Losing 0-2 to Chelsea away and giving up the top spot was a big blow to Leeds United.
The British media once again began to criticize Leeds United's young team.
In particular, Mbappé, the core player this season, was heavily criticized.
In such a high-level clash, missing so many scoring opportunities was unacceptable.
It could be said that, to some extent, Mbappé should indeed bear responsibility for the defeat.
But within Leeds United, both head coach Pochettino and technical director Borrell came out to back Mbappé.
Gao Shen's tweets also caused a huge stir. He posted three in a row, and his criticism of Leeds United surprised the media and fans. But it was also clear that Gao Shen's words were meaningful and hit the nail on the head.
Leeds United lost due to a lack of concentration, and they should reflect on that.
His third tweet expressed his expectations for Leeds United's players, which also received their support and response.
The defeat on the pitch did not affect Leeds United's gains off it.
The day after the Chelsea match, Leeds United held a brief signing ceremony at the Amazon Stadium.
Leeds United officially signed a ten-year shirt sponsorship deal with Nike, starting from the 2019/20 season.
This was mainly because Leeds United's kit deal with Adidas ends in the summer of 2019.
It is said that the business world is like a battlefield.
In recent years, competition among Premier League clubs has become increasingly intense.
There are not many sponsors capable of competing for the top teams' resources. Nike, Adidas, and Puma are the main players.
Leeds United have achieved brilliant results over the past few years, steadily improving from fifth to third in the league, and then winning the title last season.
Even though the White Rose have kept selling players, their performance has not suffered.
This season, by the end of negotiations, Leeds United were still leading the pack.
In the summer of 2018, Arsenal, who had worked with Puma for many years, decided to switch to Adidas for a simple reason: Adidas paid more.
A six-year deal worth a total of 300 million pounds, 50 million per year, immediately made Arsenal second in the Premier League, behind only Manchester United and level with Chelsea.
Manchester United's kit deal is 75 million pounds per year, and Nike's deal with Chelsea is also 50 million per year.
It is worth noting that Manchester United's kit contract includes a clause that if they fail to qualify for the Champions League for two consecutive seasons, the sponsorship fee is automatically reduced by 30 percent. Therefore, their heavy spending in recent years was a response to missing out on the Champions League in 2015/16 and 2016/17.
After Adidas poached Arsenal, Puma lost its last sponsored Premier League club, so the German brand immediately shifted focus to two teams: Leeds United and Manchester City.
Both had kit contracts expiring in 2019.
Leeds United's sponsor was Adidas, and Manchester City's was Nike. Puma had in-depth contact with both clubs and a clear sense of their asking prices.
After consideration, Puma chose the more mature and stable Manchester City, offering an annual fee of up to 65 million pounds, surpassing Arsenal and Chelsea to become second in the Premier League for shirt sponsorship.
This put Nike in a passive position.
Puma's move for Manchester City happened in March, when Leeds United had not yet reached the Champions League final or won the league title, and Nike's only sponsored Premier League clubs were Chelsea and Tottenham.
Tottenham's ranking had consistently been upper mid-table, making it hard for them to break into the Big Six.
After losing Puma, Leeds United did not rush to contact their next partner.
Especially after reaching the Champions League final and winning the Premier League and FA Cup, the club's commercial team stayed patient, negotiating a renewal with Adidas while keeping in touch with Nike.
After Leeds United sold several stars this summer, both major sponsors hesitated, especially after selling Harry Kane, a local international with considerable influence, which caused more concern.
But Mbappé's rise made it hard for either brand to walk away, particularly since Leeds United own half of Mbappé's image rights.
Fernando Lucas's commercial operations office in London handled the negotiations, tying Mbappé's personal sponsorship to the club's kit sponsorship.
After the start of the new season, Leeds United's six straight wins convinced both Adidas and Nike of the White Rose's strength, especially Nike.
Neither Chelsea nor Tottenham were playing in the Champions League. If they continued to struggle, Nike would have no strong Premier League clubs.
In this situation, the American brand was more urgent than Adidas.
Therefore, Leeds United successfully signed a ten-year contract with Nike at 30 million pounds per year, making Leeds United fifth in the Premier League behind the two Manchester clubs, Arsenal, and Chelsea.
Many might wonder, if they held the negotiating advantage, why was the annual fee still so low?
The answer is that Leeds United do not sell any shirts or accessories through Nike.
