The Premier League's new record £5.14bn TV deal means that these days even the smallest top flight club can afford to shell out for proven quality.
Nevertheless, undoubtedly the best way to build a winning team is to form one around a core of youngsters as they all learn how to play with one another and this is a philosophy that many Premier League bosses have recently adopted.
Due to a combination of forward thinking managers, injuries and poor form of household names, this season in England's top-flight has seen several young players take great leaps forward in terms of their reputation and ability.
Here are seven whose stature within the game has risen considerably this campaign.
7. Ryan Mason
A Tottenham academy product who has been loaned out as many as seven times to five different clubs, Mason finally got his chance in the Spurs first side this season after impressing and scoring in his side's 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest in September.
Although he has not scored since his debut, the 23-year-old has gone on to become a vital cog in Mauricio Pochettino's side, making 25 appearances in all competitions so far this season.
For Mason, the transition from League One football to Premier League level has been seamless.
6. Jordon Ibe
Ibe is another who has had to do his time in the lower leagues before being given a chance at Premier League level.
Most recently at Derby County in the Championship, the 19-year-old impressed so much that Brendan Rodgers chose to recall him from his loan spell.
Since then, Ibe has been a constant presence in the Reds' side and has helped them on their recent fantastic run of form which has seen them rise steadily up the table.
5. Harry Kane
Another Spurs player, another trainee and another who has previously been farmed out to lower league clubs, Kane is probably this season's finest example of what one good season can do to a player's reputation.
The striker became first choice at Spurs after Mauricio Pochettino rightly moved Roberto Soldado and Emanuel Adebayor down the pecking order and Kane has seized his chance.
He has made 39 appearances in all competitions so far this season, scoring 24 goals in the process.
4. Paddy McNair
After the departure of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, there was always going to be a defensive void to fill for Manchester United this season.
This was compounded by injuries and the patchy form of more seasoned personnel, leading to 19-year-old McNair being thrust into the limelight under which he has performed admirably.
Although he is sometimes a bit tentative when heading into a tackle, the youngster has an illustrious career ahead of him if he can keep improving at his current rate.
3. Phillipe Coutinho
Admittedly, Coutinho has been around for a while, though it may surprise a few of you that he is still only 22 years old.
The Brazilian has always had the capacity to be a match-winner, though this season is the first time that he has started to prove this is the case on a regular basis.
He has thrived under Brendan Rodgers' management, most recently on one side of the attack in a 3-4-3 formation.
If he can keep up his current form and perform consistently every week, then he will quickly become one of the game's hottest properties.
2. Hector Bellerin
19-year-old Bellerin is another youngster who was thrust into first-team action due to injuries this season. In this case, it was Mathieu Debuchy who made way for the pacey full-back, who is widely regarded to be one of the quickest players in the Premier League.
The Spaniard has made 15 appearances for the Gunners so far this season, including two in the Champions League. He also scored his first goal for the club in their 5-0 rout of Aston Villa at the beginning of January.
1. Saido Berahino
Although Berahino was a constant fixture in West Brom's team last term, it is this season in which he has proved that he has the quality to become a top striker.
His goals have come in bursts so far this season and he has been linked with bigger clubs since a flurry of six goals in five games in October.
He did suffer something of a drought over Christmas, but since Tony Pulis took the manager's job Berahino has had a mini revival, scoring eight goals since he took over on New Year's Day.
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