The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 313 Opens Up New Ideas
Upon reading this report, many of Gaio's questions were immediately answered.

For example, why did the Ruben brothers contact him, wanting to sign him, but they didn't mention a specific team, only saying they would talk more once he confirmed his joining?

Now it seems that the Ruben brothers themselves were not the decision-makers, but merely middlemen.

The company that actually wanted to sign him was the Saudi sovereign wealth fund!
Even Saudi Arabia only has the intention; they haven't even decided on the specific teams to acquire yet.

Gaio was well aware that Saudi Arabia would have huge sums of money flowing into the football sector in the future, and that started with Riyadh's successful signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, that decision was made by Saudi Arabia after seeing the Qatar World Cup.

Although it is unknown what happened that allowed Saudi Arabia to enter the Premier League ahead of schedule.

but,

Gaião, however, felt that it was almost impossible for them to acquire Arsenal, and that Kroenke had no reason to sell Arsenal.

money?
As the heirs to Walmart, they don't lack that.

Due to their respective interests, the current largest shareholder, Kroenke, and the second largest shareholder, Usmanov, are gradually becoming irreconcilable enemies.

The various disputes that arose during the bidding war between the two sides are not something that outsiders can easily understand.

American sports tycoon Kroenke currently holds a 63% stake in Arsenal and has no intention of selling it. After gaining control of the club, he has begun to instruct CEO Gazidis to bring in top talent to various departments of Arsenal, giving them maximum autonomy in decision-making to manage the team.

Kroenke was cunning but had no interest in spending money.

Both he and Usmanov wanted complete control of Arsenal, which would give them more resources and the capital to connect with various parties.

However, Kroenke would never invest a single penny before he had control of the business.

So whether Kroenke had a clear business plan for Arsenal is irrelevant, because his only goal was to fully own Arsenal.

Although the Ruben brothers have brought in David Dunn, who is very closely associated with Arsenal.

Dunn's greatest achievement was in 1996 when, against all odds, he brought in Arsène Wenger from the Japanese J-League, who was going through a career slump, thus pioneering the practice of Premier League clubs hiring foreign managers.

From then on, Arsenal entered the most glorious era in its history.

He was also ousted from Arsenal by the club's board in 2007 for bringing in Kroenke to acquire the club.

The story behind this is long.

In the end, Kroenke gradually eroded Arsenal's shares, and Dunn saw that Kroenke had no intention of making Arsenal great, so he turned his support to Usmanov.

Furthermore, Dunn sold approximately 15% of his shares to Usmanov in an attempt to give Usmanov control of Arsenal.

pity.

Kroenke was ultimately more shrewd, treating Arsenal's British directors and shareholders, whose minds were steeped in the ideology of the "British Empire," like toys.

In summary, Dunn wanted to reform Arsenal, pull them out of their predicament, and lead them to greatness, and he brought in Kroenke.

As a result, the board of directors thought that an American dared to come and make money from Britain.
Therefore, the meritorious Dunn was ousted.

Subsequently, Dunn brought in Usmanov in an attempt to restrain Kroenke, but Kroenke used Usmanov's Russian identity to stage a scene of "Anglo-American friendship to jointly drive out Russia" with the Arsenal board members, and acquired all the original shareholders' shares.

During this period, Arsenal also fell into a dark age.

Wenger had to shoulder everything alone.

Previously, Wenger managed the sporting aspects, while Dunn handled the financial aspects; the two worked together seamlessly.

As a result, Wenger's pressure increased dramatically.

On one hand, there is immense economic and competitive pressure, and on the other hand, there is the lack of understanding from fans, with various complaints and jokes about selling the captain.

Wenger truly gave everything to Arsenal.

To some extent, Gaio actually hopes that the Saudi sovereign wealth fund can acquire Arsenal, so that Wenger can have a less difficult time.

but,

Realistically speaking, this situation will continue unless Wenger is willing to let go of Arsenal.

In the original world, Wenger left the club only after Kroenke had completely taken control.

but,

Although Saudi Arabia was unable to acquire Arsenal, Gaio opened up a new avenue for their thinking.

