Soccer: I’m Building a Giant in the Premier League

Chapter 40 – Target: The Premier League

Yang Cheng really was a sly bastard.

Standing by the suite window and gazing out toward the distant Bayswater Stadium, Brian Kidd thought to himself with a mix of amusement and resignation.

This wasn't the first time.

Every time a new player, coach, or club staff arrived in London, the club would arrange for them to stay in this very hotel.

Yes, it was a five-star establishment—but with the club's corporate partnership, the rates weren't expensive.

And the rooms were always on the high floors, always with windows facing the stadium.

It was like a silent reminder:

"Look at this. Our club may be small, but we own a prime piece of land right in the heart of central London. Do you realize how valuable that is?"

Brian Kidd chuckled quietly and shook off the thought.

He'd been talked into this by Yang Cheng too. And now, he was more invested than ever.

As for Gianni Vio, sitting across from them?

Clearly, Yang Cheng had talked him into feeling the same way.

"Gianni, football is undergoing a seismic shift," Yang Cheng began, eloquent and persuasive.

"More and more professionals, experts, and companies from outside the sport are entering the football industry."

"In 1996, Deloitte formed its Sports Business Group in the UK to study the football market. Every year, they publish the Annual Review of Football Finance and the Premier League's Money League."

"These reports have become gold standards in the global sports business world."

"Since then, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, and even major law firms have established sports research branches in the UK, all regularly publishing industry reports."

It was clear: football in Britain was being closely monitored by global capital.

And if it was happening in the UK, it was only a matter of time before the same happened in Italy, Spain, Germany, and France.

"Why are these multinational firms paying attention to football? Because capital has started treating football as a viable investment sector."

Yang Cheng continued building momentum.

"In 1996, a group of young British entrepreneurs founded a company called Opta. They started by collecting data manually from the stands, but by 2000, Sky Sports acquired them and poured in capital to develop state-of-the-art hardware and software."

"Today, their systems can automatically track more and more in-game metrics—passing, running distances, heat maps, everything."

"You and I both know how invaluable that kind of data is for a football team."

Gianni Vio nodded slowly. He was well aware.

Sky Sports didn't only broadcast in the UK—it also held broadcasting rights for Serie A in Italy.

Opta's data had become a staple not just across Europe, but globally.

To clubs, it offered immense value—transforming everything from training to match tactics.

"In 2001, a British company developed the 'Hawk-Eye' instant replay system. It's not just useful for live broadcasts—it's incredibly effective during training too."

"We've already decided to integrate it into our training sessions. I want my players to be able to immediately review what went wrong and understand what the correct decision should've been."

Gianni Vio was intrigued.

He'd seen Hawk-Eye in match broadcasts before—but using it in training scenarios?

That was a fresh idea.

But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

"Gianni, everything I've shared with you is about data. I want you to know: more and more people from finance and data analytics are entering football. They have a razor-sharp instinct for data."

"In the near future, data analysis will become fundamental to football. It will revolutionize the way we train, the way we play—and the way we think."

Yang Cheng paused, letting the gravity of his words settle.

"That's why I want Bayswater Chinese FC to be the first mover—to establish our own data analytics team."

To the outside world, Gianni Vio was a set-piece genius.

But in Yang Cheng's eyes?

He was a football data visionary.

And Yang Cheng didn't want to limit him to just corners and free-kicks.

He wanted Gianni to lead an entire data department—building a team from the ground up, steering Bayswater's tactical evolution through analytics.

The dream Yang Cheng painted was massive. Maybe even overwhelming.

Gianni Vio looked a little dazed—like he was being swept up in something far bigger than he expected.

But at the same time… it was so damn tempting.

So much so that the Italian politely requested a little time—to think things through, to digest.

…

"Did you run this data team idea past Lin?"

Brian Kidd chuckled as they left the hotel.

After a year of working together, he had a decent grasp of Lin Zhongqiu's personality.

"Money is just paper. If we run out, we'll make more!"

Yang Cheng replied with a grin, full of youthful bravado.

"You're already swimming in debt, and it just keeps rising…" Brian shook his head in amusement.

The truth was, Yang Cheng had spent aggressively.

Buying land.

Building a training complex.

Hiring an army of staff.

It looked great from the outside. But behind the scenes, debt was stacking up.

Lin Zhongqiu had done the math.

Even if they only completed Phase One—just the youth team section and the temporary facilities—the total debt would exceed £20 million.

That was Premier League-level debt… for a Championship club.

And yet Yang Cheng remained unfazed.

"If it's borrowed with skill, why rush to repay it?"

He had a point.

"And anyway, Brian, it's just a data team. Three or four people, tops. The salaries aren't outrageous, and the equipment/software costs won't break the bank."

Brian Kidd exhaled with a wry smile.

Now he understood why Lin Zhongqiu always looked like he'd aged ten years.

Whoever ended up being this club's financial officer?

God help them.

Because working with Yang Cheng meant watching tens of thousands of pounds fly out the window every other day…

All in the name of chasing a dream.

