Chapter 215: A Shocking Surprise! Double Bloom! We Need a Bayswater China!
In his private conversation with Gasperini, Yang Cheng gained a deeper understanding of the current state of Italian football.
To put it bluntly: society hasn't beaten them hard enough yet.
From top to bottom, the whole of Italy was still lost in the glow of their "Little World Cup" glory days and couldn't snap out of it.
How bad was it?
Take Genoa, for example.
How much revenue does that club make per year?
Yet they went and spent €40 million on the transfer market.
And the most absurd part? They actually expected instant results.
As if Inter, AC Milan, and Juventus were dead and buried.
So who gave Preziosi that kind of confidence?
The environment, that's who.
Cases like his weren't outliers in Italy—they were common.
Even De Laurentiis at Napoli dropped €17 million to sign Cavani this past summer.
From Yang Cheng's perspective, it was easy to say: "Don't worry, in a couple of years, PSG will come knocking."
And sure enough, that €17 million Cavani would eventually be sold for €64.5 million.
Lovely return!
But from the viewpoint of 2010 Serie A, that transfer fee was high.
In Gasperini's eyes, if the 2006 Calciopoli scandal exposed the rot in Italian football, the subsequent subprime mortgage crisis and the Eurozone debt crisis shoved it into a pit of despair.
When the debt crisis exploded, Italy's status in the EU was comparable to Greece.
And those two countries weren't far apart, geographically or economically.
So here was the problem: while still reeling from the fallout of Calciopoli, the economic crisis hit—and in recent years, Italian football had been utterly stagnant.
Everyone's attention focused only on Inter, Juventus, and AC Milan.
But Inter had Moratti burning through his fortune, Juventus had a corporate empire backing them.
What about the small and mid-table clubs?
They sold training grounds, sold players, sold academy prospects…
Sell, sell, sell!
If they didn't, they wouldn't survive.
That was the objective reality.
Internally, the Italian FA's restrictive foreign player policies made it even harder to bring in quality, low-cost talent from Africa or South America.
The league grew stagnant—like a lifeless pond.
So what now?
Some believed the solution was to invest more, bring in stars, build superteams to revive Serie A.
Milan's two clubs, Juventus, Roma—these clubs all supported that logic.
They may have no advantage internationally, but domestically, they had financial muscle. That gave them the confidence to act.
Preziosi, and even De Laurentiis, fell into that camp—just in varying degrees.
Others argued that Serie A's current environment was no longer suited for star-studded teams. What they needed was pragmatic, sustainable management—prioritizing youth development and breaking the cycle of dysfunction.
"Clubs are selling everything, and it's dealing a fatal blow to youth development," Gasperini said.
"No money, tight restrictions on foreign signings—clubs can't bring in top players. And without youth academies, you can't produce homegrown talent either."
"No good players means a drop in match quality—and that means boring football."
"And if the football is boring, you don't attract fans. Without fans, there's no commercial value."
By this point, Gasperini had a helpless look on his face—it was clear he was pained by the state of Italian football.
He had lived through its peak in the early '90s—the age of Sacchi and the Milan dynasty.
"Our stadiums aren't even our own. Every club pays massive rent to the government."
"Take the Milan clubs—they each pay around €4 million a year in rent, totaling €8 million."
"Sounds manageable, right?"
Yang Cheng nodded. "We rent Wembley from the FA—it costs us £5 million per season."
"Exactly. But then add another €2 million or so for maintenance and operations, and it totals €6 million."
"The big difference is, the facilities are outdated, and clubs aren't even allowed to renovate them. So matchday revenue is basically just ticket sales—and Serie A's ticket prices are low."
"So matchday revenue? Miserable."
"No matchday income, weak commercial revenue, terrible broadcasting rights income—every source of revenue in Serie A is subpar."
"There was a recent study: fewer than 130 players in Serie A earn more than €1 million annually. Half of them play for Juventus, Milan, or Inter."
"If you include Lazio, Roma, and Napoli, that adds about 110 players total."
"The remaining 20 are scattered across nine other clubs. Five of those teams don't even have a player making over €1 million."
"As for players earning over €2 million? Only about 40—and nearly all are at Juve, Inter, or Milan. The one exception? Genoa's Luca Toni at €4.5 million."
Gasperini paused, then smiled bitterly at Yang Cheng.
