Okay, nobody has actually said we are operating a 'sell to buy' policy. Nobody has used those exact words. The words used were 'We are not looking at players at this minute because we have to sell' but that was back in January - things could have changed since then and the manager might not need to sell before he has to buy.
Back in January, I put it down to simple economics and it is what it is.
With all the money currently loaned to the club and the with the amount the club generates in revenue, there is no more interest to be had for Lerner without it directly impacting on the day to day running of the business.
Lerner won't be taking management fees like he did because unless money is generated through sales and the wage bill is reduced, there simply isn't any. But I also don't think that is going to be a concern of his.
Optimism flows through me
But it will be to O'Neill, but at the same time, I don't think it is coming as a surprise to O'Neill. He has spoken about the club operating as a business pretty much since day one and we are now at the business end of having a new owner.
He knew what Lerner was going to put in and Lerner did it. It maybe hasn't worked out the way O'Neill would have liked but I don't think he has had any promises broken or anything taken from him.
In fact, now that I think about it, I think O'Neill could probably go to Lerner and ask for the £20mn 24 year old player and the £80k a week wages if he wanted that player - but he will only ever be able to ask once.
What I mean is, if O'Neill went to Lerner and explained the the player was 'pure top four quality' and was the 'final piece of the jigsaw' - Lerner would do it, because I think Lerner wants it too.
Bids coming for Webcam and Milner?
And this is why I think if the offers are good enough - we might see Webcam and Milner leaving this summer and if it happens, I don't think it is a bad thing and I don't think it should be seen as a bad thing or we should be overly worried.
I bring this up because I'm reading reports that Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool are interested in Webcam and well, we know a bid of £20mn has been put in for Milner.
Now, I'm a big fan of Webcam, but he does need to work on his dead ball delivery and I think that will happen this season. I've also grown to appreciate the Milner work rate in the middle of the park, but like I thought he would be better in the middle, I also think he will flourish with a little more support, but that would mean moving away from 4-4-2 to a variation of or 4-5-1 and if Retro O'Neill did that, I'd be very surprised.
My point is, don't be surprised if a bid for Webcam does come and if it is high enough, that it is accepted. However, I think Webcam has a footballing soul and unless it is from Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea or a team with a real chance of winning something - I don't think he would want to leave just yet and that will be more than good enough for O'Neill to want to keep him and run him into the ground for another season.
Croatian speculation
Reports in Croatia suggest Aston Villa are closing in on Croatian duo Anas Sharbini and Mario Mandzukic in a double transfer coup.
I'm not ashamed to tell you that just by their names I know nothing. Anyone tell me anything that isn't copy and paste?
Heskey news
Emile has retired from international football and is now going to concentrate on Aston Villa. Really - that is what someone just sent me in an SMS.
New kit is here
It really is. Woop woop. I don't know what to tell you about it that you probably don't already know. You can see a photo of it here if you haven't already.