I get all that, and we will spend. But it will be limited and controlled spending. Anything else isn't borne out in reality, whatever we may wish for.
We should have PP for the stadium, and by extension, funding, confirmed in the next few weeks.
A big part of the pitch to our lenders will be to assure them that the wastage of the last few years will be brought under control.
Covid hasn't helped, but aside from that, the fundamentals of our situation were already well established.
I don't think we would have been stupid enough to provide false assurances to Ancelotti.
We'll spend, but we have to be creative, that's all.
The reality is, nobody really knows what we will or won't spend, but as you say we can make educated guesses. Logically and convetionally if you looked at Everton as a business it would have no money to spent. You'd go in and recommend they start selling.
However if you subscribe to the view that we have an owner who is happy to put lots of money in or that Usmanov is unformally involved then you can take the opposite position that money will be made available. It would be an odd time to turn the tap off.
There have been revisions to FFP, I believe preliminary revisions. The recession is deepening and worsening, HSBC warned of a 96% drop in profits and a recovery taking until late in 2021. The government pulling spectators again has probably moved spectators returning to stadia by about 2 months, and the longer it goes on for the longer that will be. The FFP revisions by UEFA essentially work to the premise 2021 goes back to normal and therefore the bad year of 2020 can be diluted from the top teams. I just don't think thats going to be the material reality at at all. Barcelona are forecasting tehir turnover to be 30% of what it was the previous year. In this country we have te TV deal, which offers some protection (it will go down but not to 30% of the level it was) which disproportionately helps the smaller teams. I've seen nothing to suggest all revenues outside of this will not be hit by at least 50%+ though (commercial deals, merch spending, boxes etc).
This will put pressure on for further revisions of FFP and maybe even have it done away with.
We do need a plan though. That has been clear throughout this period. Spending money wrecklessly doesnt work. I think Brands has put in the beginnings of a plan, but it's an important summer for him. We are starting to make spaces for academy players which is good.
I would say, this window will see a lot of teams going very late in terms of deals. We will be one. I have little doubt. That is the "creative" part of what you are saying. Loan deals, ezchanges, longer term loan deals (2 years) free transfers etc will all come into play. If I were judging the market I would say early on clubs are desperate to try and hold the "business as usual line". Markets tend to like that stability, and football would not do well to collapsing prices. There are too many hanger ons in the process who lose out (advisors, agents, PR managers etc). They are having a go, but the longer it drifts without deals beijng done the sharper the fall at the backe end. Lots of sides are going to need money. No fans coming back, reduced merchandising etc and a need for money will be paramount.
We've done this under Brands before as well. It worked well season 1 and badly season 2. So lets see.
