The transfer market is volatile, and the most interesting thing about it is its unpredictability.
Take the case of Leeds United's center-back recruitment. Gao Shen and the Leeds United team prepared several plans, ranking each option in order. When one plan failed, they immediately moved to the next.
Signing José Fonte was undoubtedly the top priority. That's why Leeds United didn't hesitate to seal the deal with Fonte right after the season ended. To put it plainly, they were afraid someone else might get there first.
If Southampton had beaten West Ham United and earned promotion to the Premier League, signing José Fonte would've been unrealistic. Leeds United would then have immediately shifted focus to the Eredivisie to sign Feyenoord's young center-back Stefan de Vrij.
The tall Dutch defender is also known for his stability. Like Fonte, he is good at playing out from the back, which meets Leeds United's requirements.
But now that Fonte is secured, De Vrij is no longer needed.
Rather than bring De Vrij to Leeds United to compete with Maguire, Koulibaly, Stones and the others, it's better to let him continue developing at Feyenoord. Eredivisie players are generally inexpensive, and as long as Leeds United remains in the Premier League, signing players from there won't be a problem.
And Leeds United isn't the only team moving quickly in the transfer market.
Any team targeting a popular player will act fast.
For example, Chelsea immediately made a £30 million offer for Tottenham's Croatian midfielder Modric as soon as the season ended. That was the same price Daniel Levy had demanded last summer.
But interestingly, Levy turned it down.
Yes, he rejected it without hesitation!
The Tottenham CEO declared that the team would play in the Champions League next season, and Modric was an irreplaceable figure who would not be sold, especially not to another Premier League team.
But Chelsea clearly wouldn't back down. They immediately launched a new round of efforts, even planning to contact Modric directly.
Additionally, Chelsea also had their sights set on Newcastle's defensive midfielder Tioté and Leeds United's Schneiderlin.
The British newspaper The Independent revealed that Chelsea's top target was Tioté because the Ivorian midfielder had already proven himself in the Premier League. If they failed to sign Tioté, Chelsea would turn their attention to Schneiderlin, the midfielder from newly promoted Leeds United.
However, The Independent also reported that Schneiderlin had become one of the most sought-after defensive midfielders in the Premier League, with interest from Manchester United, Arsenal, and Newcastle.
Even Catalan media outlets reported that Schneiderlin's name had appeared on Barcelona's transfer list.
The reason was simple. The French midfielder not only had excellent defensive ability, but also boasted remarkable passing consistency.
Another Leeds United player has also become a hot commodity in the transfer market: Belgian striker Benteke. He scored 34 goals in the Championship this season, finishing as the league's top scorer, and is only 21 years old.
Chelsea's center-forward Drogba has announced his departure after the season, so finding a new striker is a top priority. Benteke is back on their radar.
Liverpool is also looking to strengthen its attack.
The Daily Mail revealed that incoming Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers personally requested Benteke, believing the striker would offer more tactical options and possesses excellent footwork.
Another player on Liverpool's scouting list is Adam Lallana.
This homegrown player scored 15 goals and provided 18 assists in the Championship last season. His performances were sensational, earning him the league's Best Player award. He is currently regarded as the most creative local player in the Championship.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, and Chelsea are all monitoring his transfer situation.
If these were just rumors, then on the second day after the Premier League ended, The Sun, well known for its accurate transfer scoops, broke the news that Manchester United had already submitted a bid for Leeds United's midfielder Schneiderlin.
Ferguson had made a £15 million offer!
As soon as the news broke, clubs across the Premier League and even Europe that were interested in Schneiderlin began to react. Everyone started evaluating the news and considering their response.
Should they raise their bids or wait and see?
That same evening, Leeds United CEO Fernando Lucas told the Yorkshire Post that Manchester United had indeed made an offer for Schneiderlin, but Leeds had rejected it.
The reason? The player is a crucial part of next season's plan and is not for sale!
Lucas's comments didn't dispel the public's interest in Schneiderlin's potential transfer. On the contrary, they only fueled it further.
Everyone knows that in the transfer market, there's no such thing as "not for sale."
Lucas's statement practically confirmed that Ferguson was indeed making a move for the player.
It was like a rallying cry to other clubs: Still interested in Schneiderlin?
Brothers, if you want him, now's the time to grab him!
…
Three hours before Lucas called the Yorkshire Post to reveal Ferguson's bid, Gao Shen hosted a dinner at his home in Cheshire.
