I think there is a balance somewhere, fans like us tend not to be good at.
A few years ago we simply didn't have the revenue or line of sight to the revenue to "pay whatever is needed"
I could see in the last two years the club being ultra cautious with the unknowns that are inevitable with a project of this size (stadium).
Now, the ability to calculate what the total cost, expected payments (they will refinance) and revenue including non football income, would look like.
Today, I have more a view in line with your historical one, this summer the club needs to spend (and not net spend zero), we need to put out even if it means very little or no profit next year to push on.
But Poch also needs to be careful what he asks for, with net zero spending people are ok with top 4 and good cup runs. If we go out and spend 100-200M, then that requires a return, we need to win something,
I don't even think the club needs to spend 100M-200M. But we need to stop being utterly obsessed with zero net spend, and with cheaping out every single time - to the extent that we're happy to go 18 yawning, increasingly threadbare months without signing anyone because we either didn't want to spend a single cent or didn't want to take a single cent of loss on moving unwanted players on quickly to make space.
The problem with zero net spend is that it's usually one in, one out. And the one in is usually worse than the one out, at least when he comes in. So regression is the norm - constant transition, as players take time to bed in, which never allows the club to challenge for anything because, well, zero net spend is the aim, not trophies.
I think Eriksen will leave. I think Toby will leave. I hope Wanyama, Trippier, Janssen, GKN et al are moved on.
There is easily 150M-200M in that lot. 75M for Eriksen, 25M for Toby, 15M for Wanyama, 22.5M for Trippier, 5M for Janssen, 7.5M for GKN...that's 150M right there.
Throw in a bit of money, and push on for once. Replace Eriksen with quality. Replace Toby with quality. Upgrade on Wanyama. Upgrade on Trippier. 40M-50M each should get you four damn good players, and the core of a new era, if spent right.
proactively improve the side - instead of remaining a pygmy terrified of slipping back into the 90s, an era twenty years past. That's all I want to see.
And for GHod's sake, don't end up signing no one again. That we committed that dereliction of duty was bad enough - if we miss out on CL, it will be a hammer blow that will express how utterly stupid that was. But either way, don't do that this summer, because it will be utterly fatal to the team's chances - 100% fatal.
Do I think it will happen? No. Old habits die hard, especially in the case of our owners. But I live in eternal hope.
