I'm using a 3322 tactic i got from this forum, and made some changes to it.
current lineup is:
Kalinic
Ilori Milenkovic Vida (CB)
Scalera (RB) Ajer (CDM) Tierney (LB)
Rogic Oldrup-Jensen (CM)
Woodrow (DLF) Griffiths/Kuki (AF)
Not many of the players you start off with left, but outside of Scalera (5M), Woodrow(9.5M), and Vida (4M), none of these players were particularly expensive. Kuki is a great steal at 750k in the first season, I could probably move him on for 20M + next window if I wanted.
Keep your eye out for a player like Martin Caceres, who is usually available on a free, he was solid for me season 1 and sold for a nice profit of 2.5M.
Same with Lovre Kalinic, as a fan you know GK is a problem area, and he's a 4* player for no money at all except healthy wages which will be available if you sell Gordon, and when De Vries retires.
I also got Ivica Olic in on a free to tutor, and Jack Aitchison's determination and personality have greatly benefited from it, his DET is 20 now, and his attributes are flying up.
If Moussa Dembele is flying for you, be prepared to lose him for big money, the board will usually accept any bid over 20M+ and you can argue with them to reject it, but I had no such luck and he left for 17M that will become 23M after options. But with his sale also comes a nice tidy transfer budget, which can facilitate all kinds of signings.
The league is a cake walk as always, so use your eventual Dembele money to strengthen for CL, signing young talent is good, but if they aren't good enough to contribute immediately is a waste this early into the game.