On the eve of the final, while Gao Shen was meeting with Ferguson at the hotel, Manchester City's former manager, Mark Hughes, was in another London hotel meeting with his old associate Mike Rigg.
He had just taken over as head coach of Queens Park Rangers, but after his first meeting with the club's executives, his initial feeling was regret.
Yes, he had only been in the job for less than a week, and he already regretted it.
Mark Hughes and Mike Rigg had a long history together, starting at Blackburn and later working together at Manchester City.
This time, the newly promoted Premier League side Queens Park Rangers had contacted Mike Rigg due to his long-standing experience in English football. Mike Rigg then recommended Mark Hughes.
The reason Hughes regretted accepting the job wasn't about his salary.
In fact, QPR offered a substantial wage and a decent level of authority, but the club itself was riddled with problems.
So much so that after just one meeting with a senior executive, Hughes felt like he had walked straight into a trap.
He immediately reached out to his trusted confidant, Mike Rigg.
"He wants to poach players from Leeds United!" Hughes said seriously as soon as they met.
"Isn't that normal?" Rigg replied with a smirk.
"We're a newly promoted Premier League team. There's a lot of hype on the outside, but the majority shareholder hasn't actually invested much. Based on our financial situation, we have three realistic targets for player recruitment: top performers from Championship teams that didn't get promoted, players from recently relegated teams, and loan deals or aging veterans."
Rigg had been around the Premier League for years. He knew exactly how these newly promoted teams operated.
Especially a team like QPR, which had heavily relied on loan players.
"But why does Bahati want to poach from Leeds United?" Hughes asked, puzzled.
He didn't have a good impression of Gao Shen to begin with.
"It's simple. Because Gao Shen is behind Leeds United, and the players he picks are usually not bad. Also, Gao Shen's name is a brand. Our major shareholder may not know the players or the teams, but he definitely knows Gao Shen. If we want him to invest more money, the best way is to tell him we're targeting Gao Shen's players."
"Just imagine, what a convincing argument!"
Even Mike Rigg couldn't help but get a little excited.
Hughes found it amusing. "The only problem is, I don't even know who's on Leeds United's roster."
"That doesn't matter, Mark," Rigg said reassuringly. "This isn't something we need to get involved in. We're just employees."
At the end, Rigg looked at Hughes with a serious expression. "Think about it, Mark. They're paying you well, right? Our job is to help the team avoid relegation. As for which players they buy, that's not our concern. Once they're in, you just coach them."
Hughes couldn't deny the logic, but he didn't like it.
He had his own beliefs and standards.
He may not have reached the level of top managers like Gao Shen, but he still had his own vision.
He'd heard about arrangements like this, but not even at Manchester City had he experienced anything quite like it.
…
Back in 2007, Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal's family partnered with F1 bosses Flavio Briatore and Bernie Ecclestone to buy QPR.
At the time, the Mittal family was one of the wealthiest in the world, and many assumed QPR had finally found their deep-pocketed backer.
But reality soon hit.
The Mittal family had little interest in football. The club was managed by Mittal's British son-in-law, Bahati, and the family itself stayed out of the picture.
Just this year, Malaysian tycoon Tony Fernandes spent £100 million to acquire a 66 percent stake from Briatore and Ecclestone, who then withdrew from the club.
However, the remaining 30 percent was still held by the Mittal family, and Bahati continued to serve as club chairman.
Tony Fernandes became the controlling shareholder and appointed a Malaysian named Nanalingam to the board. Reportedly, his father was a high-ranking government official in Malaysia.
Clearly, Fernandes' motivations were not purely football-related.
Neither Bahati nor Nanalingam had much knowledge of football or how to run a club, but they had money.
In their eyes, professional football was no big deal.
Isn't it just about spending money?
As long as you spend, like Chelsea and Manchester City, you'll be successful.
Fernandes wasn't as wealthy as Abramovich or Mansour, but he figured it should be enough to survive in the Premier League.
The Mittal family, no longer the majority shareholder, had no intention of investing. The only source of money was Fernandes, who was ambitious and eager to turn QPR into the next Manchester City, a new Premier League force.
First step: hire Mark Hughes. Once the club establishes itself in the top flight, the long-term goal is to bring in Gao Shen.
