I build a giant in the Premier League

Chapter 356 Acquiring the Premier League! A Sky-High Release Clause! Beating Guardiola, I'm the Professional! [Please Subscribe]

Before Klopp led Liverpool to an away game against Basworth Field in the 26th round of the Premier League, Yang Cheng made the following remarks in a pre-match press conference with British media.

"I think Klopp hasn't adapted yet, or rather, hasn't had time to adapt to the Premier League!"

"He's like a restless teenager; he needs to mature and become more rational!"

It's really funny!
Yang Cheng, 35, advised Klopp, 48, to be more mature.

Many people believe that this was a psychological tactic Yang Cheng used against Klopp before the match.

But only Klopp himself knows the truth.

Yang Cheng is giving him pointers!

After arriving in the Premier League, he played a few games with Yang Cheng and drank with him a few times.

Yang Cheng emphasized to him the most about the differences between the English Premier League and the Bundesliga.

Klopp felt he was mentally prepared.

But Yang Cheng felt that he didn't.

This initially made Klopp feel resentful.

But after playing the whole season, now that we've completed 26 rounds, Liverpool has reached the League Cup semi-finals.

Klopp asked himself: Yang Cheng was right!
His tactical approach, which he excelled at in the Bundesliga, brought about a dramatic transformation for Liverpool in the Premier League.

The high degree of synergy between Klopp's tactics and team philosophy, and his fast counter-attacks, has made Liverpool's high-pressing and counter-attacking style almost perfectly suited to their needs.

The match looked incredibly exciting.

All the fans cheered with excitement.

Many people even say that Klopp is the best manager for Liverpool in the new century.

There’s nothing wrong with that!
But after the initial honeymoon period, various problems began to emerge.

Liverpool have actually played well in big matches this season, but energy management has always been a huge problem.

It's certainly exhilarating to keep charging forward.

But what happens after you've had your fun?

When your stamina starts to wane, you'll be completely dominated by your opponent.

The League Cup semi-final match against Beswain China is the best proof of that.

Yang Cheng said that we need to become more mature and more rational.

Klopp interpreted this as telling him to learn to control the game and control the pace.

A mix of fast and slow, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, that's what makes it reasonable!

The biggest difference between the Premier League and the Bundesliga is that the mid-to-lower-tier teams in the Premier League are just too damn strong!
When Klopp was coaching the Bundesliga, he didn't really take any other teams seriously, except for Bayern Munich, especially the mid-to-lower table teams.

But what about the Premier League?
Klopp's high-pressing and fast counter-attacking tactics are actually less effective in the Premier League than in the Bundesliga.

Why?

Because the Premier League is basically all about fast counter-attacks.

The pace was incredibly fast.

The biggest bargaining chip left is high-level aggressive buying.

The most annoying thing about mid-to-lower-tier Premier League teams is that they also have their own set of game strategies.

With their strong purchasing power, they don't poach star players; instead, they target established players, primarily tall, physically imposing center forwards and incredibly fast wingers.

The main focus is on an impact-based strategy.

In recent years, the defensive level of European football has improved by leaps and bounds.

Mid-to-lower-tier Premier League teams also have the financial means to acquire excellent defenders, so each of them has built a solid defense.

Therefore, when they encounter strong teams, they resort to counter-attacking.

And what they fear least is precisely teams like Liverpool that press and attack relentlessly.

If your initial attack fails to produce results, they can launch a counterattack from behind.

Black and tough and The Flash will immediately start teaching you a lesson!
This kind of situation is rarely seen in the Bundesliga.

Teams in the lower half of the Bundesliga generally cannot achieve this level.

Therefore, what Premier League teams fear most are possession-based teams like Manchester City, as well as passing and cutting teams like Basworth and Arsenal.

Sure enough, Mourinho's tactics didn't work at Chelsea either.

Van Gaal also encountered trouble at Manchester United.

Klopp is the same now.

The reason lies in what Yang Cheng said: if you can't get the offense going, you need to control the ball, readjust and organize, and then launch another attack.

If one wave doesn't work, then a second wave, a third wave, and so on, pushing forward wave after wave until the opponent breaks through their defenses!
But this requires a player who can control the tempo of the midfield.

