When it comes to sports, this is the circle of life. The biggest clubs spend big on other teams' burgeoning stars so they can win trophies, or at least signal to their fans that they're trying to. Others make a living off of those transfer fees, happily sending their stars to said clubs so they can procure their next round of stars (and eventually send those guys away too).
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Of course, big transfer spending doesn't correlate as well to success as it perhaps should -- over the past year, we've seen some crystal clear examples of how inefficient this market remains -- but whatever your strategy, if you nail a given set of windows, it can transform your club.