In recent years, with the booming American football market, more and more top European teams have begun holding their summer training camps in North America. It has become a common practice.
Manchester City were not the only Premier League team visiting this summer.
Their city rivals, Manchester United, were training in Bridgeview, Illinois, just south of Chicago.
Wearing a grey Manchester United summer training kit, Ferguson smiled warmly as he waved to reporters and fans outside, looking very approachable. The Manchester United manager had a rosy complexion and seemed to be in a very good mood.
This summer, he had finally convinced the Glazer family to open their wallets again and sign Lassana Diarra.
This would be a significant boost to Manchester United's overall strength.
Of course, looking at the entire summer transfer market, Manchester City's squad had improved the most significantly.
After winning the Premier League title last season, Gao Shen once again invested nearly 100 million euros in the transfer market this summer. The overall strength of the Blue Moon had risen dramatically. It was clear that Gao Shen had ambitious plans.
Even more intriguing was that there was still an "exciting star" yet to be officially announced.
Ferguson had a feeling that the player Gao Shen had chosen was definitely not an ordinary one.
Lichtsteiner cost 30 million euros, so this mystery player should be at least at that level.
The most likely candidate seemed to be Fabregas.
But after Manchester City signed Yaya Toure, Ferguson became uncertain.
If it really was Fabregas, wouldn't City's midfield become overcrowded?
Gao Shen had always been rational when it came to building squads. He valued quality over quantity. If there wasn't room in the squad, he wouldn't have brought in Yaya Toure.
So the most likely option was still a forward.
Could it be Torres? Adebayor? Drogba? Or… Rooney?
Rooney had not joined Manchester United's training camp in the U.S., as he was still on vacation after the World Cup.
Ferguson called him, but Rooney denied having any contact with Gao Shen. However, his agent said otherwise.
Ferguson felt overwhelmed just thinking about it.
Even though they had signed the Mexican forward Hernandez, Rooney remained indispensable for Manchester United.
And it was all because of that damn Gao Shen!
…
Ferguson returned to the coaching staff's temporary office, his face gloomy.
But just then, his phone rang.
Caller ID: Martin Ferguson.
Martin was Manchester United's scout and Ferguson's intelligence chief.
"Brother, it's Van Persie!"
As soon as the call connected, Martin Ferguson shouted impatiently.
"What?" Ferguson didn't catch it.
That sentence came out of nowhere.
"I said, the player Gao Shen wants to sign is Van Persie!" Martin Ferguson said loudly.
Ferguson paused for a moment. A very complicated emotion surged in his heart, one he couldn't quite describe.
It was actually him!
"Are you sure?"
"It's confirmed. Manchester City has officially made an offer to Arsenal. The transfer will likely be completed in the next few days. Clearly, Arsenal has agreed, and Van Persie has also given the nod."
Ferguson's expression turned even more complex. After remaining silent for more than ten seconds, he finally said, "I understand."
After hanging up, Ferguson found a chair and sat down, suddenly feeling exhausted.
A wave of helpless fatigue washed over him.
He wanted to achieve something big, yet he couldn't do anything.
He should've felt relieved, maybe even secretly pleased, because it wasn't Rooney that Manchester City were poaching.
But he also felt extremely frustrated because Van Persie was a player he had always rated very highly.
Few knew that as early as last summer, before Arsenal renewed Van Persie's contract, Ferguson had already contacted Wenger and Arsenal in an attempt to sign him. But Wenger intervened and renewed Van Persie's deal, offering a new contract with a weekly salary of £80,000 to keep the Dutch striker at Arsenal.
Since joining Arsenal five years ago, Van Persie had never been a prolific goalscorer. Even in the Dutch national team, his strike rate was unimpressive. When people discussed the Dutch team, they only mentioned Robben and Sneijder. Van Persie was rarely considered a top player.
But only those truly familiar with him knew how good he really was.
He had always been good!
Some might ask, if he's so good, why hasn't he performed well?
The answer is simple. Injuries.
For example, last season Van Persie made only 16 Premier League appearances, scoring 9 goals and providing 7 assists.
At first glance, those stats seem modest compared to Fabregas, Adebayor, or Arshavin, who led the team in goals and assists.
But Van Persie only played 1,253 minutes.
What does that mean?
He averaged a goal contribution every 78 minutes.
Even more impressively, in the first twelve Premier League rounds, he scored 7 goals and provided 7 assists. Then, in a national team match against Italy, he was injured in a tackle by Chiellini and missed over five months with an ankle injury.
