When the European Championship was in full swing, the new season of European football had already begun quietly.
After returning to Bara, Guardio and Begiristain officially submitted their team pn for the uping season. The proposal was highly praised by notable figures, including Cruyff and Begiristain himself.
Not long after, Guardio was formally appointed as the head coach of Bara for the new season.
Meanwhile, Mourinho, who had been eagerly eyeing the Camp Nou, was left utterly disappointed after Bara's coag trio returned from a and decided on Guardio. Upon hearing the news, Mourinho was reportedly sed that he almost lost it. His frustration lified whean media revealed that it was Gao Shen who had reended Guardio for the position. The revetio Mourinho seething and further deepened his animosity tao Shen.
For Mourinho, this was a bitter pill to swallow. Coag Bara had been his singur obsession for the past six months.
But after Bara's deourinho didn't wait long to accept the offer to coater Min.
Inter Min, after dismissing Mani, had set their sights on Gao Shen as their primary didate. Despite Gao Shen politely deing their persistent overtures even after Angelo Moratti and Marco Branca returned from a they remained hopeful that he would resider. But after Gao Shen opted to renew his tract with Napoli, Inter Min made their decision and turo Mourinho.
As the Gazzetta dello Sport put it: "Mourinho is a stand-in fao Shen."
Whether it was Bara or Inter Min, Mourinho erceived as a sed choice. This se greatly agitated the Puese manager. At his first press ference as Inter Min's new head coach, Mourinho openly challehis narrative, expressing his frustration with Naples winning the Serie A double st season. His critical tone even included a jab at his predeani.
Essentially, his words veyed: "Mani, you were pathetic! Watch how it's done!"
Mourinho didn't stop there. He also criticized those who believed Ztan Ibrahimovi? was a redundant pyer for Inter Min.
"No professional coach would ever say such a thing!" Mourinho decred, emphasizing that Ibrahimovi? was a world-css pyer and an irrepceable part of Inter Min.
These ents were clearly aimed at Gao Shes ialian media had previously suggested that, if Gao Shen had take Inter, Ibrahimovi? would have been his first target for departure, as the Swedish striker didn't fit his tactical preferences. Mourinho's remarks were a direct rebuke to this narrative, beling it unprofessional.
The outspoken Mourinho then tinued in his typical Premier League fashion, fidently prog, "With my arrival, Serie A will no longer be the same. Inter Min will wihi season!"
Mourinho and Inter Min wasted no time bag up these cims.
Shortly after taking over, Mourinho began reshaping the squad. Pyers such as the Puese youngster Pelé were sold, Suazo was sent out on loan, Sori returentina, and Maniche whose loan deal wasended returo Atlétiadrid. Brazilian midfielder César also left on a free transfer after his tract expired.
Several key pyers and regur substitutes from st season were cleared out.
Mourinho and Inter Min then switched to a buying spree.
For €13 million, they signed Mani from Roma; for €16 million, they secured Sulley Muntari from Portsmouth; and for €23 million, they brought in Puese winger Quaresma from Porto.
They also pleted the buyout of Jiménez and signed young Coutinho, although the tter, due to his age, wouldn't join until 2010.
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At A, after seg Champions League qualification thanks to Napoli's help st season, Ai embarked on a major squad overhaul.
Pyers like Girdino, Oliveira, Gourcuff, Cafu, and Ronaldo left, but Min brought in high-profile names like Ronaldinho from Bara and Fmini from Arsenal. They also added Zambrotta, Borriello, Antonini, Shevko, and Senderos to their roster.
It was clear that the Rossoneri were gearing up for a fresh start.
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Juventus, meanwhile, strengtheheir attack by signing Brazilian striker Amauri from Palermo for €23 million after failing to secure i. They also added Danish midfielder Poulsen from Sevil for €10 million.
With the return of young pyers like Giovind Marchisio, Juventus ehe new season with signifit upgrades.
