Gutted that the big man is leaving as I believe that another year here and continued development could have seen him going for mega bucks - I'm sure the club feels the same but have to respect and honour or commitment to the player.
Im assuming that when we sign players like Cedric, there is an understanding that if a bid of £xxx is made we will not stand in the way. It appears Wigan were the only team to show an interest unfortunately so could to some extent call the shots. I'm sure the club has extracted the maximum amount of value that it could in the deal and maybe the smaller cash up front deal will lead to more in the long run.
as for the argument that we should be signing better class players, it's not just about improving what we have its about getting players willing to come to the club for the wages we can offer hence the reason we pick up players who are either unproven, trying to regain previous form or coming towards the end of their career.