"Hey, Mauricio."
In the hotel lobby, Gao Shen extended his hand from afar as soon as he saw Pochettino.
"Hello, Gao, nice to meet you!"
Pochettino quickly walked over and gave Gao Shen a firm hug.
The two hadn't seen each other for quite some time, especially now that Gao Shen was even busier than before.
Their acquaintance dated back to Coverciano, Italy, when the Argentine came to attend Gao Shen's lectures. At that time, Pochettino hadn't even started coaching Espanyol.
Later, Pochettino found great success at Espanyol.
In his first season, he took over midway through the campaign and lifted the team from the relegation zone in 18th place to finish 10th, becoming the most eye-catching young coach in La Liga that season.
Just a month after taking charge, he led Espanyol to a 2-1 win over Guardiola's Barcelona at Camp Nou.
That match put Pochettino firmly on the map.
In the two seasons that followed, Espanyol consistently finished in the upper mid-table. However, with player departures and limited reinforcements, their results recently declined. Even so, they were not at risk of relegation.
Speaking of Pochettino's best transfer move, it had to be Osvaldo. Bought for €4 million and sold for €15 million in just one season, Espanyol made a tidy profit.
But the team's performances took a hit as a result.
Among Gao Shen's top students, Pochettino was one of the standouts.
He was accompanied on this visit by his two assistant coaches.
Argentine Miguel D'Agostino, a former professional centre-back, was Pochettino's close friend and right-hand man, with expertise in defense and tactics. Spaniard Jesús Pérez joined Pochettino's coaching staff in January 2011 and served as the fitness coach.
Gao Shen was also very courteous to both of them because he knew that in the years ahead, Pochettino's impressive rise in the Premier League and across Europe would be built heavily on the training work these two would lead.
While Pochettino was known for his unique training methods, it was his two assistants who executed them. That's why he always brought them wherever he went.
They met in the hotel café and chatted casually about their recent work. Gao Shen even jokingly asked for the secret to beating Barcelona, though of course Pochettino didn't take that seriously.
His victory over Barcelona had, in fact, been inspired by Gao Shen.
Still, amidst the joking, he shared some insightful perspectives on Barcelona.
After all, only those who've personally faced them can truly understand. And as Espanyol and Barcelona were city rivals, Espanyol always had their finger on the pulse.
Aside from visiting Gao Shen, they had a small request—to ask for match tickets.
"You've no idea. Other than the small allocation for Manchester City, the rest of the tickets have long been sold out. There's nowhere to buy them," Pochettino said, looking at Gao Shen with envy.
"Barcelona fans really love you!"
Gao Shen burst out laughing. It was something to be proud of.
In truth, these kinds of requests were common. Gao Shen himself had asked others for tickets plenty of times, and they were always happy to oblige. All it took was a phone call, and someone would deliver them.
While waiting for the tickets, Gao Shen asked him about a player.
Inter Milan had loaned a young talent to Espanyol: the Brazilian prodigy Coutinho, a genius with broken wings.
"You're really well-informed. He just arrived, and you already know about him?" Pochettino was genuinely surprised.
Everyone in the football world knew Gao Shen had his own information channels, always uncovering talents before others noticed. He had done this countless times over the years and unearthed several future stars.
That's why people often said: if it's a player spotted by Gao Shen, they must be top-class.
To be frank, Coutinho had not been well received at Inter Milan.
More accurately, Inter Milan didn't have the environment to develop young players.
At an age where he desperately needed game time, he made just five appearances in the entire first half of the season. In 250 minutes, he produced one goal and one assist.
After being loaned to Espanyol, Pochettino immediately made him a starter, but his performance in the first five games was mediocre. Espanyol suffered five straight defeats.
"Two draws and three losses, including that 5-0 defeat to Real Madrid."
At this point, Pochettino sounded frustrated. "You know, before this losing streak, we were fifth in La Liga. And just like that, we crashed down the table."
Gao Shen couldn't help but laugh.
What else could they do? After selling players like Osvaldo for good money, Espanyol refused to invest and only brought in the 36-year-old veteran Pandiani on a free transfer.
Even so, Pochettino managed to take them to fifth in the first half of the season.
But everyone knew that kind of ranking wasn't sustainable.
So in the winter transfer window, Pochettino brought in striker Kalu Uche on a free and loaned Coutinho from Inter Milan.