"Now you understand why De Rossi left Roma for United, why Buffon left Juventus for Liverpool?"
"In Serie A, the max salary for top stars is around €6 million—and even then, clubs are reluctant to pay it."
For today's Serie A, stars like them had become unaffordable burdens.
Meanwhile, the league's minimum wage?
€20,000 per year.
That's right—per year, on a professional contract in Italy's top flight.
Yang Cheng sighed.
Now he truly understood why match-fixing and betting scandals would plague Serie A in the years to come.
As Gasperini said—it was a vicious cycle.
Low revenue, high pressure—and some club owners still insisted on buying stars to boost ticket sales. That meant cutting wages elsewhere—or even delaying payments.
In the same dressing room, some players made millions. Others earned less than a fraction of that.
Add late payments on top?
That kind of imbalance was toxic.
Spain had similar issues—La Liga faced wage arrears scandals almost every year.
Yang Cheng wasn't defending those who fixed matches. Match-fixing is never acceptable.
But behind every scandal were real people. Real families.
As for the two different approaches Gasperini mentioned—Yang Cheng couldn't say which was right or wrong.
He didn't argue.
Because in truth, Gasperini had a point.
It just didn't apply to the giants.
And the giants weren't wrong either.
Look at the Milan clubs. They attracted 70,000 to 80,000 fans per match. They charged high ticket prices. Could they really do that without a few star names?
Since Calciopoli in 2006, followed by the subprime and debt crises, Serie A attendance had collapsed.
Watch a broadcast closely and you'd see the reality: outdated production, camera pans revealing huge patches of empty seats.
They couldn't keep stars, couldn't play attractive football. Fans lost interest.
Why would they come to the stadium?
Even broadcasters pulled back—rights fees plummeted.
"We Serie A people are desperate for a club like your Bayswater China—one that values youth development, produces talent consistently, plays attractive football, and has elite-level commercial operations."
Gasperini sighed deeply as he spoke to Yang Cheng.
It was obvious how disappointed he was with the current state of Italian football—but also how deeply he loved it.
Yang Cheng couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Serie A couldn't produce a Bayswater China.
Not even considering everything else—the fact that most clubs didn't even own their own stadiums was enough to kill the idea right there.
And at the moment, there were no Italian clubs attractive enough for Yang Cheng to consider investing in.
Juventus? Out of the question.
The Milan clubs, the Roman clubs, Napoli—they were too expensive to buy.
As for the rest, none showed any clear investment value for now.
Besides, Yang Cheng already had Nice in Ligue 1.
Before anything else, he had to get Nice on track—build experience, develop personnel, and bring the club up step by step.
...
Yang Cheng gave the Italian coaching delegation exceptional hospitality.
Not only did he converse frequently with Gasperini—their relationship quickly grew warm—but he also treated the rest of the delegation with great care.
He even allowed them to participate in the club's training and preparations, giving them full access to how Bayswater China operated from top to bottom.
The Italian media reported extensively on the delegation's visit to London, and both the Italian FA and Coverciano featured it prominently on their websites.
It served as free international promotion for Bayswater China.
As the stories circulated, global fans took notice.
What does it mean to be a true powerhouse?
Bayswater China is the definition!
Even the Italians were lining up to learn from them!
Outsiders see the surface. Insiders see the structure.
After witnessing it firsthand, the Italian coaches finally understood why other clubs couldn't copy Bayswater China.
It all came down to systems and processes.
Take Matchday 17, for example—an away trip to Wolves.
From pre-match preparations to travel logistics, from arrival procedures to matchday execution—everything followed a well-defined process.
Each department had a clear role. Every step was connected, efficient, and left room for contingencies.
How could any other club replicate that?
The pre-match scouting report alone was astonishing in its detail.
Not only did it cover the team as a whole—it broke down every individual player, including their recent form, fitness, and psychological tendencies.
Despite a packed schedule and limited time for targeted training, Bayswater China managed to incorporate tactical drills specific to the opponent within their regular sessions.
And the players? Totally professional.
The Italian coaches noted: no one showed up late, no one left early. Every player was disciplined and focused.
Even the warm-ups were next-level.
As Bryan Kidd explained, many football injuries came from improper warm-ups.
So Bayswater China's sports science department specifically designed routines to prevent players from slacking—forcing them to put in full effort.
Add to that one of Europe's best medical teams, and that's the secret to Bayswater China's low injury rate.
