meeting with Juventus.

De Laurentiis had flown in from Italy with Marino, arriving in Madrid that morning. He invited Gao Shen for lunch without delay, giving the impression that he couldn't wait any longer.

Unlike their first meeting in China, De Laurentiis seemed like a completely different person this time.

Though it was hard to fully hide his rebellious temperament, he was clearly trying to control and restrain himself, speaking in a much gentler tone.

Moreover, unlike their previous meeting, where De Laurentiis did most of the talking, Marino had more chances to speak this time.

Naples' technical director, Marino, was quite capable. He had done a good job in Udinese in Serie A before.

For many years, Udinese survived by buying low and selling high. This required a high level of operational ability from the technical director, and Marino had created a successful operating mechanism for Udinese.

But it was precisely this talent that De Laurentiis managed to poach for Naples.

Combining this with what Sacchi had said before, Gao Shen began to better understand De Laurentiis.

Was this old man truly as domineering, strong, and outspoken as he appeared on the surface?

Or was his life like a play, all relying on acting?

...

Contrary to the unpleasant atmosphere of their last meeting, this meal was very harmonious.

Marino was humorous, and his jokes helped lighten the mood throughout the meal. De Laurentiis also gave him plenty of room to speak and refrained from being overbearing, which made Gao Shen a bit suspicious. Was the De Laurentiis he saw in China the real one?

Throughout the entire meal, De Laurentiis and Marino didn't mention anything about football. However, Gao Shen could feel that they were trying to probe and figure out his thoughts.

But Gao Shen was no rookie. He knew how to deal with such probing, deflecting it back each time.

This made De Laurentiis and Marino sitting opposite him uncertain about his intentions.

Had Gao Shen already "made up his mind"?

If that were the case, there would be no need for them to continue talking.

But Gao Shen maintained a vague and ambiguous attitude. He never gave a clear answer, acting like a scumbag, leaving Marino scratching his bald head from time to time.

Finally, De Laurentiis couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Okay, I'll just say it straight!" De Laurentiis' domineering side finally showed.

Gao Shen nodded calmly as always, "If you have something to say, just say it directly."

"I know, you met someone from Juventus yesterday."

Gao Shen was a little surprised, "Where did you get the news?"

Did Juventus leak it on purpose?

"Don't overthink it. Even though Juventus has been relegated, its influence in Italian football remains significant. Some reporters photographed Blanc and Secco flying to Madrid, so I guessed they were there to meet you," De Laurentiis said with a confident expression that seemed to say, "Don't try to hide it from me."

Gao Shen was somewhat reassured and didn't bother to hide it. He nodded, acknowledging it.

This made it difficult for De Laurentiis to navigate the conversation.

He couldn't ask Gao Shen directly, "Hey, buddy, how did your talk with Juventus go?"

That would be too foolish; how could he possibly get an answer like that?

"I don't know what Juventus discussed with you specifically, but I still want to persuade you that Juventus is not a good place to go," De Laurentiis said in a different way, his tone softer.

You have to give it to the old guy; he really was a filmmaker. His expressions came naturally, and he acted out his role perfectly.

"Why not?" Gao Shen asked calmly, showing no reaction.

"After Juventus was relegated to Serie B, they suffered significant player losses. Most of the strong players decided to leave the team. The Bianconeri are no longer the Serie A giants they once were. Even if some big-name players stay, you've just jumped out of the pit of Real Madrid, and you want to fall back into the pit of Juventus immediately?" De Laurentiis questioned.

Gao Shen felt a flicker of realization in his mind.

To be honest, De Laurentiis did make some sense.

For example, players like Buffon, Nedved, and Trezeguet said they would stay, which seemed like a good thing. But the question was, could Gao Shen control them?

With Juventus relegated to Serie B, the club would prioritize these veteran players. Between Gao Shen and the veterans, they wouldn't hesitate to abandon Gao Shen, regardless of what they promised before the season.

As a fan, Gao Shen had also admired players like Nedved and Buffon, but when it came to personal interests, everyone was the same. When it came to their own interests, nobody was above self-preservation.

This is actually a big challenge when coaching giants.

Though he thought so inwardly, Gao Shen remained calm on the surface. "You know, if I could manage Real Madrid's dressing room, I wouldn't be afraid of Juventus. Compared to Real Madrid's superstars, Juventus' players are still easier to manage."

"As for strength, that is not a problem for me. I could sell a large number of players to bring in a significant amount of money, which I could then invest in transfers to bring in the players I need. It's a win-win!" he continued confidently.

De Laurentiis and Marino exchanged glances, never expecting that Gao Shen would make such a statement.

