I get your point, but I still think it is possible to have great players in Div. II. Salary is also not the best indicator for greatness, in my opinion. I would say my 135k player is better than the 204k one.
Like I said, it's all about priorities. A manager cannot expect to have 3 200k players, get 4 scouting points per week, have the best staff possible, a lvl 3 gym, training court etc. and make 150k profit per week. That's not possible, yes, and rightfully so.
I'm not saying you expect that, I'm just not a fan of giving everyone more money. Managing your finances is part of the game and that means you might have to sacrifice one or two aspects of the game in order to being able to finance all the others.
You can be profitable, you just have to find the right way for your team: train and sell players, promotion money, cup games, BBM games, etc. Profit doesn't mean you make money every week. My team had a negative weekly income last season, but I was able to balance it out with other things. Hoping to do the same thing this season...
And since you mentioned the exhaustion of players, I cannot judge it's impact yet. We will see how that affects teams like me.
Nemo me impune lacessit