One down, at least two more to go. The arrival of Mason Mount, a player Erik ten Hag had prioritised to continue his rebuild at Manchester United, is a good start to a difficult transfer window at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has got his man with Mount, a midfielder he has tracked since his Eredivisie loan spell in 2017/18 and someone who fits seamlessly into his system and style of play. But on his own, Mount is not enough.
There will be more incomings over the next eight weeks or so, with a goalkeeper and a striker a priority, but the question is whether they will meet with Ten Hag's seal of approval as well, in terms of quality of addition and speed of arrival.
The United manager made his feelings perfectly clear on the final day of the Premier League season when a win against Fulham had secured third place and a return to the Champions League next season. It capped a successful campaign, but it's not going to be enough to just repeat it for Ten Hag.
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"The club knows if you want to play top four, compete for trophies in this tough league then you have to invest, otherwise you don’t have a chance because other clubs will do," he said.
"We’ve seen it in the winter, all the clubs around us made huge investments, we didn't, but still we made it, so I’m proud of my team."
The reference to January, when United gambled on low-cost loans for Jack Butland, Marcel Sabitzer and Wout Weghorst, felt telling. That cut-price window was down to financial fair play concerns, but the picture is only a little brighter this summer.
After the £55million deal for Mount, United have a budget of around £60million remaining and that will need to be boosted significantly by sales if it's to stretch to the goalkeeper and striker that Ten Hag wants.
There will be departures. Fred can be sold now Mount has arrived, Dean Henderson is likely to sign for Nottingham Forest and others are on the market.
United haven't expanded on their reasons for concerns around meeting FFP requirements and on the face of it they look to be in reasonable enough financial health. Their wages-to-turnover ratio has fallen from 67% to 50% with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and revenue is back on the rise.
There is some scepticism among industry sources about how tight United really are with FFP compliance. They went over budget in spending £225million last summer, but there is also a feeling that it is partly a negotiating ploy, with the club determined to avoid the 'United tax' they often feel is added on to a deal.
The ongoing takeover talks could also be having an impact. While the Glazers will spend this summer, there is a view they might be holding back a little for now, given it's only likely to benefit the new owners if a sale to Sheikh Jassim or Sir Jim Ratcliffe is completed.
Ten Hag's warning over investment felt a little out of character, given he had generally toed the party line over recruitment so far in his time at the club, but behind the scenes, he pushed hard a year ago for the investment to eventually go over budget, with the late deals for Casemiro and Antony more expensive than United had expected.
The 53-year-old is known to push hard for recruitment to be spot on and that is a demand he will follow through with this summer. He made his feelings clear just under six weeks ago and when he talks to the media for the first time in pre-season later this month, it will be fascinating to get his views on the window to date.
Meanwhile, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have splashed the cash this summer, investing more than United so far. Maybe the picture will change by the end of August and United are working hard to achieve that, but after what he said at the end of the season, Ten Hag won't be impressed if United are outspent by their big six rivals in this window.
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