After a few days of observation, the Italian coaches were blown away.
By the weekend, Yang Cheng had even invited them to attend the away match at Wolves.
Wolverhampton was in the West Midlands—not far from London. The club could easily arrange a coach for transport.
Unfortunately, the forecast warned of a coming snowstorm. With flights at risk of cancellation, the Italians couldn't afford to delay—they had to return to Italy immediately.
Before they left, Yang Cheng privately invited Gasperini to visit again.
After all, this man was set to become Inter's next head coach.
In Yang Cheng's past life, he only lasted five matches. Maybe this time history would change?
Bayswater China ended up winning 1–0 away to Wolves.
The scorer? Di María.
Manchester City beat West Ham 3–1 away.
Liverpool beat Newcastle 3–1 away.
Arsenal won 1–0 away at Manchester United.
Chelsea drew 1–1 at Tottenham.
In that match, Drogba equalized for Chelsea in the 70th minute—but missed a penalty in stoppage time.
...
After Matchday 17, a sudden cold front swept across Britain overnight.
The UK's meteorological office declared it the coldest December in history.
How cold?
Temperatures dropped to five degrees below the seasonal average—plunging far below freezing.
Every team across the league was torn between preparing for their matches and worrying about extreme weather like the blizzard that had hit the previous January.
Yang Cheng took injury prevention very seriously.
In these conditions, Bayswater China's indoor training facility proved invaluable.
While other clubs were forced to cancel sessions, Bayswater China trained comfortably indoors—no exposure to the cold at all.
When the media reported on it, players from other clubs could barely hide their envy.
Bayswater China had the only indoor training facility in the Premier League.
Just one. Unmatched.
Rain was one thing—players could deal with it.
But this kind of cold? Impossible.
The Premier League convened an emergency meeting.
They decided that Matchday 18 must be completed on December 18th and 19th—no delays.
They feared another freak blizzard during the upcoming Christmas period, which would feature four consecutive matchweeks.
If the snow hit then and postponed games, it would completely wreck the second-half schedule.
Matchday 18 had to be done.
So, under immense pressure and racing against the weather, nine of the ten fixtures were played on time—only Manchester United vs. Chelsea was postponed due to United's participation in the Club World Cup.
On December 20th, the blizzard struck.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They'd dodged it just in time.
Now that Christmas had passed, the weather was expected to improve.
In Matchday 18:
Manchester City beat Everton 2–1 at home.
Liverpool beat Fulham 1–0 at Anfield.
Bayswater China beat Newcastle 2–0.
Arsenal beat Stoke 1–0 at home.
Other teams played poorly—Bayswater China stood out.
United's match was postponed due to the Club World Cup.
...
The blizzard only added to the festive Christmas atmosphere.
Though several weather-related incidents occurred, no casualties were reported.
With Matchday 18 in the books, Bayswater China quickly resumed business.
First, Yang Cheng led the squad to Bayswater in London to attend the topping-out ceremony for the new stadium.
Though the stadium had been excavated one level underground, the addition of a fully enclosed truss roof would make the total height exceed 50 meters.
To capitalize on that, Bayswater China had built a sky bar in the stadium's top ring.
Not only would it offer panoramic views of London's skyline—it also gave fans the best possible vantage point to watch the game.
The Bar's Interior Was Incredibly Lavish—A True Super VIP Experience!
Outside of matchdays, the sky bar would also be open to the public.
The entire concept was the brainchild of nightlife connoisseur Adam Crozier.
According to him, the bar's pricing would be extremely premium—each entry ticket, including a match seat, would start at no less than £2,000.
Too expensive? Too bad—no discounts!
If fans wanted to experience a bar but couldn't afford the sky bar, no problem.
The ground floor of the stadium would feature an entire street of fan bars offering all kinds of drinks—from budget-friendly to high-end.
But the rooftop Sky Bar? That stayed exclusive and pricey.
Yang Cheng and his team even went up to the top floor for a tour of the unfinished space. The structure was already complete.
Next would be the installation of the stadium's suspended truss system, followed by the roof. Interior decoration was about to begin too.
It couldn't be underestimated—there was only about a year and a half left. Time was tight.
The part Yang Cheng cared most about—the retractable pitch—had already passed structural inspection. Now it was down to follow-up work, like turf installation and maintenance, which no longer fell under the scope of construction.