Liverpool doesn't have players like that right now.

During the winter break, Klopp wanted to sign Gundogan from Dortmund, but they couldn't agree on a price.

At the beginning of the season, the reason why he signed Mane for a hefty sum was because Klopp firmly believed that a lack of speed was essential to success in the Premier League.

As it turns out, he was right.

But now he has discovered that without a great playmaker, it's impossible to succeed in the Premier League.

Many people only saw the consecutive 1-goal leads of the Baswater Chinese in January, and a 0-0 draw, and felt that Yang Cheng and his Baswater Chinese seemed to be a bit out of their depth.

But no one knows how much Klopp envies Yang Cheng.

Winning by playing dirty tricks is not about playing dirty tricks, nor is it just about winning.

More importantly, behind the underhanded tactics was the physical conditioning of the Chinese players at Baswater.

Once they've recovered from this physical adjustment, the Chinese team will be just as energetic in the second half of the race at Baswater!
What's disheartening is that they manage to win even during their adjustment periods!

On the other hand, Liverpool...

In this Premier League match of the 26th round, Klopp learned from previous experiences and hoped that the team could stabilize a bit in the first half and allocate their energy reasonably.

To avoid a repeat of the previous situation where players ran out of energy in the second half.

Especially the Chinese who kicked Besworth.

If you run out of energy in less than 60 minutes, what's the point of playing?

This is a good idea.

But it's just an idea.

Because when Liverpool couldn't exert enough pressure on the Chinese team at Besworth in the attacking third, Yang Cheng's team used offense to break down Liverpool's defense time and time again.

In the 20th minute, Toni Kroos assisted Harry Kane to score.

In the 33rd minute, Modric broke into the penalty area and scored again against Liverpool.

Liverpool conceded two goals in just half an hour of the first half.

Klopp was acutely aware that he was wrong!

Even if you do your best to suppress the opponent, your team may run out of energy and be on the defensive after 60 minutes.

But at least it can last for 60 minutes.

Sixty minutes later, if a defensive strategy is adopted, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

But if he abandons his most proficient weapon, trying to both press and rob while conserving his energy, the end result will be that he gets nothing.

The match hadn't even been 60 minutes long, or strictly speaking, only half an hour, and he had already lost!
The second half unfolded as expected.

Liverpool did perform well after 60 minutes.

Suarez scored a goal for the team in the 65th minute.

But in the 67th minute, Gareth Bale put his team ahead again.

In the 76th minute, Kolarov was shown a second yellow card for fouling Walcott, resulting in a straight red card and his dismissal.

In the League Cup semi-final, Kolarov was outmaneuvered by Walcott.

This time he tried desperately to stop it, but the price he paid was a red card.

This is just like Klopp's situation!

The more he struggled against the Chinese in Bethwaite, the faster he died.

Ultimately, Klopp's team suffered a 1-3 defeat away from home!

……

On the evening of February 17, the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 took place.

Baswater's Chinese team will play away against Serie A's Roma.

Today's Roma can be considered to have a strong and well-equipped squad, boasting renowned players such as El Shaarawy, Totti, Pjanic, and Nainggolan.

But at home, Spalletti's team still couldn't stop the Baswater Chinese's attack.

The Red Wolves held on for 43 minutes.

Walcott delivered a cross from the right wing, and Gareth Bale scored on the left, opening the scoring for Roma.

In the second half, in the 54th minute, Gareth Bale received the ball on the left wing, suddenly started his run, shook off Florenzi, and forcefully dribbled into the left side of the penalty area before scoring a low shot into Roma's goal.

2 is better than 0!

Just six minutes later, Giroud sealed the victory for the Chinese at Beswathe with a powerful header.

3 is better than 0!

The match had only been going on for 60 minutes.

Although Nainggolan pulled one back for Roma in the subsequent match, the Giallorossi ultimately lost 1-3 at home, essentially surrendering their qualification for the next round.

……

On February 20th, in the 5th round of the FA Cup, the Baswater Chinese team visited White Hart Lane to challenge Tottenham Hotspur.

