He was! He was excellent at Basel and has 40+ caps for Switzerland. It's an excellent value signing and I don't see what the problem is with getting a good deal. I feel like Newcastle fans are falling in to the trap where big money = a good signing. I know from experience the majority of our best signings have been on the cheaper end. When we've spent big it's often gone wrong.
These are fair questions. I'm not going to profess to knowing the ins and outs of your finances like you will do - although it's certainly going to have an element of spin attached to it, because you don't like Ashley and never have. You talk about your revenue and buy to sell...Imagine being the 9th richest club in the world and also having to sell before you buy. We leave our business until the last week to try and get a better deal - because we are both run by businessmen and not free spending Oil Tycoons. Again - I've no qualms with you questioning where some of the money has gone but the whole window you've made out you haven't done any business at all, and I disagree with your assessment that it's standing still. You've got Kenedy and Dubravka for a whole season now - you've definitely improved depth at CB and CM and your new striker if he goes straight into the first team should be an upgrade.
We're clearly not going to agree on this - and I do take on board fully your concerns around the finances and the lack of transparency there - so I can sympathise, I am just not on board with the notion that you are completely hard done by, when from the outside again, I think you've done some reasonable business at good value.
Either way if you're right - our first game of the season is going to be an absolute shocker. We have no players available.