It concerns his future!

Since Saudi Arabia is now willing to join the Premier League, they can simply switch to another team!

and.

The Premier League currently lacks Financial Fair Play regulations. Manchester City and Chelsea are prime examples. In the original world, after the Saudi takeover of Newcastle, Newcastle was unable to attract star players because Manchester City and Chelsea had blocked all their options.

So what now?
Gaio's eyes lit up instantly; this was a great opportunity.

UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations will not take effect until next season, and their effects will gradually become apparent—the rich will get richer, and the advantages of Europe's top teams will become more and more obvious.

The bill is simple: expenditures must be linked to revenue. But the problem is, what can a small team use to compete with a big team in terms of revenue?

Therefore, this window of opportunity is the best chance!

With this in mind, he suddenly had a completely new plan for the Ruben brothers. If the Ruben brothers could contact Saudi Arabia, then so could he.

and,

There's a crucial factor here: given enough money, Gaio could indeed build a top-tier team.

Furthermore, Gaio was also considering whether he could bring David Dunn on board and have him manage a club.

Gaio is relatively familiar with David Dunn.

This is absolutely a super talent for managing a football club!
Arsenal's loss of Dunne is a huge blow.

Since Dunne became a shareholder of Arsenal in 1983, he has maintained a very good relationship with Arsenal players. As a management expert, Dunne knows how to use altruism to create a harmonious internal environment.

It gives everyone working at Arsenal a strong sense of belonging, and anyone in management knows how difficult that is.

For example, there has been a saying that Henry finally decided to leave Arsenal because of Dunn's departure.

Since Dunn left, the conflicts between Arsenal players and the club have increased in recent years, and if it weren't for Wenger, they probably wouldn't have been able to control them at all.

Furthermore, Dunn's role as a skilled negotiator was extremely important for Arsenal in their transfer dealings!
Arsenal is not one of the richest clubs in England.

During the early, most glorious period of the Wenger era, the team relied on buying low and selling high to profit from the price difference. Alternatively, they used these high revenues to buy players and build the team.

Doesn't this resemble the current football industry's black market model? The main credit for these transfers is basically due to Dunn's actions.

At last,
It is Dunn's influence and connections within the FA, the Premier League Committee, and within the UK that, through this soft power, ensures Arsenal's profitability in the Premier League and Europe, as well as its mutually beneficial relationships with various clubs and organizations.

After Dunn left, Arsenal lost these resources and was quickly marginalized, no longer one of the top clubs.

Gai then took a look at this year's Premier League roster.

He even looked at potential Championship teams that might be promoted. England has too many clubs with long histories, and if it really comes to acquisitions, Saudi Arabia would obviously prefer teams with greater influence.

Gaio is now preoccupied with this.

Once I opened up a new way of thinking, I simply couldn't suppress it.

Why has he been hesitant to make a decision?

Because he wants to play brotherly football, and he wants to make history like he did at Bastia, rather than just adding to the legacy of a club with a rich history.

As a result, there are very few clubs that meet his requirements.

And now,
My thoughts suddenly became clear!
After figuring all this out, Gaio immediately called Pierre and asked him to formally contact the Ruben brothers and Dunn!
He wanted to know whether it was the Ruben brothers who contacted Saudi Arabia, or Dunn.

Or perhaps Saudi Arabia contacted them on its own initiative.

and,

Gaio also told Pierre, "It would be best if we could get in direct contact with the Saudis and tell them that you have a crazy plan that can carry out their plans."

Pierre was still somewhat dazed as he listened to Gaio's series of crackling sounds.

what?
Didn't we say we were going to build a website?
How did we get to talking about buying the team?!

Pierre was so shocked by Gaio that he didn't know how to respond, and could only keep replying with "uh-huh".

suddenly,

A thought popped into Pierre's head, and he asked, "So that's why you haven't made a decision yet? Are you waiting for the Saudi oil tycoons to get involved?"

