I do keep mentioning on here that outgoings are as important as incomings. When you add on pension contributions, NI and other employment costs two or three players who you do not want costing £2m a year each blows a massive hole in your budget. On top of that you do not get most of the Premiership money until the end of the season and some of it you only get in parachute payments if you get relegated. If they can get rid of the expensive deadwood it could boost the transfer budget.
100% correct.
The club budget on an 18th place finish for the coming season (ie relegation). That means there's definitive rewards of around £65m and that's what the budgets will be set against. Last time in the top flight we were paying something like 60% of all our turnover on wages, and given promotion bonuses, the ridiculously large squad and increased salaries across the board it doesn't leave much to play with! The club were unfortunately rather reliant on the RvW move to Sporting to happen. It didn't and it's left us short of dosh for fees. And Lafferty's injury isn't helping either as nobody will buy him, not to mention pay his not-unsubstantial wages while he's injured. Tricky situation but it doesn't help that so many of our fans demand big-money moves because they assume we are 'loaded' thanks to being back in the top flight. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We are the poorest club in the division with regards the ability to pay transfer fees. Well, apart from maybe Everton!
(Brady and Mulumbu - when fit, excepted)