I've made no secret of the fact that i'm not a Dowling fan. That's why I get that people on here will take it with a pinch of salt what i'm going to say next, but i'm going to reserve my praise at this stage.
If your only measure is "by the close of the window, have we built a side that looks like it could get promotion this season" , then on the face of it we seem to have done that. We have bought players in every position needed, we seem to have some highly rated youngsters and fans of other clubs will fear us looking in from the outside.
Of course, our 3 wingers today might all be Jacob Murphy level - we won't know until we see them, but in the face of it that is right.
I've not been convinced by the process though. 1 player signed 3 weeks out from deadline day, then a glut of signings from other championship clubs, and then a deadline day supermarket sweep style rush. We needed a goalscorer and a winger all summer but waited till deadline day to do the business. People might make excuses, but the best operators get their business done more efficiently than that.
The glut on wingers we have bought also feels like overkill, blocking the youth prospects. 1 winger felt like enough, 2 at a push, but 3 seems a touch ott for where we are at the moment.
I also have doubts about our scouting still, especially abroad. Majority of signings were players we have faced in the last 2 years, and of the 3 signings from abroad, 1 is an England youth international everyone knows about, Krov was 100% a Bilic led signing and the rumours are that Pereira was also Bilic led (if that isn't the case I do apologise and it would put my mind at ease).
I could be being very unfair on Dowling, but i've still got reservations that today's activity has not removed. I've got lingering doubts that our comparitive financial muscle has possibly got Dowling out of a tight spot, and next summer he might not be so lucky.