Seven Hundred and Eleventh Another Way to the Wealthy

Everyone says that professional football is a game that burns money.

And as soon as it comes to the team's burning of money, everyone's attention is immediately attracted by the astonishing transfer fees of the stars.

This is of course true.

But in fact, not all teams burn money like this.

For the vast majority of professional clubs, signings are not the hardest hit area for their money-burning.

If you carefully analyze the financial reports of major clubs, it is not difficult to find that salary is the biggest expenditure item of a club, and in many cases it even exceeds 80%.

Real Madrid, under the leadership of Florentino, has been working hard to control the club's salary structure and keep it at a healthy threshold, which allows Real Madrid to invest a large amount of money in the transfer market every year.

The compensation structure is not just about player compensation, but also coaching staff and employees.

Needless to say, the coaching staff, in addition to the coaching staff brought by the head coach of the first team, the first team will also have other coaches, as well as coaches of each echelon, as well as team doctors, analysts, scouts and other personnel in different positions .

But in fact, these are still ahead, and the club still has more support staff.

Such as chefs, cleaning, security, etc., and even the youth team also needs to be equipped with professional subject teachers and tutors who help children with their homework. These talents are the largest group in the training base.

In addition, like Elland Road Stadium, there are many employees in the stadium maintenance department, as well as employees in the administrative department, as well as service staff on match days, many of whom are part-time...

All of these constitute a very large group and provide a considerable number of jobs.

If the team is in the top league and the attendance rate is guaranteed, tens of thousands of people can gather every match day. The flow of people and spending power brought by this are very amazing, and the surrounding businesses that provide these supporting facilities And the number of employees is also numerous.

According to British statistics, the Premier League provides 20,000 full-time jobs in the UK every year.

Only full-time positions are counted here, and part-time positions with more people are not included.

And behind this, the club is constantly burning money.

Because in Europe,

Human resources are the most expensive cost.

It can almost be said that every day at dawn, when you open your eyes, all you see are burning banknotes.

...

"I made a preliminary estimate that at least two million pounds will be invested in the hardware, and after the transformation, the operating costs of the training base will at least double." Lucas looked at Gao Shen and said with embarrassment.

Unlike the direct investment of transfer fees, salary expenditure is what a club most needs to control.

This is why many teams give up signings because it will break the salary structure.

The doubling of the operating cost of the training base is equivalent to a sharp increase in the team's salary pressure.

Gao Shen frowned slightly, nodded and said: "This money must be invested. We would rather save money in other areas than to be stingy in this area. The training base and youth training are our core competitiveness."

As the head coach, no one is more aware of the importance of this area than Gao Shen.

In the previous life, after the Italian Massimo Cellino took charge of Leeds United, he fired the laundry workers, asked the players to do their own laundry, fired the cooks, asked the players to bring their own meals, and fired most of the employees at the training base...

These seem to save club expenses, but after all, they are not a long-term solution.

Facts have also proved that Leeds United had a worse mix in those years.

Players are the core competitiveness of the club, and high-level training is the only way to ensure that players can achieve better results on the field. Cutting off logistics is definitely a short-sighted and short-sighted move.

After Su Qing felt the high determination, she thought about it, "Richard Cramer told me that Leeds United's Elland Road Stadium and Thorpe Arch Training Base were sold at a low price, and they were only sold for 4.2 million. Pound sterling, even if the land of Fullerton Park is added later, I think we can try to cut the price again."

The greatest value of this piece of land at the Fullerton Park base is that it is located in the city center.

Twenty million pounds is the current market assessment price, but not necessarily the transaction price.

It's as if the Elland Road Stadium and the Thorpe Arch Training Base were only sold for 4.2 million pounds.

"I also asked someone to do a survey recently. I found that Leeds United's jersey sales have always been quite good, even better than some Premier League teams."

"Really?" As soon as Lucas finished speaking, Gao Shen became interested.

"After counting, when they were promoted to the British Championship last season, the sales of Leeds United's jerseys exceeded 100,000 pieces in one season. Even in the Premier League, they were at least ranked in the top ten. This also proves the purchasing power of Leeds United fans. , is still very strong."

This is no surprise, as Leeds itself has one of the most dynamic economies in the UK.

"The current live broadcast fee of the British Championship is very low. Each game is about 50,000 pounds. After a season, it can break through a million pounds. In addition to other income such as ranking bonuses, it should still be possible."

"When the time comes, we will fight for jersey sponsorship and chest advertisements. I am confident that the income will definitely increase by a lot compared to the half-dead one now."

