With Real Madrid currently outside the Champions League places in Spain's La Liga, their fans, accustomed to a steady stream of success, are growing increasingly frustrated.
To compound matters, it's their bitter rivals Barcelona who sit five points clear at the top of the table and 10 points ahead of their flagging side.
So Monday's announcement of the signing of Brahim Diaz, a youngster with just 414 minutes' senior football experience with Manchester City under his belt, hardly quickened the pulse.
Brahim Diaz completed his £22m move from Manchester City to Real Madrid on Monday
Unhappy and underwhelmed fans took to Twitter in their droves with messages such as 'this is not what we need!' and 'Get us better players, not these small boys.'
Real were once the club that cherry-picked the finest footballers from around the world, the chance to win the Champions League at the Bernabeu more than enough enticement for the game's elite.
But the Galactico era has seemingly passed, with Real's transfer policy of the last few seasons less eye-catching and more focused on promising young talents.
And the results have been pretty mixed. Even in a team that has won a hat-trick of European Cups, many have struggled to make an impression.
We assess Real's transfer business in the recent past.
Mateo Kovacic
Signed from Inter Milan; Transfer fee €29million (£26m)
Real were so optimistic Kovacic would be a success they handed him a six-year contract in the summer of 2015.
His versatility across the midfield proved attractive to Rafael Benitez, but his successor Zinedine Zidane thought differently and consigned him mainly to the bench.
So while Real won three Champions League titles on the bounce, Kovacic watched mainly from the sidelines, never quite able to force his way back into a winning team.
Even when Zidane quit, Kovacic was sent out on loan to Chelsea for the duration of this season. Given their ropey form, maybe they should kept hold of a man who helped Croatia to last summer's World Cup final.
Verdict: MISS
Mateo Kovacic was unable to hold down a place in the Real Madrid midfield and is now out on loan at Chelsea
Danilo
Porto; €31.5m (£28.2m)
Real acquired one of the best right-backs in the world when they signed Brazilian Danilo from Porto in 2015.
He was a regular starter during his debut season at the Bernabeu but played second fiddle to Dani Carvajal in some of the more high-profile matches.
Indeed, it was only because Carvajal suffered an injury early in the 2016 Champions League final win over Atletico Madrid that he played a part in that occasion.
After featuring even less the following season, it was apparent Danilo was surplus to requirements and given Real got £26.5m when they sold him to Manchester City, it was a decent bit of business.
Verdict: MISS
Danilo wasn't able to dislodge Dani Carvajal from the right-back spot and is now at Man City
Lucas Vazquez
Espanyol; €1m buy-back
Spanish winger Vazquez was a graduate of Real's academy and played several times for their 'B' and 'C' teams between 2010 and 2015.
He was sent out on loan to Espanyol for experience ahead of the 2014-15 season and impressed sufficiently for the Catalan club to buy him outright.
But incoming coach Benitez vetoed his sale, with Real exercising a buy-back option barely a month after selling him.
And Vazquez has proved himself a Real Madrid-worthy player ever since, playing regularly and contributing to their three European successes.
While not an automatic pick in every game, he has established himself as a regular presence and also won nine caps for Spain.
Verdict: HIT
Academy graduate Lucas Vazquez has been making steady progress in Real Madrid colours
Kiko Casilla
Espanyol; €6 million (£5.3m)
Another academy graduate brought back from Espanyol, albeit having been a regular between the sticks there for four seasons.
Following the departure of Iker Casillas to Porto, the Real No 1 shirt was up for grabs but Casilla would end up playing second fiddle to Keylor Navas.
There were a few times when it seems Zidane favoured him over Navas, but he has not been able to nail down the place full-time.
Now understudy to Thibaut Courtois, he has clocked up just 43 appearances for Real in four seasons with them and that tally looks unlikely to surge anytime soon.
Verdict: MISS
Kiko Casilla remains very much the understudy goalkeeper at Real Madrid four years on
Jesus Vallejo
Real Zaragoza; €6 million (£5.3m)
The promising young centre-half had come through the ranks at Real Zaragoza before being snapped up by Real in the summer of 2015 and immediately loaned back.
He spent a season in the familiar surroundings of Zaragoza and then a year in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, playing regularly in both spells.
It wasn't until 2017 that Vallejo was formally unveiled as a member of the Real squad and was handed the No 3 shirt, previously worn by Pepe.
Since then, Vallejo has made just 14 appearances but, still just 22, is earmarked as one for the future.
Verdict: JURY'S OUT
Jesus Vallejo, 22, has become accustomed to taking a place on the Real Madrid bench
Alvaro Morata
Juventus; €30m buy-back (£27m)
Morata's Real Madrid story is a curious one and, in all honesty, not at all successful.
The striker came through the Bernabeu ranks, played for the Castilla team and was promoted into the first-team by Jose Mourinho as a teenager.
But he never made the kind of stunning impact likely to prolong his Bernabeu career and he was sold to Juventus in
