Chapter 178 – The "Leg-Breaking" Incident! Bayswater Chinese's Evolution and Breakthrough!
Goalkeepers: Neuer and Begović
Defenders: Pepe, José Fonte, Thiago Silva, Kompany, Piszczek, Marcelo, Kyle Walker, and Ryan Bertrand
Midfielders: Matić, Javi Martínez, Modrić, Rakitić, Matuidi, and Aaron Ramsey
Forwards: Lewandowski, Lambert, Andy Carroll, Gareth Bale, Di María, Walcott, and Hazard
This was the first-team roster for the new season at Bayswater Chinese.
Last season, the club's U18 squad had impressive performances in both the English U18 league and the Youth Champions Cup. Yang Cheng followed through on his promise and promoted several standout players to the senior squad.
They would join preseason training, though whether they would travel to the U.S. tour was still undecided.
Among them were: Harry Kane, Paul Pogba, and N'Golo Kanté.
The youngest of the trio was Harry Kane.
Everyone knew he was one of Bayswater Chinese's most cherished academy products, and his promotion to the first team felt only natural.
When Yang Cheng called to inform them, all three were thrilled beyond words.
Especially Kane, who immediately ran back to the training center to do extra sessions, saying he wanted to strengthen his body and earn a place in the senior squad as soon as possible.
Yang Cheng was so annoyed, he nearly kicked him back to U18 right then.
"It's July and you're not even 16 yet—what's the rush?"
But the attitude? Very commendable.
Calling them into preseason wasn't about immediate inclusion in the first team.
It was about exposing them to the intensity of senior-level training, letting them see up close how elite players trained and played.
A kind of master-apprentice transmission.
Still, Kane and Pogba weren't ready yet.
They'd continue playing U18s, maybe get some time in the reserve league.
Whenever Yang Cheng saw Kane, he couldn't help but feel sentimental.
Six years.
That once short, chubby little English lad was now growing up tall and strong.
Of all the players Yang Cheng brought in when he took over in 2003, only Modrić and Lambert remained.
José Fonte, Matuidi, and Piszczek came in summer 2004.
Neuer joined in January 2005.
Who would've thought that the German goalkeeper would now count as a homegrown player for Bayswater Chinese?
With the departures of Džeko, Yaya Touré, Baines, and Maicon, the core of the 2005/06 UEFA Cup–winning squad was nearly gone.
Now the backbone was made up of players who had arrived in summer 2006: Lewandowski, Matić, Di María, Marcelo, Pepe, and others.
Yang Cheng had been coaching for years. He'd grown used to the cycle.
But sometimes, in reflective moments, he still felt a wave of emotion.
The camp remains—but the soldiers are always changing.
Luckily, he'd maintained good relationships with most players.
Even Ribéry, Aaron Lennon, and others still kept in touch.
Jonathan Stead would sometimes come back to visit.
Many had probably forgotten the name Steve Jenkins—an old veteran from those early days.
Now? He was a youth coach at Bayswater Chinese, working with the U12 team.
After retirement, he'd approached Yang Cheng about becoming a coach.
For players at his level, supporting a family post-retirement could be a challenge.
Yang Cheng encouraged him to get certified.
After earning his license, Jenkins returned to the club, then spent time learning at Barcelona and Clairefontaine.
Today, he was part of the youth system, shaping the next generation.
Yes, Bayswater Chinese were ruthless when selling players, always driving a hard bargain.
But behind the cold calculations, there was still warmth.
…
As preseason drew near, the coaching staff began returning.
The fixture list for the new season had also been released.
This year's Premier League newcomers: Burnley, Wolves, and Fulham.
That meant West London would once again have three Premier League teams.
But after Fulham's decline in recent years and Bayswater Chinese's rapid rise, the West London Derby barely involved the "Cottagers" anymore.
Now, when people mentioned a West London Derby, it meant Bayswater Chinese vs. Chelsea.
