My argument was that there are no "surprise" EE. Both of you have argued that you can't predict them. I have argued that you can and have pointed out, repeatedly, a few tell-tale signs. And that everyone knows the rewards/consequences of signing great players.
If you want to argue you can't replace them, I won't disagree. But I will point out that I think that's a game design not a flaw. It's what WifS wanted.