I hink it is more that they are very capable of finding players that fit their system. The are very analytically driven and like most teams that are analytically driven play possession football , that is great keep the ball stay patient and create lots of chances for the centre forwards. The problem is against the best teams or at the higher level chances are harder to create. Brighton are finding that out now lots of nice possession but not turning that into points.
DOesn't mean Toney is not upto it or worth looking at just means you need to put him in context of the system he is playing in , even Benteke looked better on Friday when we got crosses in for him.
Neal Maupay has been ok since leaving Brentford but you wouldn't be battering to get him , Scott Horgan looked prolific a few years back and now is kicking around lower championship on loan. Interesting to see how Ollie Watkin and Benrahma get on this year

One supporter of hacking argued that without it "you will do away with the courage and pluck of the game, and I will be bound to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week's practice -Blackheath secretary at first meeting of the F.A

Hogan has had lengthy spells out of the game with knee injuries.Steve Bruce signed him for A.Villa from Brentford.
Many years ago, Hogan turned up at Birmingham for a trial from Hyde as a right-back but the club could not afford the £30K fee.

Since CPFC2010 took over we've had a mix bag in terms of managers finding players.

Freedman was the top performer for me bringing in some fantastic signings. I'm not sure he had the infrastructure to scout players extensively at the time. Allardyce, managed to identify 4 excellent signings in a matter of weeks. Therefore, it's a bit of an excuse to blame the managers failing a scouting network.

I'm not really sure who fans expect the club to find. You won't just magically dig up another Ian Wright or Kante no matter how much money you throw at scouting networks. It appears it could be an inefficient endeavour.

It's also a lot easier for Championship clubs with money to identify a target that will perform well at that level. Struggling premiership clubs with limited resources are going to find things

Precisely. The food chain leads up to the Prem and beyond. It's how Parish managed to put a £80m price tag on Zaha.

I think Toney would have been a good signing...bit of a gamble maybe but he’s a goal scorer...The Manager is a great shout to replace Roy.....when he goes...

There's more players available that can do a decent job in the Championship.

Since Freedman became DoF in August 2017 we've signed:

Guiata, Cahill, Clyne, Ferguson, Banks and Meyer all free transfers.

Butland for £1m, Ayew for £2.5m, McCarthy for £3m.

Kouyate and Sorloth for £10m, and Eze for £22m.

Plus Tosun, RLC and Batshuayi on Loan.

Jach, Rakip, and Sorloth may have been flops, but the first 2 didn't cost much and we made our money back on the last one (our 3 most expensive player sold ever).

We've got rid of quite a lot of players in that time too. Most of which were draining the wage bill and had no sell on value. Ledley, Jonathan Benteke, Flamini, Williams, Mutch, Friars, Campbell, Mandanda, Lee, Sako, Puncheon, Cabaye.

Overall, I think we are pretty efficient in the transfer market.