Negotiations are a great way now since you can get good players cheaper than the TM and make some manager happy, not to mention avoiding the headache.
Transfer market is still something you can't escape, I go for young 5 star players (usually the most expensive ones) Don't care for SA at all. I try to see the mentality of the people bidding, by being aggressive you can send some kind of message but it doesn't always work.
As far as scout players go I get at least one 69 token from time to time in an attacking position I need to fill. Defensive scouts are a waste of tokens they will last you max 3, season at least in my experience.