When Gaio heard Pierre's words, he felt that the other party seemed to have misunderstood something. He laughed and said, "No, it was just an idea that suddenly came to me while watching the news."

“Yes,” Pierre replied.

But no matter how Gaio listened, he felt that Pierre had a tone of disbelief.

But that doesn't matter anymore.

After emphasizing a few more details, Gaio told Pierre to get in touch quickly, as there weren't many days left in the season and they needed to hurry.

He himself continued his flexibility training.

He could sense that the improvement was imminent.

As Gaio trained relentlessly, the intense atmosphere of preparation within the Bastia team seemed to solidify into a tangible reality.

at last,

The date is March 24th.

The entire Bastia team crossed the English Channel to visit London once again.

They won here last time.

This time,
They also longed for victory.

In England, as the match day draws closer, in addition to gossip, there are naturally many analyses of the game from legends and commentators.

A Sky Sports commentator wrote in his column that...
"Chelsea, playing at Stamford Bridge, must make the stadium an impregnable fortress! Benitez's team needs to fully utilize their home advantage and demonstrate an unwavering determination and intensity. Although Bastia is full of energy, especially Gaio's explosive speed, their weakness lies in the physical pace of the Premier League and Chelsea's extensive European experience."

We must be highly vigilant on the defensive end!
Gaião's off-the-ball movement and finishing ability are top-notch. No matter which center-back Ivanovic is paired with, he needs to maintain perfect communication and positional awareness. He must not be given any space to sprint, or he may be punished for the slightest negligence.

When players like Ashley Cole make runs down the flanks, they must also weigh the risks to avoid having their backs exploited.

Bastia's counter-attacks are very sharp, and Chelsea should strive to keep a clean sheet or concede only one goal at most at home to lay the foundation for the second leg. Their experience advantage must be translated into focus on the field.

In attack, Chelsea's strength lies in their strong midfield control and technical ability.

As the team's soul, Mata's creativity is crucial; Hazard needs to demonstrate his ability to break through the defense; Oscar and others need to work together to control the midfield tempo, reduce mistakes, and especially limit De Bruyne's easy counter-attack passes.

The team needs to dominate possession and keep Bastia at bay.

If the game becomes an open, attacking affair, it actually benefits the away team, which excels at counter-attacks.

Therefore, sound control and minimizing errors are key.

Overall, Chelsea have the superior strength and are expected to win by a narrow margin, but the process is not anticipated to be easy.

These remarks.

The general consensus is that Chelsea, while facing a relatively difficult situation, will win the game.

At the pre-match press conference, Benitez also answered questions about their opponent, Bastia.

He said, "Bastia is a well-organized and dynamic team, and their performance this season deserves respect, especially in the Europa League. Gaião's speed and finishing ability are a significant threat, and they also have many excellent young players. We need to maintain the highest level of focus on them."

When asked by reporters about the topic of "former Chelsea players returning".

Benitez replied, "Gaião is a Bastia player, while De Bruyne and Lukaku now play for Bastia. Football is professional, and we know their characteristics well, but that's only part of the information. What's more important is how we execute our tactics and limit their space to play. As for emotions? On the pitch, focus and discipline are more important than emotions."

When discussing goals.

He said, "The goal is clear: win the home game and establish an advantage. The Europa League is an important goal this season, and we must take it one step at a time. Bastia will be a tough opponent, but if we can play to our potential and focus on every tactical detail, we are confident of achieving a positive result."

Hagi Begic was tough this time too:

“Chelsea are a strong opponent, and Stamford Bridge is a very tough away game. We respect them, but we are not afraid of challenges. Bastia has come this far because of the strength of the team and the fighting spirit. Tomorrow, we will play our football, we look forward to a victory, and we look forward to making history.”

night.

As the Champions League began, Gaio received a phone call from Pierre.

"It was the Saudi side that contacted Dunn through an intermediary. The Ruben brothers got involved because of business. They didn't want to get involved in football; they just wanted to build good relations with certain people in Saudi Arabia."

"I have already contacted the Saudi side!"

(End of this chapter)