I was amongst those who doubted Rafa's summer signings (or lack of). I particularly feared the worst when Sissoko was labelled the new Vieira (we all know what happened the last time we signed the new Vieira, the mighty Salif Diao...) But you have to say that Rafa can spot a good player, every time I've seen Sissoko he has looked excellent.
I'm sure that when a player Rafa really rates becomes available and is genuinely interested in signing for us he will snap them up, and it's a good thing he doesn't spend money on players he doesn't rate just to fill a hole in the squad.