It seemed so simple at the end of last season - okay we've got no budget, we're use to that, but we've got players we can sell to raise funds...
Vaughan - we got rid quickly and got a fair price if the reported £2.5m is true
Yobo - the turks haggled and their dodgy past has come back to bite them on the arse anyway
Yak - surely Leicester or West Ham would have him? Evidently not...
Bily - he could be easily replaced for a natural winger and he may command a decent price but...?
Heitinga - can we afford to have back-up of this quality when we've got other positions that desperately need strengthening - obviously we do!
Above is around £20m worth of assets we could cope without with wages on top. For whatever reason we've only shifted one of the above and that being the lowest paid and probably the lowest value asset.
By not selling one of our more valuable assets it has meant we have missed out on what I believe to be our number 1 target N'Zogbia, so what's plan B? Who knows? I hope Moyes does but I have my doubts...
Anyway without selling we'll be lucky to pick up someone on-loan - it worked with Arteta and Pienaar but they were out in the limbo - I can only think of Bentley/Bellamy/SWP who are in a similar situation to these but would Spurs/City allow us to take these on an initial loan? Would we want them?
Hearing about Leon from Madrid kind of made sense on-loan but would he come? Or is Holtby available on-loan or is he going to get a crack a Schalke this season?
Basically there are still players out there, it'd be a lot easier if we could shift a few of our fringe players but we'll see...
Which leaves me with a famous EFC current era quote "Watch this space..."