I think this was probably a direct result of getting so badly burned on Njie, Janssen and GKN. We basically decided we wanted more "proven" players that had experience of higher level football. At that time Aurier had bundles of CL experience, WC experience, etc, whereas Perreira just had a strong season in Ligue 1.
A big mistake, obviously, and an example of how the disastrous scouting of Mitchell probably was so damaging.
Which players did Mitchell oversee us signing? It's true though our recruitment has been pretty poor for a while now. Far more misses than hits. Let's hope that changes soon.