Yes, of course, there are variables, but every year, that is what we are trying to reduce for ourselves. The very variables linked to quality signings. Think about it, in a CL final year, winning the double, new shirt sponsor, higher turnover than last year, biggest sale in the current managements tenure, we are discussing how we can't sign two unproven talents, both of whom have been identified by us. Nobody has forced them down our throat. And then we sit and contemplate how injury prone they might be and work out varied methods to sign them. Do you think we got Dybala on our terms for instance? Coz I don't. Do you know why? Because we realised this was a signing we had to make, and we did. Likewise, the AM is a priority and if the coach has asked for it explicitly then the management are obligated to provide him that, especially after sacrificing a WORLD CLASS talent. There are no two ways about it.
Again, it is unfortunate, that every year we gloat about the silverware we have won and congratulate the management, but forget the variables that actually made those possible. Keep in mind, that there was a coach at the start of that winning cycle who had a huge part to play to instill, create and deliver what he did. The team grew at a certain pace because of those successes. Now, we start again, but this time our expectations are realistically deserving of a higher starting point than where we are pegging ourselves at this point in time.
If you can't sign a top player after those impressive amounts of silverware, and a CL final, and a huge sale, then your prospects are hardly ever going to get better. If it doesn't happen now, it probably never will. And that's not just because it's finances and limitations, but also, mindset, approach and ability to function at that level. I want to give the management the benefit of the doubt because there's a substantial amount of time left for ONE marquee signing, but it's worrying when we aren't clear about what we really want.