At the topping-out ceremony, Yang Cheng, Xia Qing, Adam Crozier, Gareth Bale, Walcott, Modrić, and Lewandowski also attended another major event:
Bayswater China officially announced a sponsorship deal with Prudential, the UK's largest insurance company.
Prudential extended its front-of-shirt sponsorship for another five years at £30 million per year.
This set a new record for the most expensive front-of-shirt sponsorship deal in European football history!
On top of that, Prudential also acquired naming rights for the new stadium at the same annual price—£30 million—for ten years.
Meaning, for the next decade, the stadium would be known as Prudential Stadium.
The shirt sponsorship would begin in summer 2011, while the stadium naming would take effect upon its 2012 launch.
Several of Prudential's top executives were present at the signing. They hoped that by partnering with Bayswater China—especially with the club's growing influence in North America and Asia—they could expand their own market reach.
"We firmly believe this will be a powerful partnership across industries!"
Seated next to Yang Cheng, Adam Crozier still felt £30 million per year was a bit low for naming rights.
"You'll see. Ten years from now, no one will get a deal like this again."
Think £30 million is too expensive?
There were many contractual clauses involved.
For example, Queen's Avenue signage would now read "Prudential Stadium."
Massive Prudential logos would be placed all around the stadium exterior—and they would be illuminated at night.
What did that mean?
Adam Crozier exaggerated with a grin: "At night, the entire west side of London will see the Prudential logo."
"Next, I'm going to talk to AXA or other sponsors about naming our training facility. I plan to bundle naming rights for all ten satellite training centers."
Yang Cheng slapped his thigh in excitement.
Now that was a brilliant idea!
The ten satellite training centers were spread across London, all located in densely populated areas with high visibility and traffic.
Back when Chris Hunter chose the sites, each location had been carefully selected.
Bundling them? Sponsors would be all over it.
It might even generate more attention than the stadium naming deal.
"With talent like yours, I think I'll have to give you a raise!" Yang Cheng joked.
Adam Crozier was grinning ear to ear.
Yang Cheng was truly an exceptional boss—hands-off but deeply trusting of his team.
Everyone knew Xia Qing was there to supervise operations, but that was perfectly normal.
Given Bayswater China's scale, even Crozier wouldn't trust himself without someone like Xia Qing around.
More importantly, if you were competent, Yang Cheng would always be generous.
Crozier was now earning £3 million a year—the highest salary for a Premier League executive.
He remembered having dinner with Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore, United's David Gill, and Arsenal's David Dein. They joked that Crozier's pay was almost equal to both of theirs combined.
At the time, Crozier modestly denied it.
Next time they met, he could proudly say: "The three of you? Pick any two—I still make more."
With Crozier's raise, Omar Berrada and others also got salary bumps.
Everyone was thrilled—except Xia Qing, who thought the numbers were a bit too much.
That part had been prearranged with Yang Cheng, but still—it felt a little excessive.
£4 million a year!
But as Yang Cheng pointed out—these guys were just that capable.
Now, Bayswater China was more than a football club. It had become a football group, and this management team operated under two banners.
Just look—Chris Hunter was already pushing forward the development of Nice's training base.
...
Before Christmas, news of Bayswater China's new sponsorship deal set Fleet Street ablaze.
Who would've thought? A Christmas gift worth £60 million!
If you included shirt sponsorship, the club was now bringing in nearly £100 million a year.
The Times ran a headline analysis: "Back then, everyone thought spending £1 billion to build a new stadium was madness."
"But now, even before it's finished, we're already seeing massive returns."
The Times broke it down: only three Premier League stadiums had naming rights deals.
Arsenal sold the naming rights to Emirates in exchange for £100 million over 15 years—£6.75 million per year, which was shockingly low.
Recently, Manchester City sold naming rights to Etihad for £150 million over 15 years—£10 million per year.
But everyone knew the City deal was inflated.
Now, Bayswater China had shattered expectations—showing the world what true prime real estate looked like.
A £30 million-a-year naming rights deal?
Global first.
The entire UK media scene was buzzing, flooding the airwaves with coverage.
Especially after CEO Adam Crozier revealed that multiple sponsors were already interested in naming the training centers.
The media went wild.
No doubt about it—Crozier was mastering the media game.
Right around then, FIFA and France Football released new updates.
For the newly merged 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, the final top 10 included two Bayswater China players:
Robert Lewandowski and Gareth Bale.
