Yep imagine if we bought Zaha none of this would have happened
Not sure that picking Zaha adds anything at all. Especially so when that window the target was Grealish and that went south.
Honestly, we can’t have a manager talk two seasons running about the need to “painfully” rebuild and then self impose an 18 month transfer ban. Who is responsible for that is debatable. But never forget a transfer ban of any length is considered a punishment for good reason.
What we seem to have achieved by low investment ( based on the evidence to hand ) is stagnation and forcing successive coaches back to failed players.
for example, Sanchez is of no more value than Fazio, Wimmer or Chiriches. They all got moved on. Why didn’t Sanchez ? Because unlike the others he has not been replaced. That’s just a single example, but all through the squad you can make the same arguments. There was a time when a fringe player like Chadli was moved on, despite flashes, where as now the Lucas type player is not moved on for better. What’s changed ? The squad is not better with Lucas than it was with Chadli.
Brian Clough used to tell his players that they were only at the club until he got someone better. Whether that would be wise in 2021 I don’t know but there is a lot of truth in being strong enough to want / demand better. No matter how good you have it.
And if we had it that good we would not have been were we were, which a big final aside, was heading in the wrong direction since around Dec 2018.
To be honest. Hindsight is valuable in such situations, no one could predict the cliff Dele or Bale would fall off. No one could imagine Doherty’s Woolwich fetish would be so deep. Well none of us anyway, as we are not professional scouts and professional coaches. Those that are perhaps need to consider more than net spend.