After that, Espanyol hit a rough patch and began to adjust their tactical approach. That led to the five-match winless run and their fall from fifth to eighth.
Honestly, that wasn't too bad.
In the last four rounds, Coutinho had scored four goals and added one assist. His performance had picked up significantly, but because Espanyol got little media attention, his form hadn't attracted much buzz.
But Gao Shen had noticed.
"It depends on how you use the kid."
When the topic shifted to Coutinho, Pochettino got excited.
"He's a typical Brazilian player, but not too typical. His footwork is excellent, he rarely loses the ball, and even though he looks skinny, he's strong. He's not fragile. You know what I mean?"
Gao Shen nodded. Many Brazilian players were like that.
Neymar, for example, looked skinny but was actually tough in one-on-ones.
If Neymar didn't have that physical resilience, his overall rating would drop by two levels.
"He's great at passing and shooting, willing to run, works hard defensively, and he's not slow. But he lacks explosiveness going forward. I don't think he's suited to being a breakthrough player. So I paired him with Didac Vilà on the left."
The Spanish left-back had good pace and was very capable when overlapping.
"Another issue is that he's seriously lacking confidence right now."
Gao Shen laughed. "Then doesn't that give you the perfect opportunity to showcase your strengths?"
Pochettino and his two assistants all laughed.
Argentines were indeed good at motivation, or you could say, injecting players with inspiration and belief.
"It's different. He's only on loan. There's no way we can buy a player of his level," Pochettino said with a hint of regret.
Espanyol sold their core player Osvaldo for €15 million, then refused to reinvest.
How could they possibly afford Coutinho, even for €10 million?
With Espanyol's current level, €3 to €4 million was already their upper limit for transfers.
This was constrained by the club's finances and positioning. As manager, Pochettino had no control over it.
"To be honest, I think he and Paulinho at Leeds United are quite interesting. Paulinho is great at driving the ball forward and breaking lines, very impactful. Coutinho isn't slow either, but he lacks that drive. However, he's great at passing."
"If you played those two in midfield, with your full-backs pushing high, I'd say you'd have a real shot at finishing mid-table in the Premier League next season, not just avoiding relegation."
Pochettino spoke with confidence.
Leading Espanyol to fifth place, even if only briefly, had filled him with belief.
Truthfully, Pochettino was being held back at a club like Espanyol.
He also wanted to prove himself on a bigger stage.
Gao Shen understood. And he knew their ideas aligned.
But Pochettino had guessed one thing wrong. Gao Shen's plan wasn't to pair Coutinho with Paulinho in midfield, but to combine Coutinho and Pogba on the left wing, plus Kurzawa as an attacking full-back.
If that trio could be formed, Leeds United's left flank would take off.
One of the main reasons Gao Shen came up with this plan was the fear that he wouldn't be able to hold onto his key players.
Local players were scarce in the Premier League, driving up their value.
Adam Lallana had been carefully chosen by the club. He had done well at Manchester City, and after joining Leeds United, he became the core of the team. He was the assist leader in the Championship and had impressed in the League Cup.
Naturally, a player like that attracted attention. At 24, if he wanted to take the next step in his career, he might not stick around for Leeds United's slow build.
Then there was Paulinho, also turning 24 soon and attracting serious interest. It was unlikely he would stay.
Given that, Gao Shen's plan was to sell Lallana at the best price and bring in Coutinho. That wouldn't just upgrade the squad, it would actually strengthen the team, though the price would be high—at least €10 million.
As for the midfield, if Paulinho were sold, then Pogba and Schneiderlin would be retained. Kondogbia had shown great form, both offensively and defensively. He could replace Paulinho and keep the midfield stable.
This would make Leeds United even stronger next season than they were now.
Gao Shen also considered alternatives. If they couldn't sign Coutinho, Mane, Salah, Zaha, and Bolasie could all play that position. The problem was, if Leeds relied only on Pogba, their midfield and attack would seriously lack creativity and passing ability.
So, that money had to be spent.
The key question was whether Inter Milan were willing to sell.
Gao Shen was always calculating, but as a professional head coach, he knew better than anyone that survival in the Premier League wasn't easy.
He had a clear idea of what money had to be spent, and where.
As for Pochettino, he was indeed very capable. But for now, Gao Shen couldn't afford to disappoint Sarri.
(To be continued.)