Earlier, in the Top 20 shortlist, the club had four players in total—the other two were Walcott and Modrić.
But this was a World Cup year—a big year.
And Bayswater China faced one disadvantage: Bale, Lewandowski, and Modrić all came from countries with weak international teams.
Walcott was from England—but everyone knew the current state of the English national side.
In This Context, It Was Practically Impossible for Bayswater China's Players to Rank Highly in a World Cup Year
On top of that, with Rooney also making the Ballon d'Or top ten, the overall rankings would likely follow the same pattern as Yang Cheng remembered from his past life.
To put it bluntly, even Sneijder in his prime couldn't beat Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi—so Rooney had no chance.
And neither did Lewandowski or Gareth Bale.
From Yang Cheng's perspective, having two players in the top ten and four in the top twenty was already a remarkable achievement for his club.
It was a testament to years of work by the club's PR department—especially the new media team.
Initially, many players were skeptical of the social media team. But gradually, they began to see the benefits.
And once revenue started to come in? They couldn't get enough of it.
...
Amid widespread media coverage, Bayswater China held its pre-Christmas banquet at the Royal Lancaster Hotel.
The club booked out the entire ballroom to host players, coaching staff, employees, and their families.
As both club owner and head coach, Yang Cheng was the first to take the stage and present the team's accomplishments over the past season.
Including the breakthrough in the Ballon d'Or!
The crowd's response was electric.
It was the first time in club history that two current players had made the top ten.
Sure, they might not win it yet—but Yang Cheng believed it was only a matter of time.
He then proudly announced that the team had topped the Premier League table with 17 wins and 1 draw after 18 rounds.
Tying the club's all-time best first half of a league season.
Why tie?
Because in 2008/09—the club's most glorious season—they had posted the exact same record.
"But now, I can proudly say: this season, we've scored more goals than we did in 08/09. Our football is more attacking, more dynamic, and more loved by fans!"
Another wave of applause followed.
The goal tally was indeed much higher, thanks to a front three firing on all cylinders.
Midfield maestro Toni Kroos had integrated seamlessly, and his partnership with Modrić was consistently feeding chances to the forwards. Bayswater China's attacking waves were relentless.
Defensively, though, things weren't as solid.
This season, the team had conceded 11 goals in 18 matches.
In 08/09, they had only conceded 6.
Which confirmed what Yang Cheng had always said—back then, they won the treble with rock-solid defense.
Now, they were playing exhilarating, high-scoring football.
Especially that 9–1 thrashing of Chelsea—it had practically pushed their West London rivals into clinical depression.
After Yang Cheng, Adam Crozier took the stage and detailed the club's commercial performance and strategic progress.
He also revealed a historic incentive package: The Quadruple Bonus.
Crozier urged everyone to stay focused over the coming months and keep pushing for excellence.
The club was ready to hand out the biggest bonuses in its history.
And not just for players—everyone.
The room instantly erupted in cheers.
Bayswater China had built a reputation for this.
While base salaries weren't the highest in the league, they were fair. And when it came to bonuses—especially title bonuses—Yang Cheng never held back.
As for the coaching staff and employees, their salaries and perks were among the best in the Premier League.
This bonus announcement made Yang Cheng's ambitions crystal clear.
He wanted the league title—and he planned to chase trophies in all competitions.
With a lead in the Premier League, he could now afford to allocate some attention to the domestic cups.
The League Cup? Already in the semifinals—they were going for it.
The FA Cup hadn't started yet. Too early to say.
But the Champions League...
In the Round of 16 draw held at UEFA headquarters a few days earlier, Bayswater China drew Real Madrid—a classic case of "speak of the devil."
Real Madrid's story was fascinating.
After years of either crashing out in the group stage or exiting in the Round of 16, their UEFA coefficient had dropped, placing them in pot two.
That meant they ended up in a group with AC Milan and Manchester City.
And Ancelotti's City had humbled them—forcing Madrid to settle for second.
From a possible draw of Valencia, Roma, Lyon, Inter, Marseille, and others… Bayswater China just had to pull Real Madrid.
Whether there was shady business involved, Yang Cheng couldn't say.
But according to the media, Mourinho had thrown a fit after the draw.
Madrid hired him to break their Round of 16 curse.
And now they had to face this team?
How were they supposed to advance?
...
