I think you're perspective is over ambitious - especially with Ashley in charge. We'll look to avoid a relegation battle, not much else. He won't ensure we'll have a squad strong enough for midtable, just put together something that might be strong enough for it. Much like the Townsend deal, why spend all the money to push a 85% likeliness of promotion to 92%?
And as I said yesterday, if we invest an amount so meagre that avoiding a relegation battle is the clear aim, Rafa will be gone. He's not Pardew, he's a winner.