fully disagree with you as henderson overall was a much better signing.
Downing has no sell on fee potential and will not get any better than he is now.
How do you know know henderson will get any better? Gambling on potential is a risky business, especially when you have paid the kind of money that suggests he is the finished article in his prime. With Downing, we knew what we were getting - Henderson we knew very little about and still don't.
So far, Downing has proved to be the much better signing in terms of contribution. We needed a winger - we didn't need another central midfielder.