I wonder if this would tie in with Gustard deciding he wants quality over quantity in the squad. You clear out the dead wood, you bring in some quality players but a smaller squad. Yes there is a risk that injuries take hold and you are forced to throw in a few academy lads but in reality, who cares. They get some first team experience, there is no danger of going down. The reward outweighs the risk. If you have luck with injuries you could find yourself top four, if you dont, you put it down as one of those seasons and move on to next year.