After wrapping up Bayswater China's Christmas banquet, Yang Cheng, Xia Qing, Adam Crozier, and others headed to Nice for the club's holiday gathering.
Ligue 1 continued through December 22 (Matchday 19) before the winter break.
It wouldn't resume until January 15—giving teams more than half a month off.
Nice had started planning their winter training camp in the Middle East six months ago. They'd arranged several friendlies, including one against Bayern Munich in Abu Dhabi.
Yang Cheng had identified the Middle East and Africa as commercial expansion targets for Nice, and had placed them high on the club's strategy list.
What he had in mind was the summer ahead—when the Qatari consortium would be acquiring Paris Saint-Germain.
In fact, the rumors were already swirling.
Only, it wasn't about PSG—it was Manchester United.
According to solid intel Yang Cheng had received, the Qataris had made contact with the Glazer family and tabled a £1.5 billion offer to buy United.
The Glazers turned it down—unsatisfied with the price.
Yang Cheng figured France had caught wind of this and was trying to redirect that wealth to Paris.
This situation wasn't the same as Yang Cheng's own entry into French football.
The Qataris weren't negotiating with club chairmen—they were speaking directly with the French president.
The difference in scale was astronomical.
Most fans only saw the PSG takeover, ignoring a string of other strategic investments.
Most notably: Al Jazeera.
The Qatari media giant had purchased Champions League broadcasting rights in France at record-breaking prices and entered the pay-TV market, breaking the duopoly of TF1 and Canal+.
And they doubled the price.
That meant the prize pool for French clubs in European competitions would expand significantly.
Al Jazeera also bought a portion of the domestic Ligue 1 rights, and all overseas broadcasting rights.
And in those territories, the broadcaster's biggest presence was—without a doubt—the Middle East and Africa.
Which was exactly why Yang Cheng was steering Nice's strategic focus toward that region.
Because the Middle East and Africa?
They were swimming in money.
In This Context, It Was Practically Impossible for Bayswater China's Players to Rank Highly in a World Cup Year
And with Rooney also making the top ten, Yang Cheng figured the final rankings wouldn't differ much from what he remembered in his past life.
To put it bluntly, if Sneijder couldn't beat Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi back then, Rooney stood even less of a chance now.
And the same went for Lewandowski and Gareth Bale—there was no need to get their hopes up.
In Yang Cheng's eyes, having players from his club crack the top ten and top twenty was already a huge accomplishment.
It validated years of tireless effort from the club's PR department—especially the new media team.
At first, many players were skeptical of the social media crew, but over time, they all began to see the benefits.
Especially when the money started coming in—everyone became enthusiastic real quick.
...
Amid a flurry of media attention, Bayswater China held its pre-Christmas banquet at the Royal Lancaster Hotel.
The club booked the entire ballroom, inviting players, coaches, employees, and their families for the occasion.
As both owner and manager, Yang Cheng was the first to speak, summarizing the team's achievements over the season so far.
Including their breakthrough into the Ballon d'Or elite.
The response from everyone present was explosive.
This was the first time in club history that any player had made the Ballon d'Or top ten while wearing the club's shirt.
They might not be winning the trophy just yet—but Yang Cheng believed the day would come.
He then announced that after 18 rounds, the team had achieved a record of 17 wins and 1 draw—tying the club's best-ever first half of a league campaign.
Why tying?
Because in the glorious 08/09 treble-winning season, they posted the exact same record.
"But today, I can proudly tell you: this year, we've scored more goals than we did in 08/09. We're playing more attacking football. Football that fans love to watch!"
Another roar of applause erupted.
Indeed, the attacking numbers far exceeded 08/09's, with the front three firing on all cylinders.
Midfielder Toni Kroos had seamlessly integrated into the squad, and his partnership with Modrić was producing a constant stream of chances. Bayswater China's football was a relentless attacking storm.
Defensively, though, they weren't quite as watertight.
This season, they had conceded 11 goals in 18 games—compared to just 6 goals in the same stretch during 08/09.
Which only reinforced what Yang Cheng had always said: back then, the treble was built on world-class defense.
Now, they were waging an offensive war.
Especially the 9–1 demolition of Chelsea—that match alone probably sent their West London rivals into clinical depression.
After Yang Cheng's speech, Adam Crozier took the stage to deliver a report on the club's commercial operations and overall performance.
