We're not at the point where we need a "Rice" yet. Most of the players that make up Woolwich's first XI were bought young and have evolved. Once they did, Rice was the missing piece and they went after him. But only after having finished 2nd the year before. I doubt they would have spunked £100m for him a year earlier.
We're following a similar model. And we still spent £65m for a striker, so it's not like we're going exclusively the young and cheap route and waiting for them to evolve. But it may take another year or two before we're in the same position Woolwich was at the end of the 22/23 season.