Bayswater Chinese FC carried too much historical baggage and had far too fragile a foundation.

Many things should've been built up slowly, accumulating strength before making a move.

But Yang Cheng didn't have the luxury of time.

He knew all too well:

The Premier League was on the brink of an unprecedented explosion.

Not only was TV revenue skyrocketing, but global markets were expanding rapidly too.

Bayswater Chinese had to ride this wave—or get left behind.

But how?

First, promotion to the Premier League.

Then, build a team with real firepower.

Pure sporting success wouldn't cut it.

Even if you won on the pitch, without strong revenue, the players you trained would just get poached one by one.

The players you wanted to buy—guys like Pennant—wouldn't even look in your direction.

Let's be honest: if you want to go global, don't you at least need to take the team on a few international tours?

And those overseas tours—were they funded by sponsors, or would you pay out of pocket?

It's never just about one thing.

Everything is interconnected.

So far, Bayswater Chinese's commercial operations were a blank slate.

Yang Cheng had considered getting sponsors from China, but he didn't have the resources or connections.

This was a role that desperately needed someone experienced to take the helm.

But at the moment, Yang Cheng still hadn't found the right person.

Or rather, the people he wanted—

Probably didn't want anything to do with a Championship club.

...

Time ticked into July.

The Euros finally came to an end.

Rehhagel's Greece pulled off a miracle, defeating host nation Portugal in the final to become champions.

It sent shockwaves across the footballing world.

Young stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Arjen Robben, Petr Čech, Philipp Lahm, and Zlatan Ibrahimović all shone brilliantly in the tournament.

But none of that had anything to do with Yang Cheng or Bayswater Chinese.

He was more concerned about the season ahead.

This year, Bayswater Chinese would be fighting on three fronts:

The Championship, the League Cup, and the FA Cup.

The Championship still had 24 teams—46 rounds of grueling competition, running from August 7 to May 8 next year.

Just like before, the top two would earn automatic promotion, while 3rd through 6th would enter the playoff gauntlet.

In other words, the schedule was still brutal.

To make matters trickier, this season, Bayswater Chinese would be renting Loftus Road from QPR.

The team wasn't familiar with the venue.

So when Yang Cheng planned the preseason friendlies, he deliberately scheduled home matches—to get everyone comfortable with the pitch.

With club doctors David Fevre and Rob Price arriving, the first thing on the preseason agenda was a comprehensive medical evaluation for the entire squad.

S&C coaches Fawcett and Bartlett also learned from last season's mistakes—particularly the winter schedule disaster—and put together a much more refined preseason training program.

Although the team had gone through some changes over the summer, the core framework was intact.

And after last season's growth, the players had a much deeper understanding of Yang Cheng's tactics and training style.

Even the new arrivals were gradually falling in step—helped along by the veterans.

It was worth noting:

Since veteran Steve Jenkins had left, Yang Cheng hadn't named a new captain.

He was still watching, still evaluating.

Technically, the new players could all handle Yang Cheng's system.

It was just a matter of how fast they adapted.

After ten days of intense fitness conditioning, the club's preseason friendlies began in mid-July.

Yang Cheng scheduled seven matches, all at Loftus Road.

Even the opponents were carefully chosen.

First, three matches against League One and League Two sides.

Since the squad was still recovering from fitness training and many players were still new, the team lacked cohesion.

As a result: 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss—not ideal.

Next, a friendly against West Ham United, who had just failed to secure promotion.

This marked their second consecutive summer playing West Ham.

Final score: 0–0 draw.

The last three friendlies were against Premier League opposition:

Blackburn Rovers (Souness)Charlton Athletic (Curbishley)Southampton (Sturrock)

All were solid, mid-table clubs.

Charlton, like West Ham, were London-based.

Souness had a good impression of Yang Cheng—because Jonathan Stead had been a success at Blackburn.

If Yang Cheng remembered correctly, Stead had started strong under Souness, but once the manager left, his form tanked.

These Premier League friendlies were deliberately scheduled—Yang Cheng wanted to stress-test the team.

Final results: 1 draw, 2 losses.

Lost to Blackburn and Southampton, drew with Charlton.

Against Southampton, the score was 1–2.

Peter Crouch scored the winner.

After those seven friendlies, it was already August.

There was just one week left before the Championship opener.

Every day, Yang Cheng and his coaching staff were locked in discussions—evaluating performances, identifying problems, and fine-tuning tactics.

Gianni Vio's data department had just been formed—right now, it was a one-man show.

The plan was to hire two more people.

But… Lin Zhongqiu was clinging to the budget like a miser.

During preseason, Ribéry, Modrić, Huddlestone, Hart, and Koscielny all renewed their contracts.

Yang Cheng insisted on sticking strictly to the wage structure that Xia Qing had designed.

Ribéry, Modrić, and Huddlestone now earned £2,000 per week, the club's top wage tier.

Even with everything falling into place…

There was still one big problem:

Lassana Diarra—The Wild Card.

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