The simple answer that you overlook is how much of those sales were reinvested in the club, whether that be put towards players or even the new stadium, and that's the key.
Now lets sit and wait to see how much of atkinsons transfer fee is given over to reinvest into the remainder of the squad that is still needed, with two defensive players sold, already this window. Will we have to go through the pain the squad suffered last season when defensive replacements/cover wasn't forthcoming.
It's coming to the point where, the new board, has to decide do they want success on the pitch, where investment in playing staff will be paramount, or are they after a global name, Oxford, and the club comes second.
The groundhog scenario we have had for the past two to three years, does not make for a squad capable of seriously challenging the play offs, as the last two years has shown.
Hopefully, the new fans group will begin to seek answers, that have remained un answered under owner after owner, regarding the ground, genuine direction of the club etc, because if the model that we adopted some years ago of selling off our top players, is meant to part of the same strategy of getting promotion to the championship, then it clearly isn't working.