The technical director and the head coach are two very different roles, and that distinction is clear from the people they interact with.
At Real Madrid, the executive offices are located in the club's main headquarters, not at Valdebebas.
When Gao Shen arrived in Paris, President Nasser and CEO Jean-Claude Blanc decided to host a banquet to welcome him. Everyone present was a head of department within the club's office.
These were all people Gao Shen would have to deal with in the future, especially in the more administrative areas.
How should he put it?
In a club, the football operations department is like a factory within a larger corporation.
Is it important?
Of course it is, because that's where the product is made.
But in an era driven by capital, it doesn't always seem that way.
To Gao Shen's surprise, halfway through the dinner he received a call from PSG's head coach, Tuchel.
Tuchel hadn't been invited, nor did he even know that Nasser and Blanc were hosting a banquet for Gao Shen. Instead, he went straight to Gao Shen's hotel and waited there.
Faced with this uninvited guest, Gao Shen told him to wait at the hotel café for a bit, as he would return later.
After hanging up, Gao Shen could already tell that Tuchel's situation in Paris wasn't very good.
That wasn't surprising at all.
When Gao Shen worked in a company in his previous life, he met plenty of people like this.
To put it nicely, Tuchel was a straightforward person. To put it bluntly, he was rigid, short-tempered, and not very adaptable.
Gao Shen and Tuchel had a good relationship. They'd known each other for years, and Tuchel had always been one of Gao Shen's most outstanding protégés. After so much time together, Gao Shen understood him well.
Tuchel was the type who either got along with you perfectly or treated you like a complete stranger.
The key point was that, like Guardiola, he could be indecisive. And in the high-pressure environment of professional football, that could be deadly.
All of this made it difficult for Tuchel to get along with others.
For example, Gruzek, a former board advisor at Borussia Dortmund, once said that Tuchel had skipped many fan and club events, including the 50th anniversary celebration of Dortmund's 1966 European Cup Winners' Cup triumph.
Now, whether such events were important or not could be debated, but since they were organized by the club, valued by the board, and supported by fans, he should have gone. Yet he simply refused to go, no matter what anyone said.
Doesn't that sound familiar?
In a company, when there's a team-building event, some people go willingly, while others refuse under any circumstance.
Setting aside his personality and people skills, Tuchel was undeniably talented. His football philosophy was similar to Gao Shen's—favoring fluid, attacking play and control of the tempo.
But what Gao Shen especially admired was that Tuchel saw himself as a service provider.
He had once told Gao Shen that his job was to serve and support his players.
That mindset was very close to Gao Shen's own, and it fit perfectly with what he needed right now.
But look at tonight—everyone in Paris knew Gao Shen had arrived, and everyone knew about his close relationship with Tuchel. Yet no one had invited him.
...
After ending the call with Tuchel, Gao Shen returned to the table and continued his conversation with Blanc and the others.
They began talking about Real Madrid's Varane.
Varane's agent had informed PSG that the player had spoken with Gao Shen.
Gao Shen didn't deny it. "Yes, but convincing Real Madrid to let him go won't be easy."
Of course, that wasn't something Gao Shen could decide on his own.
If it were that simple, he'd be a millionaire overnight.
Sell Varane cheaply, get a huge rebate from PSG, and pocket tens of millions? Please. There's no such thing as easy money.
That's not how modern football management works.
A proper management system relies on division of labor and collaboration.
Varane wants to leave, Gao Shen agrees in principle, so they talk. But Real Madrid has specific people in charge of transfer negotiations. Gao Shen can oversee, but he can't make unilateral decisions.
It would be absurd if he could.
Does anyone really think Real Madrid is foolish enough to just let a top player go at any random price?
In truth, very little in football is truly secret. Most of the time, everyone knows the score and negotiates openly.
For instance, when Varane wanted to leave, both Real Madrid and PSG were aware. Negotiations simply revolved around agreeing on a reasonable transfer fee.
"Pogba is also a possibility. It depends on the situation. But the midfield definitely needs strengthening. As for Di Maria on the right, forget it, he's staying at Real Madrid."
Unlike in Gao Shen's previous life, Di Maria had remained at Real Madrid and had been a key figure in their six consecutive Champions League titles and five straight La Liga championships.
He was getting older, but his skills and influence were still clear for all to see.
In today's football, how many right wingers can truly compare to Di Maria?
The key is his versatility—he can also play on the left and in midfield.
"Griezmann is determined to join Barcelona. It'll be difficult to persuade him," Gao Shen continued.