During first-half stoppage time, Kyle Walker received the ball on the right side of Tottenham's half.

As he received the ball, he looked up and glanced ahead.

Salah moved to the right, almost right sideline, ready to receive his pass.

This made Kyle Walker know in his heart what he should do.

England's right-back quickly moved forward, but diagonally into the flank.

Upon entering Tottenham's 30-meter zone, before Bentaleb could get close, he delivered a cross and continued sprinting forward.

When Modric ran sideways to receive the ball, he saw Salah on the right flank raising his hand to ask for it.

At almost the same time, Kyle Walker had already rushed to the right side of the penalty area.

Tottenham's left-back Daniel Rose was drawn to Walker and moved closer to the penalty area.

Having worked together for many years, Modric immediately guessed how the attack would proceed.

He suddenly stopped and changed direction to cut in front.

This immediately forced Bentaleb, who was originally positioned near the flank, to retreat and defend.

But at that moment, Modric, who had been making a forward run, suddenly sent a pass with the outside of his right foot, diagonally passing the ball to the right sideline and into Salah's feet.

Bentaleb is positioned near the center, while Salah is almost unmarked on the right flank.

Tottenham's left-back Daniel Rose immediately pounced on the attack.

Little did the unfortunate Daniel Rose know that Salah was just waiting for him to run out.

As soon as the Egyptian received the ball, before Daniel Rose could get close, he made a diagonal pass, sending the ball into the right side of the penalty area.

Kyle Walker, who had just rushed to the edge of the penalty area, suddenly accelerated and quickly cut into the right side from the flank, just in time to catch up with Salah's diagonal pass.

Kyle Walker stopped on the right side of the penalty area and made a solid physical challenge to Alderweireld.

Riding on this momentum, Kyle Walker caught up with the ball again and unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot.

The Dutch goalkeeper, Vorm, is only 1.83 meters tall and has a very fast running speed down the flank.

But Kyle Walker's powerful shot went straight over his head, slipped between his hands, and nestled into the goal behind him.

1 is better than 0!

Kyle Walker excitedly turned and ran, sprinting all the way off the court.

Yang Cheng, standing on the sidelines, couldn't help but applaud repeatedly.

Kyle Walker has indeed performed exceptionally well this season.

It's obvious to everyone that 30-year-old Piszczek is gradually losing his ability to keep up with his teammate.

His speed is really fast, and his physical strength is indeed very strong.

His average of 6.3 ball recoveries per game is enough to prove his excellence.

For the next few years, until Arnold matures, Basworth's Chinese team will rely on him on the right flank!

……

After playing in the 5th round of the FA Cup, the team had a week to rest.

A week later, the Premier League will enter its 27th round, but the Chinese from Basworth Field and Manchester City will play in the League Cup final.

However, before this final match, Yang Cheng took time to travel to Zurich, Switzerland, to attend the FIFA Special Congress held in Zurich on the 26th.

The date of this conference was decided at a council meeting in Tokyo, Japan last December.

The location was not at FIFA headquarters, but at the Hallen Stadium in the northern part of Zurich.

This is a fully enclosed indoor stadium that is usually rented out to the public. It can host events such as basketball, boxing, and ice hockey, as well as concerts and stage performances. It is a very popular multi-functional stadium.

Now, the stadium has been transformed into a very spacious venue.

Yang Cheng arrived in Zurich on the 23rd ahead of schedule.

On the 24th, he attended an internal meeting of the Supervisory Board, mainly about the progress of reforms and the agenda for the special congress on the 26th, a very important FIFA congress held only once every few years.

On the 25th, Yang Cheng and members of the supervisory board met with FIFA's council to discuss the agenda for the 26th and FIFA's upcoming reform plans.

There's also the preparation and planning for major sporting events, and so on.

On the morning of the 26th, around 8 a.m., representatives from more than 200 FIFA member countries and regions, along with FIFA executives, employees, media reporters from around the world, and everyone who cares about the development of international football, gathered at Haren Stadium.

Media reporters did not enter the venue; instead, they waited outside to conduct interviews and reports.

Yang Cheng is undoubtedly the focus of everyone's attention.