In trast, Roma's transfer activity was underwhelming. The Red Wolves, strapped for cash, sold Mani at a high prid ter offloaded Giuly and Curci. However, their reinforts were modest: Ménez from Monaco, Baptista from Real Madrid, and Riise from Liverpool.
Roma's iment iransfer market was minimal.
Napoli's spending wasly extravagaher. The acquisition of Maggio for €8 million was their most notable move. The sale of Garics, along with the signing of an unknown defender, Benatia, left Napoli with a iment of just €2 million.
Still, pared to clubs like Udinese who profited from the transfer market while fog on youth development Napoli's situation wasn't too bad.
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The overall trend in Serie A's transfer market painted a grim picture of its financial dee. The league was no match for the spending power of the Premier League or La Liga and was only marginally ahead of the Bundesliga.
However, the global subprime me crisis also began to impact the Premier League and La Liga, with clubs tightening their budgets.
The only exception was Real Madrid, who were still chasing big names like Kaka from A, Cristiano Ronaldo from Maer United, and Fabregas from Arsenal. But with the growing sdals surrounding chairman Calderón and general manager Mijatovi?, the rest of Europe began to see through the fa?ade of Madrid's leadership.
Real Madrid's goldeation had noticeably dimmed. Though they tio win La Liga titles, their image was far less illustrious than it had been during Gao Shen's brief tenure in 2006.
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Gao Shen, as always, prioritized the team's preparation. Napoli's summer training was scheduled to begin on July 2, allowing a full month for fitness ditioning and tactical refi before pyers left to join their national Olympic teams in August.
Before the pyers arrived, however, Gao Shen weled a new assistant: the legendary bald Fren, Zinedine Zidane.
After numerous calls and "friendly threats," Zidane finally showed up, albeit begrudgingly.
"This is bckmail!" Zidane pined.
"If you put it that way, I might just expihing to the media," Gao Shen teased. "Let's clear the air, so no one misuands."
Faced with Gao Shen's sly humor, Zidane could only roll his eyes and drop the matter.
Zidane might have been a football i, but he was a novi coag. His only prior experience was helping Napoli's pyers refiheir skills under Gao Shen's watchful eye. Pyers like i had greatly beed from his guidance, but that was the extent of his coag résumé.
So, Gao Shen made it clear: "You're an interalk, more wot it?"
Zidane nearly walked out on the spot.
"Do you think I'm a total rookie?" Zidaed, irritated.
"Well," Gao Shen replied nontly, "if you quit now, I'll happily grant an exclusive interview to the media. By tomorrow m, every neer will be full of stories about how unreliable you are. Fans everywhere will see you in a new light."
Gao Shen's deadpan delivery had everyone in the room ughing, including Zidane himself, though he did pyfully threaten to hammer Gao Shen like Materazzi.
Fortunately, Gao Shen had anticipated this and quickly dodged out e.
After some ughter, Gao Shen got down to business. Zidane was tasked with assisting Borrell, Napoli's teical coach, in refining pyers' teical skills. Gao Shen made it clear he was grooming Zidane for a future head coag role, but for now, he wanted him to stay close and learn.
The biggest challenge for Zidane was the distance from his family in Madrid, which had been a stig point. Despite his wealth, Zidane was relut to uproot himself. In the end, it was his desire to learn coag that had brought him to Naples.
To make things easier, Gao Shen arranged for Zidao stay at his house and provided a club car, even cheekily turning Zidao his "chauffeur."
"I swear," Zidatered, shaking his head. "You just wanted free bor, didn't you?"
Gao Shen smirked. "Too te frets now."
With Zidane in pce, Gao Shen held a staff meeting to finalize preparations for the summer training camp. Everything was set for Napoli to begin.
On July 2, training officially started, with all pyers rep for duty the day before. This year, however, there was something different Napoli's newly introduced cutting-edge teology was about to debut.
