Which is why I think FIFA have to do something about the whole caboodle ... that's twice as much as our 'record signing' and we are by no means a small club - despite what our habitual WUMs say LOL
I'd imagine that if we were to go up under our current owners we'd soon see a new record signing. We've just been out of the 'big time' for too long to afford it.
I don't think anyone should be paying over £5m for a player in this division (It certainly didn't help Blackburn). With FFP, the only clubs that could are those with parachute payments.
I think we will beat the 5M record a few times Cardiff beat their record 4 times this year and Tottenham beat theirs 3 times Its still debated wheather we have already beat the Akinbiyi record when we signed Matt Mills but we was since led to believe it was only for an initial 4M
My personal view is that the FFP rules as they stand will be challenged (and successfully) by one of the big boys as soon as it is attempted to impose them on the Premier League - they will challenge it's authority under 'restraint of trade' rules. The FFP rules were put in place to try and stop clubs going into administration - and perhaps they will in some cases - but the big boys will argue along the lines that they are at no risk of going into administration anyway because their debt (from owners at least) will either be structured as 'non-recourse' loans (i.e not necessarily repayable) or otherwise personally guranteed (underwritten) legally by those owners.