Only Fernando Lucas and Borrell attended. Gao Shen and Su Qing were the hosts.
Although Gao Shen is the head coach, he understands clearly that this position, while important, should not be considered part of senior club management.
In many cases, when Gao Shen wants to exert influence over club decisions, he still does it through Lucas and Borrell. This helps avoid bypassing them and reporting directly to Sarri.
That would be a major management faux pas.
If Gao Shen frequently did that, regardless of his intent, it would in effect undermine Lucas and Borrell's authority and risk expanding the coach's power too much.
That's clearly not desirable.
In recent years, the Premier League has increasingly adopted management models from continental Europe, including technical directors. The goal is to limit the head coach's administrative role so they can focus solely on football.
In simple terms, it's about decentralization. The old-school "manager" has been replaced by the modern "head coach."
In this setup, the club's hierarchy is structured as chairman, CEO, technical director, and head coach.
After a year of development, Leeds United's management system is now mature.
So it was impossible for Sarri to attend a senior meeting like this.
Gao Shen could afford the time for such a meeting because the team had a rest day before the Champions League final.
The first topic of discussion was Ferguson's bid.
Fifteen million pounds.
Ferguson was very serious.
This offer practically confirmed that Lassana Diarra would be leaving Manchester United.
"I heard there's another target, Kevin Strootman, the Dutch international from PSV Eindhoven. His value should also be around £15 million," Lucas reported the latest intel.
The meat on the grill sizzled and smoked. Gao Shen flipped it casually, occasionally placing pieces onto the others' plates or eating some himself with obvious enjoyment.
He seemed relaxed, but the three others knew he had been paying attention all along.
"What does the technical team think?" Su Qing asked, turning to Borrell.
Borrell, who had been holding a bowl and just picked up a piece of meat, paused at Su Qing's question and set it down.
"I asked the technical team to evaluate the situation. Taking all factors into account, especially the team's overall performance over the past two to three months and the players' form in training, we all agree that if Jorginho replaces Schneiderlin, there will inevitably be some issues with defensive coverage in midfield. But in terms of passing, creativity, and control, we'd be better off."
Schneiderlin's passing is consistent and reliable, but he lacks creativity and playmaking ability.
Put simply, his fundamentals are solid.
But Jorginho is different. The technically gifted Brazilian midfielder is a playmaker and also possesses decent defensive skills.
If Jorginho replaces Schneiderlin and Pogba stays, then the third midfielder needs to be strong defensively, someone like...
"Allan!"
"Allan?" Su Qing glanced at Gao Shen and saw he was still "focused" on the barbecue. She sighed inwardly.
"Allan isn't tall, only 1.75 meters, but he's very combative, great at close marking and intercepting. He has quick feet, is strong in short passing and ball retention, and is excellent at dribbling and advancing. We all think he can handle the central midfield role."
"Moreover, we believe that with Jorginho dropping deep and Allan covering the middle, the team's midfield structure will be sound. That will allow Pogba to push forward and fully unleash his talent."
Different players create different tactical combinations, and developing players always serves a specific purpose.
For example, Leeds United develops players to sell them for profit.
Benteke, Paulinho, and Adam Lallana are all clearly profitable assets, but no one expected Ferguson to go after Schneiderlin.
Pogba has more upside than Benteke and the others, so Leeds United will not sell him this season under any circumstances.
There's still significant room for his value to grow.
Originally, the plan was to retain both Pogba and Schneiderlin, and let Kondogbia replace Paulinho to maintain midfield stability. But now, there's no way around it.
Once Ferguson made his move, Schneiderlin couldn't be kept.
Losing two out of the three midfielders would be a huge blow, and everyone knew how tough that would be.
But if they followed the plan proposed by Borrell and the technical team, Schneiderlin could be sold.
Gao Shen clearly remembered that in his previous life, Sarri had used the Jorginho-Allan midfield pairing at Napoli to great success.
After the discussion reached this point, everyone more or less had a clear answer. They all turned to look at Gao Shen.
At that moment, Gao Shen looked up at them, smiled slightly and said, "Then let's go with your plan."
Lucas immediately nodded. "I'll call the Yorkshire Post and leak the story."
Everyone chuckled knowingly.
But that wasn't the best news of the night.
Shortly after, Su Qing brought Gao Shen some good news.
(To be continued.)