In three years, QPR will be a mid-table Premier League side. In five, they'll be in the Champions League.
That was Tony Fernandes' grand plan.
Bahati had only one thought: get the owner to spend more.
Spending might not guarantee survival, but not spending definitely meant relegation.
So, when Hughes met Bahati for the first time, the latter's request was simple—see if there are any players worth signing at Leeds United and poach them!
…
"Mark, according to my sources, clubs like Norwich, Swansea, Cardiff, and Reading, and even Premier League teams like Wolves and Bolton, are monitoring Leeds United."
Hearing this, Mark Hughes was clearly surprised.
"Why?"
"Jonathan Howson. The 22-year-old midfielder was one of the best players in the Championship last season, recording a double-double. Many are calling him the next Lampard. It's said even some top Premier League clubs are interested."
Hughes scoffed. Gao Shen said he's the new Lampard? When did he say that?
These things were all coming from the media. Had they planted a bug in Gao Shen's house?
"Don't be so quick to dismiss it. We're not fools. I asked around. After Leeds United's ownership changed, the first thing they did was begin contract talks with Howson."
"Last season, Howson had a major fallout with old captain Richard Naylor over the armband. This time, the new management immediately promised him the captaincy upon renewal. Meanwhile, Naylor's contract was terminated, and he moved to Doncaster on a free. That shows Leeds United's sincerity."
Hughes had to admit that made sense.
He might not like it, but he couldn't deny Gao Shen's sharp eye for talent.
Besides, Howson's double-double numbers were undeniable. He was a young English midfielder, and that spoke volumes.
"Swansea's Brendan Rodgers is very interested in Howson. Word is, he's preparing an offer. Blackburn are also monitoring the situation."
"What's Howson's stance?" Hughes asked.
"He wants to play in the Premier League," Rigg said with a smile.
Well, that was expected.
At this point, Hughes was tempted.
If they could really sign a player like Lampard—or even someone with 70 percent of his ability—it would be enough to secure their place in the top flight.
And he was homegrown too.
"Right now, many clubs are circling Leeds United. For example, Norwich are reportedly using Scottish head coach Paul Lambert's connections to lure McCormack and Snodgrass—both Scotland internationals."
"Those two are also key renewal targets for Leeds."
That raised another question for Hughes.
"Logically speaking, if Leeds really had a shortlist of renewal targets, it should've been confidential. How did it leak?"
Rigg chuckled. "You might not believe this, but as soon as Gao Shen's fiancée took over, she faxed an offer to Manchester United asking for three youth players. That's when people realized Gao Shen had created a renewal and recruitment list."
"You know how nosy journalists are. Once they caught wind of this, they dug deeper. And Leeds' internal handover was a mess, so…"
Hughes found it amusing too.
Clearly, she was inexperienced.
Gao Shen's fiancée had never run a football club and had been living in China before. She had no idea how terrifying the British tabloids were.
This was a lesson learned.
"Now, Howson's agent has said they haven't renewed the contract yet. Do you know what that means?" Rigg grinned.
No need to guess. They were waiting for the price to rise.
"There's talk that Howson, originally worth £2 million, has now doubled to £4 million or more. Lots of teams are watching."
Anyone familiar with the Premier League knew how valuable a good English player was.
Howson was still young and an England U21 player. Next year, he could be in the squad for the Olympic team.
And he was handpicked by Gao Shen, the so-called "future Lampard."
"What does the boss think?" Hughes asked, clearly interested.
He had always favored British players.
"The boss is back in Malaysia. He's heard of Leeds' youth academy and the reputation of Gao Shen. His order is simple: grab him!"
"And?"
"Bahati gave me the green light to sign anyone up to £7 million without reporting back."
He paused, then added, "The boss is footing the bill."
"Are you serious? Seven million pounds?" Hughes was stunned.
Gao Shen had only spent £15 million to buy Leeds United.
"The boss doesn't mind spending a bit. Besides, you know how it is—information is everything. City spent €30 million on Van Persie. People thought it was too much. A year later, he's worth €50 million."
"Ken Bates must be kicking himself now, haha!"
(To be continued.)
***
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