Of course, Fulham fans disagreed.
Because Bayswater Chinese played their home matches at Wembley, which technically wasn't even within the central boroughs.
"If your stadium's not even in West London, how is it still a derby?"
After winning the treble, Bayswater Chinese now faced a packed fixture list:
Community ShieldUEFA Super CupClub World Cup
By tradition, since they had won both the league and the FA Cup, their Community Shield opponent would be Premier League runners-up Arsenal, scheduled for August 9th.
A week later, the Premier League would officially kick off.
And Bayswater Chinese's first match?
Away at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
A brutal opener.
"There are pros and cons to this schedule,"
Brian Kidd said after reviewing the fixture list with the staff.
"With more and more strong teams in the league, it's becoming impossible to avoid playing them back-to-back."
"Look—Matchweek 9, away at Arsenal, right after the October international break."
"Matchweeks 11 and 12: back-to-back home matches against City and Liverpool—right in between Champions League group games."
"And let's not even talk about the season opener against United or the Boxing Day match against Chelsea."
With City's rise, there were now six legitimate title contenders in the league.
Avoiding all of them? Impossible.
Add in Champions League and cup matches, and the congestion was inevitable.
"Matchweek 4, away at Spurs, clashes with the UEFA Super Cup."
"Because of the South Africa World Cup, Matchweeks 16–18 are all crammed into one week."
"But we'll probably be at the Club World Cup during that time."
"So those fixtures may be postponed too."
A compressed league calendar, plus League Cup, FA Cup, Champions League, and now three extra trophies—it was going to be an intense season.
Brian Kidd's breakdown had the coaches scribbling notes.
"Delays can be good or bad," said fitness chief Sadd Forsyth.
"Last season, we pulled away in the second half because of postponed matches—especially that makeup game against United, which killed off the title race."
"But it's also a serious test of fitness and form."
To make it work, Forsyth's department would need to be on top of load management, starting in preseason.
Preseason training was now more crucial than ever.
For Bayswater Chinese, the biggest advantage was that—after years of experience touring abroad and with the extensive insight brought by Yang Cheng's past life—the club had already developed a mature and reliable international preseason model.
As early as last year, the club had committed to participating in the 2009 World Football Challenge—the precursor to the International Champions Cup.
There were only four teams involved this year.
The biggest name, of course, was the sextuple-winning Bayswater Chinese, along with the Milanese duo (AC Milan and Inter), and Club América from Mexico.
From that lineup, it was obvious: the tournament lacked real star power.
As the most high-profile team, Bayswater Chinese had all three of their matches scheduled within eight days in late July—a tight turnaround.
After the tournament, they would fly back to Europe to resume preparations for the new season.
Before flying out, the club planned to hold two weeks of training camp in London, ensuring both adequate preparation and integration before departing for the U.S.
The U.S. tour had been confirmed last year.
But from a logistics standpoint, the organization on the American side had been quite poor.
First, the scheduling.
Among the four teams, there were three key matchups that generated the most interest—Bayswater Chinese vs. Inter, Bayswater Chinese vs. AC Milan, and Inter vs. AC Milan.
The most attractive games of the tournament.
So what did the organizers do?
They scheduled them across three cities:
Baltimore, Boston, and Los Angeles.
Which meant the teams had to fly back and forth across 4,000+ kilometers between the East and West coasts in just one week.
Completely absurd.
And that wasn't all.
All three European teams also had to face Club América in matches held at various venues.
Bayswater Chinese's match against Club América?
It was scheduled at the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington, Texas—a venue with a capacity of 100,000.
Their itinerary looked like this:
Start in Los Angeles, face Inter.Fly over 4,000 km to Baltimore, face AC Milan.Then another 2,000 km to Arlington, Texas, to face Club América.
Inter and AC Milan had similarly ridiculous travel.
All of this reflected one glaring truth:
The Americans didn't understand football.
Such frequent cross-country travel was completely unacceptable for elite-level footballers.
