The immediate issue is our wage/turnover ratio is already at 68%. PL rules now state it has to be 70% or lower, else there are penalties. So the immediate issue is getting turnover up - it already has, thankfully, as Covid is now over, but we've got a lot of deals to do behind the scenes. That's why Chaos is likely right about Paqueta, Nunez and now Diaby simply being too expensive.
Now is the time for Nickson to prove himself. There are good stories - Bruno is definitely one, and as 'head of recruitment' he's also got to be involved in the success of Burn, Targett and Trippier. Everybody makes poor signings - we all understand what he thought he was getting in Wood, just didn't work out. He was wrong about Big Joe up front, but not wrong about that lad's attitude, effort, intelligence and - belatedly - overall ability. Nickson was there when we got ASM for £20m. He's going to have to work on similar levels once again, but this time we might be able to get the top picks. Those top picks will need to be at the right price, have the right attitude and - crucially for Howe/Ashworth - have football intelligence.
That's a really hard mix to get right. It's like saying you want a car, but when you get to the crux of it you actually want a 7 seater, hybrid engine, less than 3,000 miles with all mod-cons. So you're already fishing in a small pond. Then when you think you've found the right one, all the dealerships are trying to charge you double.