They key is in the recruitment - how much we sell them for and how we replace them. These players are passing through. The key is to get, maybe, three good seasons out of them, inflate their value, sell at a good profit, and reinvest wisely. This is the route to success and is what Brands should be judged on.
The likes of Richarlison is using us as a stepping stone. That is entirely rational behaviour from him. We, as fans, need to realise that. It's business. We shouldn't hold it against him. By the same token, as quickly as he will punt us as soon as his boat comes in, we shouldn't be afraid to call these guys out when they are not performing and, more importantly, sell them when we judge them to be at their peak value. Brian Clough and Peter Taylor were masters of this. Alex Ferguson, too. Howard Kendall demonstrated it with Andy Gray. It's always disappointing to lose a player so close to his best, but the real masters know when that time has come - and replace with a Lineker.