I think some folks suffer from Stockholm Syndrome.
Looking to replace three strikers who are not of retirement age and not particularly wanted by other clubs cannot be considered a success. That is definitely a failure. If you believe that these players were meant for "building a base", then I suppose it did for the meantime, but we still overpaid for those strikers.
That said, I will give credit to Marotta for Pogba and searching for young talents across the globe, something I have wanted for years now. That is the only way we can compete in a world of money laundering terrorist money.