Yes, our budget this season was originally going to be just under 3 million (hence Mapp's departure) but was subsequently increased a bit and apparently ended up at about 3.2 million. Which would be a top 10 budget, possibly top 8.
However, the problems were that we were no longer looking to pay money for players. A part of Pep's pitch was apparently that he could pick up good players on free transfers and still challenge for promotion.
Which fitted in very well with DE's strategic priority, which was to start 'realising' the full value of 'his' assets. It must have all looked so appealing! Strip out 4 million, keep budget steady (without a bolchy MApp bitching in the background) sell a burgeoning League 1 club for absolute top whack of 7 million and then keep an interest for when bright young manager gets promotion.
And then, gradually, the wall started to crumble, but by bit. Pep signs a useless bunch of old-timers, the chief scout resigns in protest, the league form starts to dive, Tiger cannot rustle up the other investors he needs, crowds reduce leading to higher monthly losses.
So, come January, the situation was looking increasingly desperate. DE was fast expending the cash he had stripped out last summer. So he stitched together a way to do the deal even though Tiger hadn't got his money together. Load the club up with hard debt.
So Tiger inherits a top 10 budget, but a bottom 8 squad losing him 2 million a year. And he cannot sell players to fund the gap, let alone the 1 million a year extra required to get a promotion challenging level. So the whole lot (including transfers in) of about 3 million a year is going to have to come from the pockets of a chap who could only manage 2.5 million to put in in the first place.