The Griezmann-to-Barcelona transfer saga had dragged on for over a year. Last year, Atletico Madrid offered him a record salary to stay, which disrupted the team's wage structure and didn't help his performances.
Now, it was almost certain Atletico wouldn't be able to keep him.
"How much is his transfer fee?" Gao Shen asked.
"120 million euros."
Nasser and Blanc exchanged glances, both immediately understanding the other's thoughts.
They weren't fools.
Griezmann was already 28. Though still at his peak, paying such a high fee for a player of that age didn't seem worth it.
Nowadays, youth equals value.
Take Mbappe, for example. At 20 years old, Leeds United dared to ask for €250 million. But if he were 25, that price would easily drop below €200 million.
Age is the biggest advantage in modern football.
PSG could afford Mbappe's fee, but as Gao Shen had already analyzed, signing him could create tension with Neymar.
Their playing styles and personalities were very different, and the question would become: who adapts to whom?
Unlike before, when Mbappe joined PSG as a young talent from Monaco, this time he was already a superstar. Meanwhile, PSG had already spent over €200 million on Neymar.
No matter how you looked at it, signing Mbappe again would be a gamble.
"I'll draft a detailed season and recruitment plan. We can discuss it further after that," Gao Shen said.
Both Nasser and Blanc trusted Gao Shen's team-building ability.
Gao Shen then casually brought up Tuchel.
As expected, Nasser and Blanc gave mixed reviews.
It wasn't that Tuchel was incapable—he was simply difficult, with a prickly personality and a temper.
But one thing was surprising.
"He gets along well with Neymar. Also with Benatia, Kurzawa, Jorginho, Navas, Rabiot, Kante, and Marquinhos," Blanc added, smiling. "I suppose that's because they all have one thing in common—you."
Apart from Neymar, all the others had worked with Gao Shen before, either coached by him directly or coming from Leeds United.
Come to think of it, PSG had poached quite a few players from Leeds in recent years.
They'd gotten addicted to it.
Mbappe and Dembele were still on their wish list.
Gao Shen knew all this. He just wanted to confirm his assumptions about Tuchel's current situation.
"You're thinking of changing the coach?" Blanc asked after studying Gao Shen's expression.
Gao Shen smiled and shook his head. "It's hard to say. I'll talk to him first."
PSG's management didn't seem opposed to the idea.
How should he put it?
Tuchel's record wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.
In Ligue 1, PSG was 20 points clear at the top—utter domination, like a fighter jet bombing weaker sides.
They had reached the French Cup final and were likely to win it.
But they had been knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16.
The club hierarchy had mixed feelings about Tuchel's work. It wasn't terrible, but it didn't inspire much confidence either.
...
The banquet went on late into the night. Gao Shen politely declined to stay longer and returned to his hotel.
By then, Tuchel had been waiting almost two hours, downing cup after cup of coffee.
When Gao Shen called, the German, his beard now fully gray, practically ran to his room.
He was tall and thin, and his appearance seemed even more peculiar under the dim hotel lights.
"I'm not trying to be harsh, Thomas," Gao Shen said as he welcomed him in, "but you're too impatient."
Tuchel froze. He had been suppressing a lot of frustration. After reading all the rumors in the media, he'd come tonight hoping to vent.
But instead, Gao Shen scolded him as soon as they met.
Unfortunately, he couldn't even argue.
"Tell me, in a situation like tonight, if the media caught you showing up uninvited and reported it, what good would it do you?"
After a pause, Gao Shen smiled slightly. "Or did you actually believe the rumors that I wanted to fire you?"
"No, Gao, I…" Tuchel stammered, unable to continue.
"Don't explain. You shouldn't have come tonight. I'll talk to you myself later."
When faced with Gao Shen, Tuchel could only accept the criticism.
Fortunately, Gao Shen didn't continue. He gestured for him to sit and poured him a glass of water.
After so much coffee, Tuchel's throat was dry, and he drained the glass quickly.
Gao Shen poured him another, and this time he only drank half.
Tuchel knew Gao Shen understood him.
After all, they had known each other for years. He trusted Gao Shen completely and didn't believe he would ever betray him.
Still, there were things he needed to get off his chest.
Has anyone ever seen a club with three different people simultaneously handling transfers, each trying to push their preferred players into the first team? It makes the head coach's job almost impossible.
There were so many things he couldn't say to anyone else, so he just wanted to come and let it out.
"Alright, you've had your water. Now, speak your mind," Gao Shen said calmly.
(To be continued.)