True they weren’t pennies,but the big money was in Italy,why do you think Rush,Souness and Trevor Francis ended up thereKeegan, Rush, Souness, Kennedy, Dalgliesh? Weren’t exactly pennies.. Forest smashed the British transfer record when they signed Trevor Francis, for double the previous record.
Success in English football has generally followed the money most of the time. Liverpool late 70s/80s, Everton/Arsenal late 80s, United 90s then Chelsea after the millennium and City after that.