As Chairman of the FIFA Supervisory Board, Yang Cheng will deliver the opening address on behalf of FIFA.

This is the first time in history!
Traditionally, this is the job of the FIFA president.

This is the second time Yang Cheng has acted in place of FIFA president.

The first time was at the FIFA awards ceremony in January.

The Chinese at Baswater were absolutely victorious.

Of the 11 players selected for the All-NBA Team, seven were Chinese players from Basworth.

Yang Cheng won the Best Coach Award for Men's Football!

Gareth Bale has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or twice in a row!

At the time, Yang Cheng personally presented the award to Gareth Bale, which became a celebrated story within FIFA.

Yang Cheng is now serving as acting FIFA president again.

In the past period, Yang Cheng, as chairman of the supervisory board, has frequently released information and news about the progress of the supervisory board and FIFA reforms, which has attracted much attention from everyone this time.

Yang Cheng smiled and expressed his appreciation for FIFA's achievements over the past period.

"In just over six months, we fought a very successful anti-corruption war and achieved a major victory!"

What specific spoils of victory can be revealed in advance?
Yang Cheng smiled and said, "In the past, you could only wait outside the stadium for each special session, but now we can enter the venue, which is a great improvement!"

A round of enthusiastic applause immediately erupted at the scene.

That's absolutely right!
Previously, everyone could only wait outside for FIFA's final press release.

Now they can enter the stadium.

Of course, the entire special meeting will be broadcast live.

Interested fans around the world can watch this live online.

At 9:40, the special meeting officially began!
As Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Yang Cheng delivered the opening address on behalf of FIFA.

He extended a warm welcome to all the member representatives, FIFA colleagues, and media reporters present.

Yang Cheng stated that FIFA has faced unprecedented challenges and various problems accumulated over the past decades during this period.

"Today, the eyes of the world are focused on this special conference!"

"After more than half a year, fans all over the world are looking forward to our answer."

"I want to say that, as the chairman of the supervisory board, over the past six months, all my colleagues and I have consistently adhered to one view: only by resolutely pushing forward with reforms can we help FIFA rebuild its credibility and regain the trust of the fans!"

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

Yang Cheng stated that due to the suspension of membership by Indonesia and Kuwait, there were representatives from 207 member associations present today.

The entire special session will be divided into two parts.

The first step was to vote on several proposals, including the FIFA Statutes, the regulations governing their application, and the FIFA General Assembly Rules.

These proposals incorporate various reforms previously implemented by FIFA, including the transformation of the Executive Committee into a Council, as well as restrictions on the term and age of officials.

Once the vote passes, it will mean that a completely new management framework for FIFA will be implemented.

After the vote, the FIFA presidential election, which everyone is very concerned about, will take place.

There are currently 3 candidates.

One of them is David Gill from the UK.

The other two are from Asia: Prince Ali of Jordan and Sheikh Salman, President of the Asian Football Confederation and Vice President of FIFA.

The first item on the agenda was chaired by David Gill, the head of the reform team.

He first read out all the reform proposals, and then explained the revisions, elaborating on the necessity of the reforms.

In fact, many of these decisions had already been approved internally before, but this time they were brought out publicly for a vote in front of everyone to prove their authority.

The final vote was almost entirely in favor of the winners.

Each time a reform proposal was passed, a round of enthusiastic applause would erupt in the room.

This also shows everyone the strong support for reform within FIFA.

This trend is unstoppable!
Yang Cheng presided over the election of the three candidates.

One very clear sign was the thunderous applause David Gill received during his pre-campaign speech.

The Englishman used reform as his campaign slogan, and he personally participated in the entire process of FIFA's reform, which won the approval of most people.

Most importantly, he has virtually no scandals.

On the contrary, his biggest rival, Sheikh Salman, the AFC president from Bahrain, was exposed by the British media for a bribery scandal during his 2009 FIFA executive committee election after announcing his candidacy.

He used $160 million to operate it.

But this money actually came from FIFA's sports development fund allocated to Bahrain.

Sheikh Salman's lawyers have denied the allegations, but this has raised concerns about his situation.

In recent years, FIFA presidents have come from either Europe or the Americas.

No one from Asia or Africa has ever been elected before.