In other words, Nike is only putting its name on Leeds United, developing categories the club does not handle, and being authorized to use the Leeds United trademark worldwide, nothing more.
Since partnering with high street brand River Island and US e-commerce giant Fanatics, Leeds United's sales have steadily increased. The club's annual share of revenues from kits, apparel, and accessories now exceeds 60 million pounds and is still growing rapidly each year.
You should know that Leeds United's previous deal with Adidas was only 10 million pounds per year, a price renegotiated when they extended early in 2015. It was only 3.5 million pounds when signed in 2012.
Leeds United's commercial revenue has tripled this season and is bound to reach a new high.
Including sales revenue, Leeds United are undoubtedly number one in the Premier League.
At the same time, another deal was signed. French star Mbappé agreed a ten-year personal sponsorship with Nike worth 15 million pounds per year.
The contract runs from 2019 to 2028, but Mbappé will wear Nike boots this season, with Nike paying an additional few million in sponsorship.
This is also commercial income that Leeds United's team secured for Mbappé.
According to the agreement, Leeds United own half of Mbappé's image rights and can take a share of his sponsorships.
In addition, Leeds United are actively creating commercial opportunities for Mbappé, which was promised when the club decided to keep him. Many brands are currently in talks.
Besides Nike, Leeds United also signed a sleeve sponsorship this season with Expedia, the world's largest online travel company, worth 10 million pounds, comparable to Manchester United and Arsenal.
What Expedia values is not only Leeds United's influence in the Premier League but also their strong online presence.
After years of development, Leeds United are now the hottest European club on the internet, with social media followers far exceeding those of top clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United.
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Logically speaking, Gao Shen did not need to attend such a signing ceremony.
But his wife Su Qing was there. After he dropped his son at kindergarten and had nothing else to do, he came to the Amazon Stadium, taking the opportunity to check on the progress of the stadium's second phase.
The ceremony itself was brief. Many media reporters were present. Mbappé and his mother Fainsa also attended to sign his Nike deal on the spot.
Gao Shen arrived but did not appear publicly.
Mbappé became the focus, as many reporters asked about the Chelsea match.
Obviously, he had become the scapegoat.
The team lost to Chelsea and Mbappé faced a flood of criticism, which left him dejected. The reporters stirred things up, hoping he would lose his temper.
Fortunately, Leeds United's press officer was experienced and helped him defuse the awkward situation.
Gao Shen watched the French star turn and leave alone. He understood and followed.
On non-match days, the Amazon Stadium welcomes many visitors, from Leeds and Yorkshire, from across the UK, and even from all over Europe and beyond.
Ticket revenue from tours is negligible for Leeds United, but they still provide full services.
When Mbappé left the hall, he walked alone into the stands and came across a group of visiting fans. They surrounded him and asked for autographs.
Despite his bad mood, Mbappé agreed.
After signing, he said he wanted to be alone.
Gao Shen stood at a distance, watching silently.
He had to admit that Mbappé was very good at controlling his emotions and remained calm, which is rare.
But he was only 19, still a kid.
His mother was a handball player and his father a football coach, but neither had experienced what Mbappé was going through now. They did not truly know the pressure he faced.
Often, his mother, who is also his agent, struggled with the business side, and his father, as a coach, could not guide him on the pitch.
Gao Shen still remembered what Ronaldo once told him.
From Lisbon to Manchester United, the people around him grew from none to many, then gradually fewer again.
"Sometimes, when friends come to see me, I cannot help but wonder, is he trying to get something from me?"
Ronaldo knew that mindset was unhealthy, but he had been burned by people around him. He could not help thinking that way, and over time, the number of people he trusted dwindled.
There were even things he did not dare tell anyone.
Because he was not sure whether his words would be sold to a newspaper the next day.
This is a characteristic of European media. They are always willing to pay high prices for such stories.
Trouble comes from nothing, and trouble also comes from too much, or from losing what you had.
Having no one to talk to is even harder.
Gao Shen walked slowly up to the top tier of the stands.
When Mbappé saw Gao Shen, he was a little surprised and wanted to stand up, but Gao Shen waved for him to sit.
Gao Shen was satisfied with Mbappé's respect for him.
In fact, Leeds United players, or rather professional players worldwide, respect him greatly.
Because he has trained many top stars, won many titles, and enjoys very high prestige.
(To be continued.)