Maintaining a top four position is the primary goal and taking the best players from your nearest challengers is simple business sense.

Does it matter if Berbatov doesn’t really add to the forward line at Man U anywhere near as much as he has at Spurs? Teams can only play 11 v 11. Should Tevez or Rooney sit on the bench instead next season? I honestly don’t see Keane making as great an impact at Liverpool compared to what he has at Spurs the last couple of seasons either.

But like taking Barry away from Villa, these investments will have double benefits – in that these players will enhance their new teams, for sure – but will put back the progress of the challengers, guaranteed.
Again, to me it’s just good business sense.

To be fair, United are miles ahead in the game to Spurs – I would say taking Teddy, Carrick, Berbatov has more benefited Arsenal and possibly Liverpool.
Arguably Carrick could have made the difference to top four the season after he was sold. But I bet United would still have won PL and CL without him if he’d have stayed.
Ultimately the players decide if they want to go, they go. And Carrick has his medals to prove he was right surely?
Every year the Premier & Champions league money is paid out only strengthens the top four further and we’re very clearly at the stage where the top four clubs can buy the Barry’s and Berbatov’s from their challengers with ease.

Things will change eventually because they will have to or revenues will start dropping off when chaps like myself don’t want to contribute financially to the game just to see the same old clubs finishing in the same positions that anyone could have predicted at the start of August.

But then again, maybe I’ll just start supporting Man Yoo instead and enjoy the anticipation of which of the worlds top 10 strikers might get a chance to get off the bench and score a hatrick in those thrillingly uncompetitive premier league encounters we can look forward to in the years to come…

The main question is: How do we make Spurs a top four club? I guess the secondary question is: Can we sell our best players to our rivals and still achieve this?

I can’t answer either except to ask another question – If you were Arsene Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the two canniest operators in the league, and you were in Ramos’ position – what would you do?

With ‘Ol purple nose Fergie, the answer is fairly straightforward – Don’t let your best player go at any cost, even if he warms the bench for the whole season. Also always be on the scout for players in lesser clubs who (by fair means or foul) may be tempted to come and play for you.

Wenger is different – he’d scout Europe or further for a top class young talent and bring him on, and if a player wanted to leave, sell him abroad – unless of course Chelsea come a-knocking at which point hold out for mega wonga.

Ramos, Commolli et al seem to be doing a bit of both – hold out for mega bucks for wantaway star players & sign some talented youth from home (bostock) & abroad (Dos Santos).

I think it’s what they do with the leftover change that will really define next season…