So much so that some people joked that if Yang Cheng ran for office, he would definitely be elected.

But once Yang Cheng steps forward to make the selection, many of his tasks will become impossible.

Sheikh Salman, as a key figure promoted by the AFC, is also highly anticipated.

After all, if he could break the "monopoly" of Europe and the Americas on the FIFA presidency, it would be a breath of fresh air.

Unexpectedly, he was exposed to such a scandal, which damaged his image.

As chairman of the supervisory board, Yang Cheng presided over the entire voting process and announced the start of the voting.

According to the rules, in the first round of voting, if any of the three candidates can obtain more than two-thirds of the votes, then they win immediately.

If the number of votes does not exceed two-thirds, the two candidates with the most votes will advance to the second round of voting.

After the voting began, the 207 member representatives sitting in front of the stage pressed the electronic buttons in their hands to cast their precious votes.

The large screen on the stage was displaying the vote counts in real time. The atmosphere in the entire stadium suddenly became tense.

Although Yang Cheng doesn't mind who becomes chairman, he still hopes David Gill will win the election.

And as it turns out, David Gill led almost from the very beginning, and the gap gradually widened.

It even gets bigger and bigger.

Once the voting began, the only remaining question was whether David Gill would be able to secure two-thirds of the vote.

The answer was soon revealed.

The final number was 143 votes!
Sheikh Salman received 47 votes, and Prince Ali received 17 votes.

David Gill won the FIFA presidency without needing to go to the second round, with a majority of more than two-thirds of the votes!

In an instant, the entire stadium erupted in applause.

Everyone was satisfied with the result.

Because the achievements of FIFA's reforms under David Gill's leadership over the past period are evident to all.

His election now signifies that FIFA's reforms will continue.

When Yang Cheng, as chairman of the supervisory board, announced the result and invited David Gill to the stage, the Englishman excitedly embraced Yang Cheng and did not let go for a long time.

"I can't describe how I feel right now!"

"The past six months have been an extraordinary experience for me. I have met many amazing people who love football, and I have learned a lot from them."

"I hope to work together with you and everyone else to create a new era for international football!"

In outlining his future vision for FIFA, David Gill stated that he will remain steadfast in pushing for reforms.

He also expressed his gratitude to the supervisory board, headed by Yang Cheng, for their oversight of him, the FIFA Council, the continental football federations, and all member associations.

He believes that, based on the history of the past hundred years, this is absolutely necessary.

David Gill stated that he will not make any changes to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The reason is simple: Russia and Qatar have both invested heavily in the preparation of these two World Cups.

Moreover, canceling their hosting rights would not be in FIFA's interest.

However, David Gill stated that FIFA will invest more time and energy in these two tournaments and will strive to make them two successful football events.

David Gill also talked a lot about some of his own ideas.

Yang Cheng stood to the side, listening with a smile on his face.

But in reality, he didn't listen at all.

Deep down, he still felt a pang of regret.

This guy finally got what he wanted!

He still clearly remembers that he had only encouraged David Gill to become a god of wealth.

But who would have thought that he would become the president of FIFA?

Things in this world change so fast!
He wasn't worried about whether David Gill would keep his promise, because his request was actually quite simple.

The licensing agreements for events such as the International Champions Cup have already been obtained.

The remaining task is to increase support for China in youth training.

This is not just a matter of money; the most important thing is talent.

Developing youth training absolutely requires talent.

Talent is needed in youth training coaches, the development of youth training systems, and many other aspects.

Putting aside everything else, let's just talk about the youth training bases in Xinjiang Province.

Yang Cheng spent money to invite outstanding youth coaches from Eastern Europe to coach, but no matter how much he appealed, it was not as effective as FIFA stepping in.

This is also a good thing for David Gill.

China's economy is booming, but its football, especially the men's team, is lagging behind.

Whoever is elected FIFA president will certainly want to help China qualify for the World Cup finals.

Who could imagine that China, with a population of 14 billion, wouldn't be a participant in the World Cup finals, the world's most popular sport and the most prestigious football tournament?

Oh, right, India doesn't have it either.

