I think you make some good points. I am very bored by the 'transfer saga' though I am excited about the prospect of having De Jong in the side. Like you, my faith in this coming through is based entirely on Ten Hag's relationship with the player. I find it unfathomable that he'd not have spoken with De Jong and got an unofficial go-ahead before persuing a lengthy negotiation. If it does fall apart, I'll not be calling for Ten Hag's head, but it wouldn't reflect well on him.
The window has been underwhelming so far, but if we do end up with De Jong, Eriksen, Martinez and Malacia (we'll need another if reports of Ronaldo's tantrum are as they seem) then I'll welcome our move away from behaving like The Trafford Globetrotters. It won't be enough to elevate us to champions, but it speaks to us having a plan and a long-term vision for the football team. Signing 36-year-olds to stop them from going to your rivals is not a plan. It was the same with Schweinsteiger, Sanchez and to a lesser extent Cavani and Di Maria.
It's not easy to admit, but we should be looking at how Liverpool rebuilt under Klopp and it will likely take time, patience and some less exciting transfer windows.