For a bit of fun, we fired up the latest edition of Football Manager and - through means not entirely in keeping with the spirit of FFP - ploughed £200 million into Sheffield Wednesday at the start of the 2019/20 season, then sat back to watch the drama unfold. Here's how the following decade went.
5. An underwhelming season
The expensively assembled side just don't gel, and Wednesday finished the season in ninth place. Monk vowed to stay on, and spent a mere £6m on summer signings - Fulham's Alfie Mawson the most expensive. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) Photo: Marc Atkins
6. A change of manager
The Owls end the 2021/22 season in 18th place, Dejphon Chansiri swings the axe and Monk is gone in the blink of an eye. His replacement, Savo Milosevic, lasts a mere 109 days. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images) Photo: Srdjan Stevanovic
7. The reign of Siewert
Jan Siewert steps into the breach, and sees the Owls spring back up the league, but once again miss out on the play-offs, finishing the 2022/23 campaign in 7th. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) Photo: George Wood
8. Splashing the cash again
Ahead of the 2023/24 season, Siewert is allowed to spend some money. The bulk of it goes on Brighton midfielder Tudor Baluta, who is now worth a pretty penny. (Photo by Alex Burstow/Getty Images) Photo: Alex Burstow