Evertonians will have been relieved to see Lewis Dobbin sign a new contract with the club.
Not necessarily just because of the talented star the Blues were keeping on their books, but for the message it sends to others who might follow.
The striker put pen to paper on a new three-and-a-half deal with Everton on Thursday afternoon, keeping him at Goodison Park until June 2025.
There had been some debate over whether the hugely exciting 19-year-old, who was in the final six months of his previous deal, would agree to new terms, especially with the ongoing turmoil around the club.
However, this can be used as a real positive light in what has been a gloomy time for the Blues.
Having suffered an injury which ruled him out for a large portion of the 2020/21 season, Dobbin still made his breakthrough into the under-23s and quickly caught the eye.
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In fact, he impressed so much during a free-scoring pre-season in 2021 with the youth side that Rafa Benitez saw fit to give him his senior debut in the last warm-up match ahead of the Premier League campaign, against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Pre-season or not, that's a significant show of faith.
Over recent months, more cameo appearances from the bench presented themselves, before he got over half an hour in a battling 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, after replacing Ellis Simms in the second half.
Some sections of the support have been clamouring to see more of Dobbin in the senior side having caught glimpses of the quality he has shown for the U23s.
He's full of pace and energy, his defensive work from the front is strong, he has an eye for a finish - and he's still improving.
Jose Baxter, who has worked constantly with the forward as part of the youth set-up, recently told the ECHO: "His all-round game, holding the ball up is getting much better, buying fouls, being a threat, the timing of his runs were really good.
"I'll keep on him, I'll keep banging on at him until he keeps scoring more and more goals. I keep telling him all the time to just think about goals, that's our job as strikers."
Crucially, though, it's all about that path to the first team.
Even with Everton seemingly in disarray at the minute - with no manager at the helm, and a strategic review affecting other areas of the hierarchy still taking place - they managed to convince Dobbin that being at Goodison Park was the best for his fledgling career.
He'd have had no shortage of suitors if he'd decided to run his contract down, that's for certain.
Now the focus has to be on proving the youngster has made the right call. The new manager, whoever that may be, must be told that Dobbin must continue to get senior opportunities.
Perhaps a loan will come along in the future, perhaps he won't need one. Maybe that's something to look at more closely in the summer.
But for other talented youngsters coming through, they can surely now see that there is opportunity for them.
Some fans have been sceptical of the recent products of the club's academy and questioned whether there was a pathway from the youth sides into the senior set-up.
But now you've got the likes of Dobbin, Jarrad Branthwaite and Tyler Onyango regularly being named in Premier League squads.
Then you've got others such as Ryan Astley, Reece Welch, Elijah Campbell and more training with the senior side to add to their progression in the under-23s.
Exciting talents such as Lewis Warrington have caught the eye in recent weeks, and he's another player who is coming to the end of his current deal with the club in the summer.
If the Blues want to keep hold of these youngsters, they've given themselves a fantastic example of how things can work out in the future.
Dobbin was convinced by the club's strategy and promises in the future, so you'd have to hope that others will follow suit.
Now it's up to Everton, and whoever the new manager might be, to deliver on that.
