Who said anything about taking the team to another level?
Clichy left because he wanted to go - that to me is reason enough for a guy who has given the club good service and is ready to move on. In the end the same goes for Fabregas and Nasri.
Hard ask to be losing players of that calibre at the same time as going to 'another level' - I would be satisfied with replacing our outgoing players with high quality signings who still haven't hit their ceiling.
Gotze seems ideal to me - he's still young and improving, may not have the most ridiculous wage demands, and is an exceptional creator of chances. That's what we need.