I think this is a product of 2 things, firstly a lot of change and competing priorities and secondly leaving everything to the last minute to get done.
I know this sounds like stating the obvious but we have changed manager, changed the man who then recruits players and changed the method of recruiting players in the last 2-3 months. It looks like we began with lad Koeman felt were top players, moved onto agreed names Koeman/Walsh had seen in the Premiership before Walsh started activating his own targets. I imagine Bony has fallen by the wayside somewhat in the confusion.
The second is the one we need to work hard on going forward. When people bed in you can only hope their won't be a repeat. You are taking a massive gamble when you go to deadline day as we are. It means you rush decisions, can miss opportunities and make wrong decisions. Martinez can and should be criticised for the Niasse deal, but as with lads like Drenthe before him some of the blame has to go on the fact that we had to finalise deals within a time frame that doesn't allow for sufficient due diligence. Mistakes like Niasse happen when you have half a day to do a deal, as opposed to a weak, where there is reflection time allowed.
I am not saying we shouldn't be active on deadline day, but not on fundamentals, it should be for a bonus. If a deal pops up that is too good to resist, if Sporting cave in over Carvalho, if Napoli see sense of Koulibaly, if Witsel has a change of heart etc. The cherry on the cake but not the fundamentals. We got lucky 3 years ago with the Fellaini out, Lukaku, McCarthy & Barry deals in and for some that has left the idea that's the way to operate. It's not, we got fortunate and it's not a recommended way to conduct business.
Going forward I'd like to see us forget the idea of "Marquee signings" that has seemed to capture large sections of the club and fan base this window. We have spent too long trying to get a statement signing in and probably neglected glaring areas that needed back up (as you say, right back, GK & CF). We have been lucky with Holgate and Stekelenberg that they have over performed but no back up striker until the last day is a risk we needn't have taken. I am not frustrated because we haven't got a marquee signing, I am frustrated because we look like we've lost sight of what was required and not finalised a deal and are putting it to chance.
The best window we have had in the last 15 years for me was when we brought in Howard, Johnson and Lescott early. It was just 3 players, but we got it done early and we hit the ground running. I do believe there is additional money and support under Moshiri and I don't put the faff on him for me it's the overhang of the Kenwright era. What needs to be done going forward though is a far clearer strategy of what we require and a more clinical approach to getting them in earlier in the window. That would be far better than wild goose chases for star names to prove a point. It has led to confusion.
There really wasn't an awful lot wrong with recruitment of the previous two managers. An odd mistake aside (for both with mitigating factors). If there's one thing money could allow us to do from that it would be get targets in without being dependant on selling players or TV money. I hope the process is simplified next window. Walsh won't be beholden to "marquee" names and nor should he be. Find the right players to fit the right gaps and do it early in a controlled manner. If we can get a star name in on top fine, but lets not lose sight of the bread and butter.
