The wage bill has been lowered by £20m/year net, but the squad has been strengthened in all the positions we needed, and with good players. Not bad going.
Satisfying to see some players that have been around too long leave the club too: Cech, Ospina, Iliev, Jenkinson, Lichtsteiner, Pleguezelo, Bramall and Asano. A few half decent young players sold for decent money and sell-on clauses: Thompson, Bielik and Amaechi. That's £23m in transfer fees right there and £15m/year off the wage bill. That's not bad.
Then £40m+ for Koscielny and Iwobi, both good players but far from indispensable, is good money. And two injury prone players off the wage bill in Ramsey and Welbeck, that, whilst I'm disappointed to lose them for free, I'm not sad to lose them from the squad. Another £17m/year off the wage bill.
£30m+ knocked off our gargantuan wage billl, ready to be redirected into top players (a big plus when young players fill squad roles; they earn low wages), and £60m+ in transfer fees without losing anyone that good or that important.
Not bad at all, and hopefully a few more players off the wage bill and bringing in transfer fees before the deadline too.
