Net spend always seems a bit of a red herring to me

Regarding the squad quality.

Naturally, it matters to the bottom line (though, as the club is vocal about being self funding, I'd always expect us to be low down the table on that front).

Footballers aren't bullion, the links between cost, quality and the slippery potential mean the values are highly volatile.

PLM looks exceptional 'instant' value (as did Gibson and Dimi last year) - you'd hope that the likes of Mumba, Sorenson, Idah, Tzolis will prove to be great future bets (both in talent and value).

And, as I mentioned below, none of that takes in the wages factor, which anyone who read the FT analysis of Barca's problems, will know is a more complex position than the headline figures.

Posted By: Cardiff Canary, Aug 8, 11:10:13