Ferguson had been coaching for many years and understood better than anyone how such injuries could disrupt a player's rhythm.
No one could guarantee that Van Persie would regain his early-season form after such a serious injury. But Gao Shen's decision to sign him showed he believed Van Persie could replicate that peak form from the first twelve games.
Last season's players like Suarez, Robben, Hazard, Robinho, Gareth Bale, and even Sturridge and Giroud were already tough enough to deal with. Now there was another one—Van Persie.
Gao Shen was reaching for the stars!
Ferguson sighed heavily.
Manchester City had truly become stronger this season.
So strong, it was frightening.
This was a feeling Ferguson had never experienced before. Not even when facing Newcastle, the unbeaten Arsenal, or Mourinho's record-setting Chelsea. Ferguson had always remained confident and defiant.
But now, he genuinely feared whether Manchester United could survive the new season.
In the past, he had been the one striking fear into his opponents.
Maybe, he really was getting old!
…
Van Persie to Manchester City!
Both Arsenal and Manchester City posted the news on their official websites.
But neither club disclosed the exact details of the transfer, including the fee or Van Persie's wages. Everything remained a mystery.
The Sun, always ahead of the curve, revealed that the transfer fee was 30 million euros, far above Van Persie's current market value. After joining Manchester City, his weekly wage would rise from £80,000 to £150,000—the highest salary at the club—showing just how much Gao Shen valued him.
Arsenal fans were furious, believing the club should not have sold Van Persie to a direct rival.
In response to the fans' outcry, Wenger said helplessly, "This was a painful decision!"
Everyone understood immediately.
After missing out on the Champions League, Arsenal had to sell players to make up for the financial shortfall. It had to be either Fabregas, Adebayor, or Van Persie, Arshavin, Nasri, Clichy—anyone who could be sold for a good price.
Even selling Van Persie might not be enough to plug the gap.
Adebayor also wanted to leave.
Fabregas had even been "forced" into wearing a Barcelona jersey during Spain's World Cup celebrations.
Everyone could see that Arsenal could no longer keep their stars.
Gao Shen welcomed Van Persie on Manchester City's official website, saying the Dutchman had made a great decision. He believed Van Persie would bring a new dimension to City in the new season.
But what made Gao Shen happiest was that right after the World Cup, neither Suarez of Uruguay nor Robben of the Netherlands took a vacation. After wrapping up their national team duties, they stayed behind for just two days to handle personal matters, then rushed straight to the U.S. to join up with the squad for summer training.
After signing with Manchester City in Manchester, Van Persie also flew to the U.S. for training.
With that, by mid-July, Manchester City had all of their players assembled.
…
Goalkeepers: Neuer, Given, Courtois
Defenders: David Luiz, Kompany, Filipe Luís, Zabaleta, Gary Cahill, Trippier, Jerome Boateng, Leighton Baines, Lichtsteiner
Midfielders: David Silva, Rakitic, Javi Martinez, Fernandinho, Ireland, Henderson, Adam Lallana, De Bruyne, Yaya Toure
Forwards: Suarez, Robben, Hazard, Gareth Bale, Robinho, Sturridge, Giroud, Van Persie
A total of 29 players took part in Manchester City's summer training camp. Except for Courtois, the other 28 were part of the first-team squad for the upcoming season.
Every single one had been handpicked and signed by Gao Shen. He was confident in their ability and in what the new season held.
Once Van Persie arrived in Portland, Gao Shen personally led the Dutch striker into the dressing room and formally introduced him to the squad. He also welcomed him on behalf of the team.
Kompany, Rakitic, and the others warmly welcomed Van Persie.
Long before Gao Shen decided to bring him in, he had already sought the opinions of several key players. He even spoke to Suarez directly. The players were all open-minded.
Although Suarez was a bit concerned about increased competition, after talking to Gao Shen, he also expressed his willingness to compete or fight alongside Van Persie.
Gao Shen was thrilled as he looked at the talented squad in front of him.
"I want to say that I'm proud we can all come together at Manchester City and fight side by side!"
"I believe you all joined this team with great determination and ambition. You're eager to succeed here and win more titles and glory."
"The new season is about to begin. I have full confidence that I can lead you and Manchester City forward on all fronts. I firmly believe we have the strength to do it, and I know you won't let me down!"
"What I want to tell you is this—I promise you will never regret joining Manchester City, because you're joining a team ready to challenge for the Premier League, the Champions League, and every title out there!"
"I can't wait!"
The players were inspired and gave Gao Shen a warm round of applause.
(To be continued.)