He also unveiled a bold new incentive: The Quadruple Bonus Plan.
Crozier called on everyone to stay sharp in the months ahead and keep striving for even greater success.
The club, in return, would offer an unprecedented bonus payout—to everyone.
Yes, everyone.
The room's energy shot through the roof.
Bayswater China had a stellar reputation for this.
While player wages weren't the highest in the league, they were fair—and when it came to title bonuses, Yang Cheng spared no expense.
For coaches and staff, whether salary or bonuses, the club's packages were among the best in the Premier League.
The reward strategy made Yang Cheng's ambitions for the season crystal clear.
He wanted to win the league—and go deep in every cup.
With a comfortable lead in the Premier League, he could afford to divert attention to the cup competitions.
The League Cup? Already in the semifinals—they were going for it.
The FA Cup? Still untouched. Too early to call.
And the Champions League?
In the Round of 16 draw held days earlier at UEFA headquarters, Bayswater China were paired with Real Madrid—classic case of a bad-luck draw.
Madrid's story was a strange one.
Years of group stage exits and Round of 16 failures had tanked their UEFA coefficient, dropping them into Pot 2.
That landed them in a brutal group with AC Milan and Manchester City.
Ancelotti's City beat them to top the group, leaving Madrid second.
So among the seven Pot 2 teams—Valencia, Roma, Lyon, Inter, Marseille, Madrid—Bayswater China just had to draw Real.
Whether or not there was foul play behind the scenes, Yang Cheng couldn't say.
But according to the media, Mourinho had lost his temper after the draw.
Madrid hired him to break their Round of 16 curse—and now they were up against this team?
Good luck.
...
After Bayswater China's banquet, Yang Cheng, Xia Qing, Adam Crozier, and others flew to Nice for the French club's own Christmas gathering.
Ligue 1 ran through to December 22 (Matchday 19), after which it entered winter break.
Matches would resume on January 15—giving clubs over two weeks of downtime.
Nice had planned their winter training camp in the Middle East half a year in advance, arranging several friendlies—including one against Bayern Munich in Abu Dhabi.
Yang Cheng had earmarked the Middle East and Africa as key markets for Nice's commercial expansion. They would be at the heart of his strategy.
His timing was no accident. In the summer, the Qatari consortium was set to acquire Paris Saint-Germain.
Actually, rumors were already spreading.
But they weren't about PSG—they were about Manchester United.
According to reliable intel Yang Cheng had received, the Qataris had approached the Glazer family with a £1.5 billion offer to buy the club.
But the Glazers weren't satisfied with the price and declined.
Yang Cheng guessed that the French were aware of the failed deal—and wanted to divert those funds into France.
But this wasn't like when Yang Cheng entered French football.
The Qataris were meeting directly with the President of France.
Totally different level.
Most fans only noticed the PSG deal, forgetting the web of other investments.
The most notable? Al Jazeera.
The Qatari network purchased Champions League broadcasting rights in France at record prices and entered the subscription TV market, shattering the monopoly of TF1 and Canal+.
They also doubled the price.
Meaning, French clubs participating in the Champions League would see their prize pools grow significantly.
Al Jazeera also acquired domestic Ligue 1 rights and all overseas broadcast rights for the league.
And their strongest markets?
Undoubtedly, the Middle East and Africa.
Which is why Yang Cheng wanted Nice to establish a presence there now.
The Middle East and Africa were swimming in wealth—and the Premier League had no time to bother with these markets.
While the rest of Europe was on winter break, the Premier League was playing its most congested stretch of the season.
Which made the region a wide-open opportunity.
Smart clubs like Bayern had already started holding their winter training camps in the Middle East.
Nice getting in now to grab a share of the pie? Not a bad move.
While Nice hadn't made commercial gains yet, on the pitch, Ronald Koeman's side was delivering shockingly good results.
Yang Cheng's group arrived in Nice on December 23.
The night before, Nice had beaten bottom club Arles 2–0 away.
And with Lille drawing 1–1 at home against Saint-Étienne, Nice now shared the same number of points.
Nice: 10 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses — 35 points.
Lille: 9 wins, 8 draws, 2 losses — also 35 points.
But with a superior goal difference, Ronald Koeman's Nice sat atop Ligue 1.
Yang Cheng was completely stunned.
He'd been so focused on Bayswater China's three-front campaign, he'd barely kept an eye on Nice—and now Koeman had delivered this surprise.
