This is the fallacy of the player that was all overthe over again. Many whined when we signed Kovacic to replace Gundo.
Pray tell, who would you pick to start for you today Gindo or kova?
Aging player are always on the downturn. Both Doku and Savio are miles better than current Mahrez.
If we were top of the league and in the top 8 in the CL I'd say Kovacic, Doku and Savio were great signings. But that's not the case. When Gundo and Mahrez were with us we topped the group and won the lot. The situation at the moment is exacerbated by injuries and the form we are in but you can't justify a good signing by comparing them to what older/former players would offer now.
That just highlights the issues at the club in recent windows.
We used to dine at the top table. Yaya, David Silva, Kompany, Aguero, Ferny - all key players we were uncertain could be replaced. Yet we did replace them. Not always directly, but we kept winning and by the trophies we won got even better.
De Bruyne - excellent stats at Wolfsburg and a player plenty of clubs wanted.
Bernardo - had destroyed us with Monaco in an excellent season for them and again would have had a number of suitors.
Rodri - playing at a top team in Europe, getting experience in the CL and whilst young and not the player he now is a logical signing clearly
But in recent seasons we've been buying players which don't match our profile.
Doku - pretty poor attacking stats and not a player that fit our style.
Nunes - hadn't progressed from the promise he showed at Sporting
Phillips - English is about the only thing going for him, and even then, he's a yorkshireman.
Now sometimes those signings can work. Kovacic was logical given the price and what we needed. Doku gives us a plan B and something a bit more dynamic. But do you then follow that up with someone raw like Savio or do you go and buy someone who has delivered already on the biggest stage?
It just feels like we've made too many punts on players, whilst letting ones go through a lack of game time who would be performing much better for us.