Could it be that he had really talked with Juventus?

De Laurentiis shook his head and said, "If you think so, you're wrong. Juventus will not invest heavily in the transfer market. Neither the club nor the Fiat consortium behind it will invest heavily."

"Why not?" Gao Shen remained very calm.

Because now, he no longer wanted to coach Juventus.

"The Fiat consortium is not what it used to be. Currently, the consortium is in a deep crisis, so when dealing with the 'Calciopoli' scandal, John Elkann and Ferrari president Montezemolo did not prioritize Juventus but rather the Fiat Group."

"For them, it doesn't matter what happens to Juventus now. The most important thing is to recover the Fiat Group's performance as quickly as possible and get rid of its current operational difficulties. You know, it was Montezemolo who pushed Juventus to abandon the appeal and accept relegation to Serie B."

Gao Shen nodded, "You're right, but there is one way of working with extra transfer fees, and another way of working with fewer transfer fees."

The implication was: I understand everything you're saying, but don't worry, I can handle it!

De Laurentiis frowned; he really did not expect Gao Shen to be unmoved by this.

He was good at reading people, and at a glance, he knew that Gao Shen wasn't panicking at all.

This wasn't reasonable.

Even if he hadn't reached a consensus with Juventus, he must have some interest in them; otherwise, there was no reason not to react.

Unless he truly had a strong self-confidence and believed he could overcome all the problems.

But it didn't matter; he still had his last card.

"Have you heard of Giampiero Boniperti?" De Laurentiis asked.

Gao Shen was taken aback for a moment, furrowed his brow, and after thinking for a while, he finally remembered, "Honorary chairman of Juventus?"

"Yes, then do you know the relationship between Alessio Secco and Boniperti?"

Gao Shen was stunned. Were these two related?

Looking at their ages, was Seco the illegitimate son of Boniperti?

But Gao Shen quickly dismissed this wild thought, shook his head, and said he didn't know.

"Alessio Secco's father was an accountant and Boniperti's confidant for many years. Secco himself has no real capability. He entered Juventus through Boniperti back then, and all he did was handle some trivial roles with no real power, essentially just keeping a job."

"But in this current turmoil at Juventus, Boniperti's honorary chairmanship is still respected, and Alessio Secco has gone from a press officer to a sporting director. As we all know, he doesn't understand football at all."

This time, Gao Shen truly came to a realization.

"Think about it, Juventus' new Big Three: Alessio Secco holds the most real power and the most lucrative position as sporting director, but he is also the least capable; Jean-Claude Blanc is John Elkann's man, representing the Fiat Group; he was originally supposed to be chairman, but the shareholders chose Geely, the owner of a supermarket chain."

De Laurentiis spoke with a bit of swagger, and after speaking, he gestured in front of Gao Shen a few times and said, "We don't have any substantial evidence, but you can imagine, what is the relationship between these three people?"

At that moment, Gao Shen finally understood why Secco targeted him so much.

This was probably not just Sceco's intention but also the intention of certain interest groups behind him.

To put it bluntly, as De Laurentiis said, the position of sporting director comes with a lot of power and money. Holding this position makes it an incredible source of income.

No wonder Secco would directly spoil the negotiation.

In the end, he still wanted too much.

"Thank you, Mr. De Laurentiis, I understand," Gao Shen smiled and nodded in gratitude.

De Laurentiis and Marino exchanged another look and laughed.

"So, you're not going to Juventus?" Marino asked with concern.

Gao Shen shook his head, "I never said I was going to Juventus."

The smiles of De Laurentiis and Marino suddenly froze.

Damn, if you're not going, why did I waste all this time talking so much?

"Didn't you meet with Blanc and Secco yesterday?" De Laurentiis asked.

"Yes, but they have reservations about my request and said they need to think about it," Gao Shen said half-truthfully.

The two on the opposite side exchanged glances again. It seemed like the discussions with Juventus were still ongoing, and there might still be a chance for Juventus.

"And now?" De Laurentiis asked anxiously.

"What you said really made me hesitant, so I will talk to them again. Some terms must be able to be implemented into the contract," Gao Shen replied lightly, looking very candid.

De Laurentiis and Marino were clearly getting nervous.

Compared to Juventus, Napoli had no advantage at all.

If Gao Shen were to go back and talk to Juventus again, Napoli would have no chance.

"In that case, no matter what conditions they promise you, I can promise you the same. You can state your demands, and we can guarantee to let you participate in transfer and contract negotiations and build the team according to your wishes."

De Laurentiis obviously didn't want to waste time.

"Come to Naples!"