But China's gold content is incomparable to India's.
Putting aside everything else, the number of Chinese sponsors each year far surpasses that of India.

Therefore, David Gill has every right to push for helping China improve its football level.

However, at the luncheon after the election, Yang Cheng met with Nasser of the Qatari consortium.

He came to Zurich with the Qatari delegation.

Nasser brought Yang Cheng some earth-shattering news.

"A deal we've been working on with for a Premier League club has made a breakthrough."

Yang Cheng was quite surprised when Nasser delivered the news with a smile.

"Which team?" Yang Cheng blurted out.

Tottenham Hotspur!

"Huh?" Yang Cheng was even more surprised.

How could it be Tottenham Hotspur?
Didn't a lot of teams mention this before?
Yang Cheng never really thought it would be Southampton.

why?
Because Southampton is not a big city.

Over the past period, there has indeed been a constant stream of news from the outside world, such as Everton.

Buying this team and going to play against Liverpool's fierce city rivals is actually a pretty good idea.

And then there's West Ham United in London.

The latter secured a long-term lease on the London Stadium, making it a highly sought-after property.

There are even rumors that teams from the south bank of the Thames, such as Crystal Palace, are involved.

But Yang Chengzhen never expected it to be Tottenham Hotspur.

Because Joe Lewis and Daniel Levy are both too dark-skinned!

In the past, there have been investors who have shown interest in Tottenham, but their asking prices have always been very high.

"How much did you spend?" Yang Cheng asked with great interest.

He was already hoping to receive an astronomical sum of money.

£15 billion!

really!

Although Yang Cheng had experienced Manchester United and Chelsea in his previous life, he was somewhat desensitized to numbers.

But the £15 billion acquisition of Tottenham Hotspur would certainly shock the European football world and even the world.

This will further drive up the prices of Premier League clubs!
Frankly, this isn't so friendly to the Chinese consortia that are currently interested in investing in the English Premier League.

"It's too high!" Yang Cheng shook his head repeatedly.

Nasser smiled and nodded, "Yes, but Tottenham Hotspur also has projects that we are very interested in."

"You mean the Northumbria Development Project?"

“That’s right, we are very interested in this plan, and we even think it can be expanded.” Nasser said excitedly.

Tottenham Hotspur is located in the northeast of London, which is actually quite remote and poor, with limited infrastructure.

The London government insisted on placing the London Stadium in the east of the city center because it wanted to revitalize East London.

Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium project has been in the works for at least 10 years.

The district government, in collaboration with Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium project, proposed the Northumberland Plan to revitalize the old town of the area.

The plan is divided into three parts.

In the middle is the stadium, and to the north is a two-story complex containing a supermarket, parking lot, and some commercial space.

The most important part of the project is the area south of the stadium, where four separate residential buildings are planned to be constructed.

In Yang Cheng's previous life, Tottenham Hotspur's project underwent repeated revisions.

For example, the complex to the north was changed from two floors to four floors because Tottenham Hotspur later moved the club's offices into this building.

The residential buildings to the south have also been renovated repeatedly, from the original 200 units to 285 units.

However, after the stadium was completed, the residential buildings were not started.

Before Yang Cheng's transmigration, the latest news was that residential buildings would not be built; instead, the area would be redeveloped, with a 30-story hotel to be built first.

But whatever it may be, this project is indeed very attractive.

“We are in close discussions with the London City Government and Harlingay Council, and we even hope to further expand the Northumberland Plan to cover a wider area.”

"We hope to create a landmark complex in East London around the entire new stadium project, just like the Prudential Stadium in Bethwaite has played a leading role in driving the development of the entire surrounding area."

Yang Cheng chuckled to himself.

Are we the ones driving development around Beswater?

However, if the Qatari consortium really intends to do this in the Tottenham area, it will indeed drive the development of the surrounding areas.

Because the surrounding area is quite poor.

“15 billion pounds is indeed very expensive,” Yang Cheng exclaimed.

“But it’s worth it, isn’t it?” Nasser said with a smile.

For them, the most important thing is not the numbers, but the assets.

If £15 billion, plus subsequent investments, can bring them high-quality assets in the London area, it would be a very worthwhile deal.

