First off I agree they might have to adjust their wage structure but if he's willing to accept less than Rooney, they might pull it off same as us not wanting to pay him more than we pay our established stars either.
I'm not sure they can't afford him as much as the Glazers aren't willing to afford him, which in the end does get you to the same spot; however, I think they (being the entire club especially the manager) perceives rightly in my opinion that we're a new level of threat as far as dominance and this might spur them to action. Arsenal is more interested in profit than trophies, Chelsea's owner is erratic as is their transfer policy due to the owner, Liverpool can't get out of their own way (although they might start turning it around after shedding Dalglish), and Spurs are unwilling to pay enough to succeed. We on the other hand have supremely wealthy owners who are patient, resourceful, and thorough with an eye for infrastructure investment including trying to build up an academy via youth signings. The Glazers may be greedy bastards (they are.) but they're also cunning bastards who don't want to risk falling out of the Champions League and know that winning the Premier League is also huge in their marketing strategy. I don't think they're going to sit still. It all depends on how much they can scam out of others (See their sketchy IPO maneuvers) as they always seem willing to spend other people's money.adrianr said: