If you are referring to the lack of parachute payments as a "deficit", stop that already. Players we signed to have a go (lol) at the PL for which said payments are intended to cover after we went down (excluding any youth deals and loans):Reports suggest a £35m deficit and money owed to The Prince. So the question becomes simple: do you roll the dice on promotion, knowing the odds are slim or do you sell? As fans, of course we want him to stay. So do I. I’ll be gutted to see him in another shirt in the next week or so. But this is the reality of supporting Sheffield United.
Slimane - loan to buy immediately on going down
Traore - sold immediately on going down
Trusty - same
Souza - stayed for one season then sold
Hamer - still here
Davies - contract now expired
Grbic - still here but continually on loan
There is just one year of Hamer's wages as a "deficit" in terms of actual money, plus one year's amortisation if looking at book value. As we fire sold everyone else, the parachute money was a windfall, the lack of it is not a deficit. We're now just back to normal Championship operations (which, yes, loses a boatload of money) both in terms of revenue and squad.
As for what I'd do, I answered that upthread