Then we might as well brace ourselves for another 10 years in the wilderness, or hope that we will eventually strike gold by signing unknown/unproven players.
Acquiring shit doesn't guarantee CL football; if anything it ascertains that you lack ambition, and definitively proves that the CL is one obstacle too far. Without CL, no stars will want to join, we will end up signing 2'nd rate players and failing to reach our objectives, and the cycle continues.
Money talks, and we need to spend a lot if we wish to be competitive again. Not only that, but we also need a coach with a brain, a management that understands its function, and a bloody ambitious project.