alistair that’s quite a lot, especially on top of their c. £130mil net spend the year previous.
Also, regarding your deflectionary backroom staff point, Shakespeare’s arrival coincided exactly with the timing of their improvement (same as his arrival coinciding directly with the up turns in Leicester’s and Watford’s performances). He is known to be an excellent coach.
His influence could clearly be seen in Villa’s win vs Pool earlier this season - they set up exactly the same way as when Watford beat Liverpool when Shakespeare was there at the end of last season.
