Let's say 50m was accurate, so 35m for CDK and 15m for Renato, that's 50m, so you're saying that Maldini wasn't planning on putting in any money for a CB? If Lille would have sold Botman to us for 30m, does that mean the CDK pursuit was only because we couldn't get Botman? So, we were going to go with Brahim/Adli only if Botman came, a third choice CB? Or did we not need Botman and we were willing to spend that money from Botman on CDK from the start, so then acting like Botman was a failure is weird?
Seeing Brahim, Bakayoko, Sales, Kjaer, Tomori, Florenzi, Messias, Tonali, were all on loans with options. I'm glad we haven't spent 25m on Brahim, or 17m on Bakayoko, and that we took our time with the other players, who have mostly been successes.
The way I look at it, Maldini only spends money on a transfer when it is required to spend that money to ensure the transfer--and that the need warrants it. With Diallo or Ziyech, the selling clubs aren't in positions to demand outright transfers. Ziyech's price reported price this summer has went from 30m to 25m to 10m to 8m, to loan with option. Diallo? Same thing, 30m, 25m, now we're looking at loan+options.
What are we going to do? I don't know. But I think each deal is treated differently. Zaniolo's finishing yesterday was... Sales bad, it was. But everything else? He looked good, I have to say. He should have scored at least two. Everyone misses chances, but he should have done better. If our reported interest in Zaniolo was real, I can see it. I can see Maldini waiting out his contract and using Ziyech as a stop gap, and going for Zaniolo next summer. Maybe Ziyech impresses and he lets Messias go, Sales go, and then bulks up the RW with Zaniolo/Ziyech? Maybe Chiesa gets pushed out of Juve?
My point is, I think money is there, when the opportunity calls for it. I don't think they really wanted Botman, because if they really wanted to push Kalulu to RB and play the fan fantasy of Theo-Botman-Tomori-Kalulu, they wouldn't have brought Florenzi in. More importantly, if they lost Botman, and they felt that they needed a sure starter, we wouldn't be linked with Diallo and Tanganga etc. Botman doesn't fit what they want to do defensively anymore, that shift happened after January. They've been following CDK for years, I just didn't believe those random reports earlier, but it seems they really wanted him.
I think we need a CB and CM over a RW, I just do. I want a RW, I've wanted a RW for years, and as much as Messias warms my heart, I can stomach Sales being RW because the rest of the attacking options are just so good--but losing out on Renato and Kjaer not being fully fit yet, worries me. If Kjaer had hurt his hamstring and calf and whatever, and it was nothing major, I'd be less stressed, but I am stressed about our CBs and CMs. If we don't get a CM and a CB, Maldini is gambling hard, whether that's down to money or principle, I would have a tough time accepting it.
