Sparta Rotterdam ....my first real success story

Ok first an apology if this is the wrong place to post this and also an apology for the length of the post.
I have played FM since the very first game so I am guessing that’s over 25 years so I am a definite fanboy. In the past I have struggled to play this game with any success and always got frustrated and added a new manager who made a huge bid for one of my players . Yes I bloody cheated ;-)
However this time I took on Sparta Rotterdam in FM19 and read a lot of guides and watched a lot of videos and I have actually had success, and yes without cheating. I am a happy man .
I started off in the Dutch second division and I am now in about season 9 and I have won the Dutch Eredivise for the last 3 seasons, the last two by a huge margin. I have also won the Europa League once and the Dutch Cup about 3 times.
My success has been built on loan signings mainly from the English Premier League. On occasions I can then pick up these players on a permanent deal at the end of that year or the year after. Although I do think this mainly happens with loans from Italy and Spain.
I have had all of the top jobs offered to me Brazil , England and a few from the likes of Chelsea and Milan, however I turned them all down as I wanted to see how far I could get Sparta.
Although I have played this game for years I think my knowledge of the game is pretty poor and I come on here for ideas and tips.
Firstly I am in season 9 I think and there are so many regens, obviously. One of the things that makes FM so much more realistic for me are the Kit packs , player faces and logos etc.
9 years in and most of my squad don’t have a photo. Is this something I just have to accept. I guess I could update my facepacks to 2010 but I doubt it would make much difference.
So I think I have taken Sparta as far as I can . I am in the CL and have qualified from the group stages on the last 3 occasions but I always get knocked out in the first knock out stage. This has brought a huge increase in the revenue of the club, but also a big increase in the wage bill, however I do manage this quite well I think.
The issue I have now in the CL is I have neglected to sign Dutch players so this year I had to fill my 25 man squad with some very poor U19 and B team players. So I am not expecting this season to be any different. I have been searching for good dutch talent but they are nowhere near the ability of my present players. My squad is now very much based around foreign talent as I forgot about the CL squad rules.
Another thing I struggle with is player development , I seem to sign a player say a 4 star current ability rating and then after a few games his star rating has dropped. Is this the wrong way to judge a player and search for players?
My players don’t seem to improve under me, infact they go backwards. With the influx of CL cash I have been able to recruit some good coaches etc , well as good as I can find, but this makes little difference.
My young players never come through the ranks. When I first started they used to and the first couple of years I brought in a couple of the U19s and they played in the first 11. They then attracted the big clubs and I could not hold on to them. I did however make a huge profit
So I am thinking it may be time to move on to FM20 as it is getting a bit boring as the Dutch league has become too easy to win and the CL seems way out of my reach.
If I go for FM20 can I use my profile I use now as I am a very sought after manager or do I have to start again?
Any tips or guidance would be most welcome as I am now off work and intend to immerse myself in this game 

Hi @Womaz unfortunately you'll need to start again - your reputation doesn't stay with you save-to-save sadly!

Can anyone offer any guidance on the other points I have raised ?
I have downloaded the new FM20 face packs and a few of my blank spaces now have a photo so it has helped a little .