bosnian_red
Worst scout to ever exist
Yup. People always freak out in the immediate season and can't see the bigger picture, at all. .Depends how much you value being in the CL this year really.
If, hypothetically, we could have signed a younger DM who saw us miss out on CL last year but left us in a better position from this season on then that would arguably have been a better transfer.
Players aren't worth that money for one season. If Casemiro doesn't recover his form and we only get that one high quality season from him then he will go down as a poor signing. That was always the risk, regardless of short term impact.
If the difference in Hojlund vs Kane (ignoring money) is possible CL qualification this year but over the next 3 years a decline for Kane while Hojlund turning into a top CF, then it's an easy choice for Hojlund.
The reality is that literally 99% of the time, it is the better option to go for a younger player rather than signing a player above the age of 28. That 1% is if your team is "1 player away", just missing the final piece of the puzzle, and you think that spending big on an old player will get you to step up to challenge for trophies. Like Kane for Bayern, like Van Persie for us, even though at only 1 season, that's also questionable.