Moreover, there's also Tottenham Hotspur.

Since the Chinese succeeded in Bethwater, every single foreign investor has followed suit.

They all clearly realized that running a football club does not necessarily mean making money from the football club.

There are other, even more and better, ways to make money.

“After you came in, London really came alive.” Yang Cheng laughed.

After Bayswater's Chinese, Chelsea, and Arsenal, now Tottenham Hotspur has joined the team.

Four top London teams, that's simply incredible!

"Oh right, I remember last time you said you would sign a superstar, you were talking about Ibrahimovic?" Yang Cheng suddenly thought of this question.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain, so it's quite normal for him to transfer to Tottenham Hotspur in London.

"And Neymar too!"

"Who?" Yang Cheng was stunned for a moment, wondering if he had misheard.

"Barcelona's Neymar!" Nasser repeated, emphasizing each word.

Yang Cheng was genuinely surprised this time.

Are they going to bring Neymar to London?
Wasn't it supposed to be taken to Paris?

Nasser was pleased with Yang Cheng's surprise, because this was exactly the effect he wanted to achieve.

If even Yang Cheng was so shocked, one can only imagine how shocked the whole world would be after the news spread.
“We have reached a basic agreement with Neymar’s team. We are willing to pay his €2.2 million release clause. He will join Tottenham Hotspur, along with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.”

"In addition, we will bring in other star players to build a top team that is the most competitive in the Premier League and even in European football."

Yang Cheng ignored Nasser's next statement.

What really surprised him was that Neymar was coming to the Premier League, and specifically to Tottenham Hotspur.

This was what surprised him the most.

Because everything has changed!
The world he knew was changing more and more.

In fact, things are completely different now.

Why did Neymar come to the Premier League?
The Qatari consortium should not continue investing in Paris...

and many more!

Yang Cheng immediately realized the problem.

Why would a Qatari consortium invest in Paris?

Because of the 2022 World Cup.

The French helped them win the bid to host the World Cup, and in return, they invested in Ligue 1 and Paris Saint-Germain.

But now, the FIFA president is David Gill, and the chairman of the supervisory board, Yang Cheng, has his main business in the UK.

Previously, Yang Cheng had heard that the Qataris were lobbying in London in an effort to retain their hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup.

Whether as a return or for investment purposes, they chose to invest in a Premier League team.

This is actually a very worthwhile deal!
In Yang Cheng's previous life, after the Qatari consortium invested so much money in Paris Saint-Germain, why did they still want to acquire Manchester United?
Ultimately, it comes down to valuing the influence and worth of the Premier League.

Under these circumstances, Neymar's move to the Premier League is hardly surprising.

"I need to process this properly. If you guys keep doing this, won't the competition in the Premier League become too brutal in the future?"

"When we play the London derby, someone could really die!"

Nasser laughed heartily upon hearing this.

It's actually normal for head coaches or players to have such complaints.

But as investors and club operators, we would love to see this happen.

This would enhance the overall brand value of the Premier League, making the competitions more prestigious and attracting more fans.

……

Even after leaving Zurich and returning to London, Yang Cheng was still reeling from the shock the Qataris had caused.

When he told Xia Qing and Adam Crozier the news, they were equally shocked.

£15 billion acquisition of Tottenham Hotspur.

In addition to the Northumberland plan, at least another £15 billion will need to be invested.

£30 billion!
My God, how can Qataris be so rich?

"Xiao Qing, what do you think about us selling the club, taking the money and running away, and then just collecting rent from these buildings?" Yang Cheng suddenly asked, his mind racing.

Xia Qing glared at him irritably.

Fortunately, it was in my own office, and there was no one else around.

If this gets out, who knows what kind of trouble it will cause.

"Let me tell you, I don't know about the other clubs, but the Chinese at Basworth are not worth selling for 50 billion pounds."

"why?"

"Where can you go with £50 billion to do a business that will earn you hundreds of millions of pounds every year?"

Yang Cheng really wanted to remind his wife.

The reason why the Chinese at Beswater can make so much money is because they have their own people there.

Once I retire, my earning power will probably decrease.

But no matter what, it should still be quite profitable.

