Because they wasted it and changed managers. Your expenditure has been a massive part of your success. That is all credit to Mike Ashley for backing the manager but if you are suggesting that spending £55M on players this season has not been a massive part of your success, regardless of profligacy of Villa, then I think you are being less than honest. I would expect most clubs to get promoted spending those sums on players even if Villa have blown it. With Bruce there and that squad I would think they'll be one of the favourites for next year.
I'm not suggesting that, merely that it's not an absoluite indicator of where a team will finish. Of course you'd expect us to be high in the table spending that amount of money just as most expected Villa to do the same before the start of the season.
Quite why we should sell over £80m worth of players and only apparently be permitted to spend £10m-15m is anyone's guess. It's no surprise that us and Villa were the highest spenders considering we had the greatest turnover of players leaving.
It's when statements come out like 'I could have done what Benitez has with that amount of money' when Roberto Di Matteo failed with similar which are a bit daft.
I agree with you on Villa next season, they already are the favourites iirc and rightly so as they should be in a very strong position after the summer.