And it wasn't just Bayswater Chinese that voiced frustration—both Inter and AC Milan also criticized the scheduling.
Originally, the two Italian clubs had been cautious about Yang Cheng's International Champions Cup idea.
But once this fixture list dropped?
They quickly changed their stance, expressing serious interest.
It was easy to see why.
Once you started working with Americans, you realized they didn't see European football as an equal.
They treated it as some backward, outdated brand of sport.
Yet no matter what, the contracts had already been signed.
Even if they had to grit their teeth, the three matches had to be played.
On the bright side, though Yang Cheng wasn't sure how the other clubs were doing in terms of ticket sales, Bayswater Chinese had sold out two of the three matches.
Only the final game against Club América still had seats left.
…
As tradition dictated, opening day of summer training was open to fans and media.
With Bayswater Chinese's rise, more and more fans and journalists were showing up.
As usual, after medical check-ups in the morning, the players headed to Wembley at noon to participate in a major commercial event.
A year earlier, Adam Crozier and Omar Berrada had begun revamping the club's sponsorship framework, overhauling the entire commercial system.
That meant—for over a year—Bayswater Chinese didn't sign a single sponsor.
Some even speculated that the club had lost its commercial appeal.
But in truth, Bayswater Chinese had been preparing for something big.
Taking advantage of the opening day's media exposure, the club officially unveiled three long-awaited sponsorship deals.
All of them from China.
First up:
A 5-year deal with Chinese electronics company AGZ, worth £5 million per year.
AGZ would become the club's exclusive global partner in consumer electronics, excluding mobile phones.
The company's chairman and senior executives attended the ceremony, which was streamed worldwide, and gifted every player the brand's latest, high-end tech products.
The deal covered sponsorship for MP3s, MP4s, headphones, cameras, and other gadgets.
In addition, AGZ also committed £2 million per season to sponsor pitch-side LED boards at home matches.
Total value:
£35 million over 5 years—
£7 million per year, more than many Premier League clubs get from front-of-shirt sponsors!
The other two sponsorships:
Uni-President Enterprises, from Taiwan, became the club's exclusive global soft drink partner, with a similar £7 million per year deal, including stadium ads.Yuanhua Industrial Equipment, also from Taiwan, became an official global industrial partner, contributing £5 million per year.
All three deals were 5-year contracts.
Every media outlet present was stunned.
Three major deals—all from Asia.
While no official figures were confirmed, leaked reports suggested they were on par with top-tier deals like those of Manchester United.
Who could still question Bayswater Chinese's commercial appeal?
Omar Berrada, the club's commercial director, confirmed that they were in talks with multiple American companies, hoping to finalize deals during the U.S. tour.
As the sponsorship system matured, so too would the depth of cooperation, creating mutual value.
In short?
If you want to renew your old deal with Bayswater Chinese, be ready to pay more.
Contracts like the ones with Japan's NTT, Korea's KT Telecom, and Hankook Tire were all expiring in 2010.
Every one of them would now be substantially more expensive.
Negotiations were already underway—with them, and with other potential partners.
As long as Bayswater Chinese continued to deliver value, they would never lack sponsors.
Additionally, Omar Berrada revealed that the commercial department would begin working with players and agents to build out player branding and endorsement portfolios.
A long-planned initiative.
In previous years, the club didn't have the ability to do this.
But now, after rising to the top of European football—after winning a historic sextuple—Crozier and Berrada believed the club had finally developed the brand power to elevate their players commercially.
To put it plainly?
It was time to help players make more money off the pitch.
Because the club retains 50% of its players' image rights under contract, helping players generate income also means generating revenue for the club.
And that's a huge area of potential.
Take Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott, for example—two homegrown stars with tremendous commercial value.
Then there's Aaron Ramsey, handsome and popular, with solid shirt sales.
Now, Bayswater Chinese wants to fully tap into that commercial potential—to benefit both the club and the players.