The biggest problem for Leeds United now is that the majority shareholder, Ken Bates, is basically picking the pick, which has caused Leeds United to do quite badly in this regard. The current chest advertisement is a gaming company, or the one jointly sponsored by many clubs in the Championship. Income is very low.

The income from the British Championship is of course nothing.

It's like the broadcast fee for a single game, in the Premier League, at least ten times more, plus ranking bonuses, the income from broadcast rights alone is enough to double Leeds United's income several times.

This is why teams with a little ambition want to enter the Premier League.

When Gao Shen heard this, he nodded again and again. Fernando Lucas did not disappoint him, so he raised his head and looked at Rudolf Borrell, because he found that this guy had been silent.

Feeling Gao Shen's gaze, Borel smiled wryly.

"I know the situation is very serious now, and the financial pressure is very high. When I open my mouth, it basically costs money, so..."

Gao Shen and the others all laughed.

Youth training does cost money.

"Let's talk about it, I'm mentally prepared and I can handle it." Gao Shen encouraged.

Borrell thought for a while, and said: "I did some research. At present, there are only eleven players in the youth team. Sometimes the U23 games are not enough to make up the starting lineup. After the teams in the age group are caught and running, we will expand when the club enters the Premier League and the finances are ample."

Just to maintain the operation of the youth team of two age groups requires a lot of funds.

Borel's idea is also for deep consideration, mature and prudent.

After thinking about it deeply, it seems that this is the only way.

Don't think that the situation of Leeds United is very hip.

In fact, after in-depth understanding, in the second tier of the four major European leagues, there are still many clubs that are worse than Leeds United, and they are basically struggling to maintain and support.

"Everyone, you should be clear about the general situation now. We will take over a club that can almost be said to start from scratch. This will be a brand new challenge for us."

Whether it is Su Qing, or Lucas and Borel, they all agree with Gao Shen's words.

"Here, I want to make a statement. I am very anxious to bring the team into the Premier League, but I hope everyone can understand that it is also crucial to lay a good foundation for the team. To enter the Premier League is to lay the foundation. This is not contradictory, the former can greatly increase our income, and the latter can help us improve our competitiveness bit by bit.”

"If we want to stay in the Premier League, we must lay a good foundation. The foundation is the lower limit of our competitiveness. The training base, youth training system, scouting system, logistics team...all of these are our foundation."

This is destined to be a completely different path from Manchester City.

Manchester City's route is the best, the purpose is to achieve the best results in the shortest time, quickly open up the situation, and at the same time slowly consolidate the foundation, and this requires huge investment.

But Leeds United can't do it. He has to accumulate slowly and come out step by step.

Of course, on this road, Gao Shen is a shortcut for Leeds United.

He will give full play to the advantages of the traverser and his connections in European football to protect Leeds United to the greatest extent, so that this team can be promoted to the Premier League as soon as possible and gain a firm foothold in the Premier League.

But behind this, there must be no shortage of internal strength and foundation.

...

After talking about the general situation of Leeds United, the topic touched on the next point, which is due diligence.

The purpose of the so-called due diligence is to have a general idea of ​​the business status and future development of the company.

This necessitates studying the employment contracts that have been signed, not only for players, but also for all employees of the enterprise.

Also analyze every tax bill, lease contract, intellectual property, transfer contract, sponsorship contract, trade contract, etc.

It is also important to know every debt and entitlement of the club.

All in all, it's a very complex and cumbersome process.

Su Qing has attached great importance to it from the very beginning, because she has worked in ministries and commissions, so she knows that disasters and risks are often not presented in front of you blatantly, but hidden in the details.

Due diligence itself is a deterrent to shareholders such as Ken Bates and a protection for Gao Shen.

"Richard Cramer said that it will take at least two months, and it is the best law firm in the magic circle to be responsible for this speed. If you change other law firms, including theirs, it may not be possible for half a year. It's over."

After some calculations, Gao Shen realized that it was mid-March, and two months would be May.

"Almost, we need to hurry up." Gao Shen urged.

He wants to take over around June and start the summer transfer operation.

Otherwise, I am afraid that there will be too little time, and another year will be wasted.

"In the next period of time, I will definitely be busy with Manchester City's affairs and games, so I will entrust you with full power to negotiate with Leeds United. If I am too busy, I will ask Fernando to leave early to help you."

"I have no problem." Lucas readily agreed.

It is also a new challenge for him to transform from an analyst and intelligence expert to a club CEO.

Su Qing also knew it well.