Burnwinter
It's because we're in a rare position. We aren't top of the pile, i.e. we aren't good enough to fight for Mbappe and Bellingham, but we are good enough to compete for players a rung below. Yet, at the same time our ambition is to get to the top, which requires the quality of players we can't attract. Hence, the phenomenon.
Martinelli has some alternatives we could pursue who aren't top of the pyramid like Leao or Kvara, but could offer an upgrade. However, I think Giroud would be a good example of the phenomenon. Not great enough for us to win the title, but no one available that we could sign.