In terms of shirt sales, Bayswater Chinese have grown slowly.
One major reason: the club lacked historic brand power.
From 2005 to 2007, for example, Manchester United and Real Madrid averaged around 217,000 shirts sold per year.
Assuming £50 per shirt, that's over £10 million in sales annually.
But that's gross revenue.
Clubs only see 7.5%–15% of that.
Even if United got the top-end 15%, that's just a little over £2 million.
So when people say, "They'll make the transfer fee back from shirt sales,"—it's pure nonsense.
But that was before 2007.
By 2009, thanks to globalization, Premier League shirt sales exploded.
United sold over 600,000 shirts in 2008. In 2009, they were projected to break 1 million.
Real Madrid wasn't far behind, growing at a similar pace.
Bayswater Chinese only passed the 100,000 mark in 2007.
In 2009, they were expected to break 400,000.
A very rapid increase—doubling every year.
Even so, that only placed them around 10th in Europe.
Clubs like United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool were all aiming for—or already surpassing—the 1 million mark.
Adam Crozier and Omar Berrada had analyzed the issue thoroughly.
The problem? Bayswater Chinese had no historical foundation.
They'd been the most aggressive club in global expansion, but their foundation was too weak.
Honestly, if shirt sales had gone from 100k to 1 million overnight, Yang Cheng himself would've panicked.
Who knows when that kind of growth might nosedive?
Better to be steady, strategic, and consistent.
Another problem was the lack of true star power.
In recent years, Bayswater Chinese had sold many top players and lacked a clear poster boy.
Also, they only signed with Puma in summer 2006, which accelerated shirt sales.
In short, Bayswater Chinese were still catching up with history.
Building a brand is a long-term, accumulative process.
After comprehensive internal analysis and third-party market research, Crozier and Berrada both concluded:
Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott were currently the club's most commercially valuable players.
They would now be heavily promoted.
In recent years, with the help of the British media, the "British Twin Stars"—Bale and Walcott—had become household names around the world.
Especially in Britain, North America, and Asia.
That would make it much easier for Bayswater Chinese to scale their brand.
By creating their own superstar icons, the club's commercial revenue would reach new heights.
…
After medical checks at the start of summer training, it was clear most of the squad had remained disciplined during the break.
Yang Cheng paid close attention to Hazard and Marcelo—both were doing well.
They were still young, unestablished, and didn't dare mess around.
After training began, Yang Cheng met individually with Lewandowski, Marcelo, Matić, and Piszczek.
The core message was simple:
"The coaching staff and I want you to take on even more responsibility this season."
And none of them were surprised.
With Džeko, Maicon, Baines, and Touré all leaving, it was natural for them to step up.
New signings wouldn't easily threaten their spots.
Yang Cheng also kept a close eye on Andy Carroll.
In his previous life, Carroll's move to Liverpool had been a disaster.
But the player had explained why—and Yang Cheng found it very believable.
It wasn't lack of ability. It was all psychological.
Liverpool had sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea on the last day of the winter transfer window, then immediately brought in Carroll from Newcastle.
Carroll had performed well at Newcastle—but wasn't mentally prepared for the move.
"I got the call, and suddenly I was on my way to Liverpool," Carroll said.
"New club, new city—everything unfamiliar."
He wasn't ready.
And to make things worse, he was recovering from injury.
From the psychological, physical, and tactical standpoints—he was thrown into chaos.
And he was still young.
Yang Cheng believed him because this happens all the time.
So-called "flops" often aren't about ability.
Clubs aren't stupid—they scout thoroughly.
Disappointments are often due to tactical mismatches, internal conflicts, or psychological pressure.
Like Shevchenko and Torres at Chelsea—pure tactical fit issues.
Carroll at Liverpool? Mental strain.
These days, as clubs became more professional, internal friction and player mindset were often the root cause.
Just like Di María at Manchester United.
Tactically, he was fine.
