Sounds ludicrous, I know, especially when he's proven he's only too prepared put the breaks on a deal when it's not to his monetary liking and 'damn' the on-field consequences.
...But can anyone
really imagine Poch saying
"I neeeeeeed this guy... Pay whatever it takes or I walk!" yet seem reluctant to play him from day 1?
I may be wrong (we'll prob ever know!), but I cannot get my head past the idea that such funds would have been - and
probably were - refused earlier in the window. Reeks to me of LEVY panicking; overpaying at the 11th hour for a player the gaffer had simply expressed a interest/desire for (*).
Could he
really risk leaving Poch light for another season after what he's done since arriving? Imagine the impression that leaves him.... And the players... All after a top-3 finish and facing a season in CL... Imagine the mood of the fans on top of that!
(*We all knew we still needed some form of attacking addition come the last days of the window; why would Poch be overly concerned about the price? Especially given how manic the inflation was this window; TV money etc... Chairman was willing; WDF not?)
At least this way the club appear to "back the manager" (**)... (On paper, sure, but I'm convinced that if Levy pledged £70m + wages to Poch at the beginning of the window we'd have seen significantly different results.)
(**...Let's not forget all those juicy incoming fees to nicely counterbalance the bulk of this window's spend just yet! ...Townsend, Chadli, Pritchard, Mason = over £50m + money for Bentaleb in the pipeline. Sad reading considering we needed PL-ready pace (AT), goals (NC/AP?), creativity (AP?) & a back-up for Dembele (NB) to free up our A-list for the CL. All of this present within said outgoings, yet traded in for a bunch of maybes/potential. Outcome? Out of both CL & LC with a wimper.)
OR (a reluctant) otherwise (***)...
Poch's ego has simply got the better of him; thinking "I can change him" the way Brendan's did with Ballotelli.... Except we paid nearly double and have the fooker for nearly twice as long.
:crying:
(***Maybe more disconcerting when you consider the fabled Poch 'naught-step'... You choose folks! )