Since it was me you replied to originally...
Yes, we have spent **** loads of money. No one's denying that. Every club bar Spurs does the same nowadays. How we're only using net spend and ignoring other stats? You're only using total spend and ignoring other stats...pot meet kettle.
Any business in the world (apart from maybe the banks) has to consider total income versus expenditure. You can't spend what you don't have. We wouldn't have (couldn't have) bought Alisson and VVD if we didn't sell Coutinho, that much is clear. We made record profits last year and it's because we had to sell to buy. Consider houses for sale for 200k. I buy it outright and add it to my collection, you have to sell your previous house and then buy it. I have two, you still have one. We've spent the same total, you've spend 0 net. I'm backed by some infinite source of income whereas you're not. Lets continue that further, few years down the line. House is crocked but no one will buy it, I'll just go buy another for 300k ('sup inflation) and not worry about the second one. You've got to sell yours again to buy another.
Therein lies a huge problem; City have no consequences for poor buys, other clubs do. Look at United with Sanchez! Can't get rid, can't really buy others until he goes. If VVD didn't work out for us, my god we'd be ****ed.
There's been reports about City's income in the past decade. Whilst yes, it has improved dramatically over the past 5 years or so to the point where wages are hovering around 55% of total income and they're making profits in some seasons (total income, not just transfers), you also have to question where that money is coming from. Sponsorship deals accounted for 232million in 2018 second only to United, but battering Chelsea's 133mill, Liverpool's 136mill and Arsenal's 125mill. For a team with less European pedigree, less global exposure and generally, a lower fanbase. Coincidentally, their biggest sponsers have family links (Hi uncles, brothers, cousins with mates rates). It takes decades to build a fanbase. Some plastics will swap teams, but usually you need to get the kids and indoctrinate them early. Suddenly winning a title or two doesn't suddenly grant you a huge fanbase comparable to United, Liverpool or Arsenal and the income that provides.
I don't mind clubs who spend massively, I like it! Better quality in the league for better games. What I detest, however, are clubs who spend what they don't honestly earn to effectively turn on the same cheat mode I used when I was 15years old playing football manager to buy whatever I wanted and never go bankrupt. It's spoiling the game for fair, honest clubs. PSG, City, Malaga and Chelsea previously...I can't stand them and I hate the way the press fornicate over them when they're the clubs ruining the game.
