If I was in your position I'd pick up six potential trainees for cheap, train them exlusively in 1-on-1 for forwards and sell 3-4 of them after a season or two, keep and train the others as cornerstones - use all the income to expand the Arena - do not buy any "good, but old" players as the prices are inflated and there will/should be countermeasures like more free agents - plus there will be less "Utopia-money" destroying the market, so I expect players to become cheaper in a couple of seasons.
For the game: just accept that you won't stand a chance against real competition for some time, enjoy the training, cup and scrimmages.
Größter Knecht aller Zeiten aka His Excellency aka President for Life aka Field Marshal Al Hadji aka Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas aka aka Conqueror of the Buzzerbeater Empire in Europe in General and Austria in Particular