I think Levy was actually genuinely backing AVB, and was spending a chunk of that before Bale was sold. We knew we needed a striker, and a midfielder, and we knew they were coming before Bale's exit was mooted. I think that claiming all of those signings were based on Bale's sale, when several were either completed, or in process when Bale was assumed by the club to be returning is at best disingenuous, and outright idiocy at worst.I think we all know that the Bale money was being spent before his move was made formal. Do you really think that we'd have spent almost £90m on new players if we didn't know Bale was going?
We'd just missed 4th by one point, and had one of the hottest football talents on the planet scoring freely for us. All signs were pointing to a tipping point provided the squad was properly enhanced. Levy and AVB set out to do so, but then the situation abruptly changed halfway through the summer.