£75m budget cynicism casts doubt on Pellegrini
There is also the agreement between him and the board that he will receive all the proceeds from outgoings although we don’t see the likes of Sam Byram, Robert Snodgrass, Reece Burke, and one or two others increasing that by too much.
The hard line view is that £75 million is a pittance when put alongside the Manchester City, Man United and Chelsea type spends and were we making an immediate attempt to join that exalted company it would be entirely the case.
However, something close to £100 million – in the hands of a man who clearly knows what he is doing – may stretch further than many believe is possible.
That’s my hope anyway and it’s based solely on the thought that a guy with such a world wide reputation isn’t likely to risk seeing it demolished in Bilic-type style were he not certain he could do a job at the club.
It also rests on the fact that he has a network of contacts where very decent players may well be available at cheaper rates than is commonly paid.
We ran a piece from The Coaches’ Voice recently where Pellegrini made it clear that the key to building a club was based on available finance.
That the club has made him the third highest paid manager in the Premier League behind only Guardiola and Mourinho, to then hand him a budget with which he can’t work, seems bizarre and brings Pellegrini’s job choice into question along of course with his judgement.
Best for now to sit quietly and adopt a watching brief although of course social media where a comment becomes a war cry within a few hours makes that difficult .
For me, the fact that Pellegrini has accepted the job at all is something of a miracle, and I respect his intelligence and record too much to start giving it large about what he needs or doesn’t need.
That’s a bit like a wages clerk handing a brain surgeon a scalpel so patience is the key I reckon.
COYI