But due to on- and off-field issues, he lost the will to stay.
Yang Cheng wasn't excusing the player's actions.
But it showed how vital it was for clubs to help new players adapt quickly.
A young player joining a giant club with a big transfer fee, like Carroll… if he didn't meet expectations right away, the pressure would be crushing.
Same went for Torres, Hazard, and others.
In fact, the more professional and conscientious a player is, the more pressure they feel.
Which is why Yang Cheng established a dedicated player and staff integration department at the club.
They handled everything:
Housing, transport, food preferences, children's schools, even personal flight booking services.
Everything was digitized and systematized, accessible at any time by Yang Cheng and the coaching staff.
The club made sure new arrivals were fully supported—so they could focus solely on training and matches.
Players like Andy Carroll and Kyle Walker had already noticed the club's thoughtful care.
With support from veterans like Modrić, José Fonte, and Lambert, the new players integrated smoothly.
As for Marcelo—he was a riot.
He immediately dragged the new guys into the club's indoor football league, forming a team for the Bayswater Chinese Indoor Cup.
Yang Cheng was reassured.
After all these years, the dressing room he had painstakingly cultivated was still holding strong.
…
Although Yang Cheng had long delegated all training matters to Brian Kidd and the coaching staff, he still had plenty on his plate.
For example: the handover of the newly completed indoor training facility, the team's upcoming trip to the U.S., travel logistics, training venues…
He had to personally oversee every detail.
Oddly enough, fitness training was the least of his worries.
But he still paid close attention to the individual training plans of certain players—especially the younger ones working on bulking up.
Lewandowski had started building muscle last year, and the results were already noticeable.
The Polish striker had made huge strides over the past two seasons, improving by leaps every year.
Lewandowski had all the traits of a classic center-forward: physical strength, good pace, and strong finishing.
Though standing at just 1.85 meters, he averaged 2.3 successful aerial duels per game, proving he was no slouch in the air—just as good as Džeko.
And he ran more.
That, too, was a matter of height.
At 1.93 meters, Džeko simply couldn't cover as much ground.
Lewandowski had better mobility, faster acceleration, and excellent dribbling and ball control—even if not quite as refined as Džeko's.
But in terms of technical development, Lewandowski had worked hard since joining Bayswater Chinese—especially on receiving with his back to goal and turning—and had surpassed Džeko in that area.
In raw athleticism, Lewandowski was superior.
His improvement could be seen in the stats:
Pass success rate:Last season: 76%Season before: 71%
A 5-point increase may not sound like much, but for a striker, it was significant.
As a comparison, Luis Suárez, one of the most technically gifted forwards, had a career-high of 77% in passing accuracy.
That was already elite level for a No.9.
Of course, players like Messi, who consistently posted 80%+, were outliers—not even human.
Another stat:
Lewandowski averaged 2.1 successful dribbles per game last season, up from 1.4 the year before.
Again for reference, Suárez at Liverpool averaged between 2.5 to 3, but dropped to around 1.5 after moving to Barça.
This pointed to an interesting trend.
In Yang Cheng's previous life, Lewandowski's career shifted in summer 2014.
At Dortmund, he was a complete, all-action striker—dribbling, passing, shooting, pressing.
After joining Guardiola's Bayern, he was reshaped into a pure goal-scorer.
At Dortmund, he averaged 3 dribbles per game.
At Bayern, that number immediately dropped to 1.4, then declined year after year.
Not surprising—Guardiola's Bayern dominated possession, giving him less room to dribble.
Yang Cheng was confident that with Lewandowski's current age and momentum, he would reach another level this season.
Stats would improve. Performances would rise.
That's why the club felt comfortable selling Džeko.
…
When Yang Cheng entered the gym, many players were working with coaches on individual physical training.
Then he saw something that stunned him.
Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott, lying side-by-side on two adjacent training beds—one with his left leg, the other with his right, wrapped in thick white bandages around the knee.
