Need to be smart here. Buying from relegated teams lowers the price considerably. We missed out on someone like Marcus Thuram.
We can't be looking at players we know. For example Partey and Zakaria would cost 50 million. Sangare would cost 10 million.
Roca would cost 10 million or less. Players who are unknown and South American have low release clauses. Thiago would cost 50 million. Matheus Henrique 20 million or less. Gabriel 25 million, Walce, 10 million.
Edouard would cost 35 million up front. Look at how difficult the Tierney deal was to do. Someone posted a video of Arthur Cabral. He would cost 10 million max. How much would Douglas Luiz cost if Villa went down?
Sarr is free, isn't that a no brainer? How much is Nkunku worth now? We need to buy the player before their value sky rockets. Osimhen has had a good season and is now going for 70 million. We need to buy that player before they are worth that much. We did it with Guendouzi and Martinelli. We need to do that in every position of need.
The only criteria we should use for signing a player is if they come in and improve the first team. We certainly shouldn't be after players just because they're cheap. This is where we have gone wrong in the past.
If a player is cheap and will improve the first team, like Gabriel (in my opinion), then great, but signing players just because they're cheap is a flawed strategy.
For example, there is no need for Marco Roca. He is the same profile to Xhaka, who will be a guaranteed starter next season. Where is the logic in signing this guy for him to come and sit on the bench, when we have glaring holes in the first 11?
Yes, Partey would cost more than Sangare, but he is almost guaranteed to come and improve the first 11 immediately. Sangare would likely need time to adapt and grow as a player (especially as a DM), which would cost us on the pitch, which in turn would hurt our finances in the long run.
The club is in a desperate position. It's been our worst season in 30plus years, next year has to be a success. If you can get a guy like Partey to come you do it.