I don't totally blame the manager (NW) for going for older players, if they need time to develop they could be out of the door before they've found their feet, so it's understandable.
that's why it shouldn't be left to the manager to bring in the players. the average manager duration in the EFL is less than ,18 months, so there's never that much incentive to develop youth.
a director of football who is there for a much longer term would fix a lot of these issues