What the hell—broken legs?!
And it looked serious.
Yang Cheng rushed over in alarm.
As he got closer, he heard the fitness coach calling out, "Break's over—Group 2, straight-leg raises!"
Wait… this was training?
Yang Cheng froze.
"Begin!"
At the shout, both players raised and lowered their legs quickly and in sync.
The sight was unintentionally hilarious.
No wonder they were known as the British Twin Stars.
"Daniel, what's going on here?" Yang Cheng asked, half amused.
The fitness coach turned and, seeing it was Yang Cheng, immediately greeted him.
"Don't worry, boss—their knees are fine. The training equipment hasn't arrived yet, so we're using bandages to limit knee movement during lifts."
Ah—false alarm.
Still, Yang Cheng was curious. "What's the point of this exercise?"
"It targets the rectus femoris, which helps extend the knee. It's one of the key muscles for shooting—provides both power and control."
Yang Cheng nodded. "Didn't we used to just do squats for that?"
"Sure," the coach said, "Squats—especially weighted ones—train the quadriceps and glutes very effectively."
"But they also place significant stress on the knee joint."
Now it made sense.
Knee injuries were among the most common in football.
And sometimes, even "training" could do more harm than good.
That's why muscle-building was a highly complex and systematized process.
Plenty of players get injured—even under professional supervision.
Blindly training on their own? Even riskier.
But now, thanks to advances in sports science, training was much more targeted.
"For guys like Bale and Walcott—speedsters who rely on quick changes of pace and direction—it puts serious wear on their ankles and knees."
"So we've reduced high-impact moves like squats and introduced straight-leg raises, which still build the rectus femoris without the joint stress."
"The goal is hypertrophy through isometric contraction—not pure load."
"Raises are less efficient than squats, but we make up for it through higher reps and frequency."
"Most importantly—there's no joint flexion, no full-body loading. It minimizes wear and tear."
"We have a whole suite of custom exercises like this—tailored to each player's physical and technical needs."
Yang Cheng wasn't a fitness expert, but he'd seen enough training to understand.
This was exactly why he'd built the sports science department.
Most clubs in Europe were still stuck in the past, relying on gut instinct.
And that led to a lot of unexplained injuries.
For example, if a player wanted to build shooting power and asked ten fitness coaches, nine and a half would recommend squats.
Always squats.
Always the same answer.
And that wasn't always right.
As players built muscle and gained strength, knee strain often increased—leading to a higher risk of joint injuries.
And knee injuries are among the most painful and difficult for players to recover from.
Bayswater Chinese's sports science department didn't claim it could completely eliminate training-related injuries, but it had always worked hard to minimize the risks.
At that moment, Yang Cheng felt vindicated—the years he had invested in this department were absolutely worth it.
"Great work," Yang Cheng said, giving the young fitness coach a firm pat on the back.
He wasn't too familiar with this coach, probably one of the specialists recruited from Loughborough University.
Meanwhile, Bale and Walcott lay side by side, legs wrapped, both competing to see who could finish the set faster.
Yang Cheng couldn't help but shake his head, both amused and exasperated.
"You two! Take it seriously!" he barked.
They hadn't seen him approach, so when he suddenly spoke, both jumped in fright.
"N-no problem, boss! We're working hard!"
"Yeah, look at my form—perfect, right?"
Yang Cheng chuckled helplessly and walked away.
Over the years, Bayswater Chinese had poured massive resources into its training center, gym, and sports science department—millions upon millions.
They recruited top global talent, imported state-of-the-art equipment, and developed deep partnerships with specialists across the UK and around the world.
As a result, Bayswater Chinese's infrastructure and methodology were now among the very best in world football.
Drawing from his experiences in a previous life, Yang Cheng estimated that Bayswater Chinese were at least five years ahead of other superclubs in this area.
Take Manchester City, for example—they kept saying they wanted to learn from Bayswater Chinese, but even with five more years and infinite spending, they might still not catch up.