Looking back at the schedule, Nice had done very well:
A 2–1 home win over Saint-Étienne, a 1–0 home win over Marseille, a 2–1 away win over Monaco, a 1–1 home draw with Montpellier… and only a 0–1 away loss to Lyon.
That loss in Matchday 13 sparked a 6-game unbeaten run.
In short, they'd been solid.
Koeman's side was hitting their stride.
But in a conversation with Yang Cheng, the Dutchman expressed dissatisfaction.
He felt the team still lacked consistency.
"Some players haven't fully grasped the tactics yet. They're not executing properly," Koeman explained.
A product of Ajax, a Dutch tactical maestro, and a Barcelona legend—Koeman's system wasn't simple.
And with a squad full of international players, adapting quickly was unrealistic.
So Koeman wasn't satisfied.
During the winter camp, he planned to address the squad's weaknesses and refine their cohesion.
"I'm confident we'll be even stronger in the second half of the season."
Yang Cheng had full faith in Koeman.
But deep down, he also knew—if he were coaching this Ligue 1 side, his results would surpass Koeman's easily.
Not ego. Just facts.
Nice was still rough around the edges. The squad hadn't peaked yet.
The French media? They were calling this the weakest half-season champion of the 21st century.
And they had data to back it.
Nice's 35 points were the lowest total for a Ligue 1 leader at this stage since 2000.
Even compared to the past two seasons:
09/10: Bordeaux led at halfway with 43 points (14W, 1D, 4L).
08/09: Lyon led with 38 points (11W, 5D, 3L).
Both were ahead of Nice.
So no, there was nothing to brag about.
And as L'Équipe noted—half-season titles don't mean much.
Last season, Bordeaux led halfway, but Marseille took the title.
The year before, Lyon led—but Bordeaux won in the end.
Nice might be first now, but it meant nothing.
As the new foreign investor, backed by the Bayswater China juggernaut, Nice's rise was flashy—but it also made them a target.
Yang Cheng agreed with Koeman: the winter training camp was crucial.
Whether Nice could keep up their form would depend entirely on how well they trained.
So, in a meeting with CEO Martin Harrison and sporting director Emmanuel Pélissier, Yang Cheng repeatedly emphasized the importance of logistical and operational support.
Nice had adopted Bayswater China's entire management framework—but most of the personnel were local, or inherited from the old structure.
It would take time for things to fully gel.
Especially with the famously laid-back French work culture.
But Martin Harrison and Emmanuel Pélissier both assured Yang Cheng they'd give it their all.
If Yang Cheng remembered correctly, Lille won the 10/11 Ligue 1 title with one of the lowest point totals in recent history.
And they had Eden Hazard—who was now with Bayswater China.
Next season's champion? Montpellier—with top striker Olivier Giroud.
Also now at Bayswater China.
The irony made Yang Cheng chuckle.
Ligue 1 might be weak—but Nice, built from the ground up by Yang Cheng, had real strength.
If Koeman could bring them together and harness that potential, a title run wasn't out of the question.
Maybe next year, they could even go toe-to-toe with PSG.
After all, in Yang Cheng's past life, Montpellier beat PSG for the title, didn't they?
With that in mind, Yang Cheng met with Martin Harrison and Emmanuel Pélissier again and approved a massive title bonus to motivate the players.
Encourage them to push for the Ligue 1 title in the second half.
OGC Nice, founded in 1904—when was their last league title?
1958/59. That was 51 years ago.
Last time they finished runners-up?
1975/76—35 years ago.
Last trophy of any kind?
1996/97 Coupe de France.
At the Christmas banquet, Yang Cheng stood and boldly declared: "Win a trophy—be it the league or the cup—and you'll be heavily rewarded!"
It was a rare and powerful opportunity to ignite local support.
Nice's average attendance so far? Just over 8,000—well below the Ligue 1 average.
Not due to capacity—the stadium was just too outdated.
Fans weren't eager to attend in person.
Market research confirmed it: locals supported the club… from home.
So Yang Cheng's solution was clear: offer huge bonuses, aim for silverware, and spark the fanbase.
First step? Get people excited.
Every ticket sold was still revenue.
Sure, Ligue 1 tickets were cheap—but even small revenue was still revenue.
If they could fill the stadium regularly, it could mean an extra €4 million per season.
Not bad at all.
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