All that is true.
However, loan signings do give us a chance to get a player into the club at relatively little cost compared to a transfer fee.
It gives us the opportunity to play them if they are good enough and maybe then sign them for real money as we have done with Alcaraz.
Because they were only on loan we have been able to send back Lindstrom, Harrison and others at no further cost.
Even Mangala who got injured playing for us was sent back after the loan agreement expired.
Exactly. Whilst loans do come with an expense, it allows us to concentrate our major funds on the priority positions for the squad, with loans adding depth.
In an ideal world, we'd be in a position where we either didn't need loans at all, or they were used to reduce our exposure to risk - loan with option to buy.
But our squad nor our finances are in that position yet, so like numerous other clubs in this league it's a valid tool to develop the squad in the short-term.
On a different note, I'm a little bit dismayed by some of the comments, with people going as far as saying this window has been '
shambolic' et al.
A little dose of reality wouldn't go amiss: we're still over a month away until the window closes; many new backroom staff; finances still aren't rosy.
Yes, the squad depth isn't great at the moment, but we've jettisoned players that most fans wanted gone, and the club
WILL bring in more players.
We just need some patience because this is neither an easy task nor a quick fix; when the window closes, we will be in a stronger position than now.
Bar the top teams with their apparent bottomless purses or newly promoted, most PL teams have made an equal number of signings or less than ourselves.