Milan Lab? Already falling behind.
AC Milan's declining investments had widened the gap year after year.
Bayswater Chinese, on the other hand, kept pushing forward.
Sure, technology and staff could be bought.
But what truly mattered was having an efficient operational system and a unified philosophy across the entire club.
So when Yang Cheng said they were five years ahead—he wasn't exaggerating.
…
Bayswater Chinese spent two weeks training in London, playing three friendlies.
The opponents were local lower-league clubs, chosen to coordinate with satellite academy expansions.
They went 2–0–1 in those matches.
The opponents were weak, and the team was still recovering from a grueling preseason fitness program.
Overall form was average.
After the third friendly, the team rested briefly and then boarded a flight to the United States.
Several promising youth players had impressed during training, so Yang Cheng made an exception and brought them along.
It was the club's first ever U.S. tour.
Even as reigning sextuple champions, there was still some nervousness within the squad.
After all, Bayswater Chinese wasn't an old-money giant like United or Arsenal.
But they were stunned upon landing at San Francisco International Airport—American fans had caught wind and flocked to greet them.
Over the years, Bayswater Chinese had built a strong digital presence and engaged fans actively online.
Their pages on platforms like Facebook and YouTube had the highest follower count among sports clubs.
They'd even created a dedicated digital media department to handle global branding and outreach.
It worked.
Especially in the United States.
After winning six trophies the previous season, the club's global visibility exploded, sparking a massive online wave.
Bayswater Chinese had even flown out a day early, landing in San Francisco instead of Los Angeles—where their first match would take place.
That's a 600–700 km detour.
Upon arrival, the team rested at their hotel.
The next day, Yang Cheng, Adam Crozier, and Omar Berrada visited Intel's Santa Clara headquarters in Silicon Valley.
This was the first time a football club had visited Intel's HQ—and they were welcomed with open arms.
According to Intel CEO Paul Otellini, many of their employees were big fans of the club.
"We are very optimistic about the future of this partnership."
Intel had signed a five-year, £15 million sponsorship deal with Bayswater Chinese.
Their famous slogan and logo, "Intel Inside", would be printed inside the club's jerseys.
This idea?
Originally suggested by Yang Cheng himself.
He hadn't expected Crozier and Berrada to actually make the deal happen.
The terms were similar to what Intel had once offered Barcelona in his previous life.
Why? Because Bayswater Chinese, thanks to the Premier League's global exposure—especially in Asia—had a comparable reach to Barça.
Even more so after last season's incredible sextuple.
The visit to Intel was also a major media event, giving Intel huge global visibility.
Of course, Intel didn't need Bayswater Chinese to boost brand awareness.
But this partnership was about strategic co-marketing between two global names.
Not every sponsor got treated like Intel.
After spending a day in San Francisco, Yang Cheng led the team south to Los Angeles.
The day after arriving, following a morning training session, the team attended another commercial event.
Bayswater Chinese officially announced a global partnership with UPS, the American logistics giant.
The exact sponsorship amount was undisclosed.
But, like the other Chinese sponsors, it was £5 million per year.
UPS hoped to leverage Bayswater Chinese's brand power—especially in Asia—to expand its global footprint.
Yang Cheng was very pleased with the recent sponsorship deals.
It wasn't just the money.
It was the fact that these were well-known global brands.
Aside from Intel and UPS, there was also a pending deal with Microsoft on the East Coast—£3 million a year.
Unlike Intel, Microsoft's sponsorship included software and services.
Yang Cheng hoped to use Microsoft's tools and platforms to improve staff efficiency and enhance the club's digital and data infrastructure.
Microsoft, in turn, was highly interested in the club's expertise in performance data and sports science.
That mutual interest led to the collaboration.
To Yang Cheng, partnering with giants like Intel and Microsoft would further elevate Bayswater Chinese's brand value and commercial potential.
That's why both deals were priced at only £3 million a year.
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