Arsenal's signing of Declan Rice felt as close to a transfer window banker as any club could wish for.
At £105million you would hope so too, but Nicolas Pepe's return to north London this summer after an unsuccessful loan at Nice is a reminder that spending big is far from a guarantee of success.
The signs so far indicate Rice will prove a significantly more worthwhile investment.
Any mention of Pepe is invariably followed by a reference to his £72m fee, but Rice showed enough on his home debut against Monaco last night to suggest his price tag will not prove such a burden.
Earlier in pre-season, the 24-year-old lined up at the base of midfield, with Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard the two ahead of him. The Gunners struggled for control, Rice was left exposed on the counter and Manchester United ran out 2-0 winners in New York.
In a West Ham shirt, Rice was similarly parked in front of the defence, doing so superbly but with that responsibility came a restriction on what he could offer in attack. He has been keen to show he is far more than just a protector.
Against Monaco he got his chance with the security of Thomas Partey behind him and the balance of the side was noticeably improved.
Rice started on the left of a midfield three, the position from which Granit Xhaka turned his Arsenal career around. Unlike his predecessor, the England international has no fans to win over, and that much was clear as he received the loudest cheer of any Arsenal player when the team sheet was read out.
There were more of those to come in a strong first-half showing, Rice combining particularly well with Gabriel Martinelli on the left wing. Twice the midfielder got to the byline and put a dangerous ball into the box, but a finishing touch from a team-mate did not follow.
Another burst into the box was almost rewarded shortly before half-time, only a brilliant block denying him what looked set to be a first Arsenal goal. Rice was less influential after the break, but by then Mikel Arteta had seen enough and took him off.
"He has the versatility to play different roles and it's something that we want to do to maximise the quality of other players who have the ability to play together," said the Arsenal manager. "We will use him in different positions."
No side made fewer changes to its starting line-up in the Premier League last season than Arsenal, but it is clear that Arteta, who was reliant on too small a group of players in the title run-in, is now better-equipped. The arrivals of Rice, Havertz and Jurrien Timber have provided a much-needed boost to squad depth.
Timber has already made an impression at full-back on both sides of the pitch.
The 22-year-old, who can also play in the centre of defence, started at left-back against Monaco but still popped up on the right wing for one first-half burst that nearly resulted in an opening for Eddie Nketiah.
Timber was off the pitch by the time the Emirates Cup concluded with a penalty shootout, and it was Aaron Ramsdale who took centre stage. The goalkeeper probably does not spend too much time refreshing his Twitter feed in search of the latest Arsenal transfer news, but word of the club's interest in Brentford's David Raya will have reached him.
There was little he could do about Youssouf Fofana's first-half strike as Monaco took the lead and otherwise Ramsdale was rarely called into action, but a shootout was a welcome platform for him to impress.
Penalty practice in training is evidently not a complicated affair at Monaco, each one of their players stepping up and sending their spot-kick down the middle.
At the fourth time of asking Ramsdale decided less was more, holding his ground and producing a strong hand to deny Takumi Minamino, who was the only player not to convert.
A penalty save to help Arsenal win a pre-season shootout will not impact their transfer plans, but it is a timely boost for Ramsdale as the prospect of increased competition looms.
