I guess I'm trying to look at it from a HK perspective(*)....
(*We know that even when things were going well fans some were persistently accusing us of lacking "ambition" so it's not really worth going down that path of discussion.)
We bought what was generally deemed to be genuine quality this summer and we've regressed. I'm left wondering just how much stock players would be inclined to put into transfer dealings unless they see a distinct jump in policy (in our case, buying established stars and/or players in their prime).... This is in turn why I asked about spend levels..... 4 or 5 sure shot team improvers that can be expected to make an immediate impact = est. £300m+ in this market (buying prem proven will cost a mint these days and dead-cert foreign stars likewise).
I fear that's not practical or sustainable(*).
(*Unknown Corona-factors aside)