After all, the revenue of Chinese employees at Beswater is now at a level that is far ahead of others.

Moreover, Yang Cheng isn't stupid.

The clubs under his command are of extraordinary value.

He's not mentally ill, why would he sell it?
"The Qatari investment and Neymar's move to the Premier League are both good things for us," Xia Qing analyzed.

Yang Cheng also deeply agreed.

"Oh, by the way, you just mentioned Everton. We have reliable intelligence that Everton has also been acquired."

"Who acquired it? When did it happen?"

Yang Cheng was somewhat surprised.

"The only thing that is certain recently is that it comes from a consortium in the Middle East, but the specifics have not been disclosed, probably to maintain a bit of mystery."

Some conglomerates are indeed unwilling to disclose information, especially sensitive ones, such as royal families or oligarchs.

How much did Everton sell for?

£2 million.

The gap between them and Tottenham Hotspur is too big.

This is the difference between Liverpool and London.

The Qatari consortium would rather spend £15 billion to acquire Tottenham Hotspur than £2 million to acquire Everton.

"In addition, football deals in the City of London have become increasingly popular recently, with consortia from the United States, Asia and the Middle East showing great interest in Premier League, Championship, and even League One and League Two teams."

Yang Cheng nodded; he wasn't surprised.

Because the new Premier League broadcasting contract will begin in the summer of 2016.

By then, every Premier League team will be able to receive that much money every season.

For these investors, acquiring a Premier League club is actually a very worthwhile deal.

Everton are only £2 million!
Of course, the business of football cannot be viewed solely in terms of the expenditure on this acquisition; the club's operating expenses are the real bulk of the expenditure.

With the influx of this capital, the competition in the Premier League will become increasingly fierce, but its overall influence will certainly also grow.

"By the way, have you figured out how to play against Manchester City?"

Xia Qing asked with concern.

"I've heard that Guardiola has kept the entire Manchester City team locked up at the training ground for a closed training camp over the past week, to conserve their energy for this League Cup final."

"Really?" Yang Cheng chuckled upon hearing this.

If that's the case, then Guardiola does indeed value the League Cup quite a bit.

Of course, this is not surprising.

Currently, Manchester City is already far behind in the Premier League this season.

Given Guardiola's personality, he will definitely try to win the League Cup first, and then attempt to turn things around in the league.

"Don't worry, if it were anyone else, I might not be so confident, but when it comes to beating Guardiola, I'm the most professional!"

Yang Cheng's exaggerated remarks made Xia Qing burst out laughing.

But thinking about it carefully, it seems that Yang Cheng has never actually lost a match against Guardiola.

"So how do you plan to play?" Xia Qing asked Yang Cheng with concern.

"Klopp's style of play is good; it will be very effective in countering Guardiola's passing and possession style," Yang Cheng said with a smile.

Klopp's style of play is a bit unreasonable, like a novice beating a master.

But you have to admit that his playing style is indeed quite effective.

It seems very aggressive, but in reality, through the pressure from the forwards and the players' abilities, they wreak havoc on the opponent's defense.

Even a strong team like Basworth's Chinese players were suppressed for most of the game.
"No wonder I've seen Flick and Brian Kidd practicing tactics all this time, but how are you going to deal with the problem of physical exertion?" Xia Qing asked curiously.

Yang Cheng grinned, "I don't need to solve the problem of physical exertion, and it can't be solved anyway, unless physics doesn't exist."

Xia Qing was puzzled.

"If the problem of physical exertion isn't solved, didn't Klopp still lose?"

"That's Klopp!"

Yang Cheng had an arrogant look on his face.

"Moreover, Klopp lost not because his tactics were wrong, but because his team couldn't score."

Xia Qing seemed to understand, but she didn't quite grasp anything.

"As long as we can score before Manchester City when they are exhausted, then Klopp's problem will no longer be a problem!"

Xia Qing finally understood.

Although she still didn't fully understand, she vaguely guessed that Yang Cheng was determined to fight Manchester City to the death.

Moreover, it was a high-pressing, head-to-head battle!
This will undoubtedly make the game more suspenseful.

How will Guardiola play this time?
(End of this chapter)