If thats the case ( and it may well be ), better to gamble/take a risk on a freebie midfielder that may be surplus to requirements and keep what cash we have for striker.
Im assuming that the club have a transfer kitty of, for example £12m, to spend in the next few weeks. If we have just recruited a penny pinching, bargain basement freebie player, surely we then still have £12m to spend on a LB, Striker and Winger? If we had signed Clayton, we would have approx...