I completely agree with your viewpoint, but I don’t think it applies to TFC. Toronto always touts itself as a ‘big team’ (especially Curtis) that can always compete for trophies. In order to do that there can’t be rebuild years. The core was already built when Curtis came, he just needed to fill holes as they appeared. Sometimes the holes were small, some big, but his job is to fill them. He just didn’t, to the point where the players and Vanney were publicly talking about it. Luckily the core was so good that it’s kind of held up since 2017. Imagine where we be if Curtis had filled the holes that appeared, the dynasty talk could have become a reality, at least for a few years.
As far as the academy goes, if resources are so good at TFC, why can’t they do both? It’s not like it’s an impossible mission. Maybe Curtis would have been a great academy director, but he does not appear to know how to run a ‘big club’. Makes it pretty hard to have faith in any of his choices.
And before someone mentions Pozuelo as proof positive of Curtis, it was mentioned several times when Pozuelo came that he was on TFC’s radar for a long time.