Kenny McLean is here to stay at Norwich City and is leading the revolution under David Wagner.
The Scot's new contract is a sign of his prominence in the here and now but also in the future - McLean will be 34 once that new deal at Carrow Road expires.
He was the subject of three bids from Leeds United in the summer, the highest of which was under £4m, but Norwich never had any intention of letting the influential Scottish midfielder walk away from Carrow Road.
The fact that Leeds, managed by Daniel Farke, identified him as a target shows his quality at Championship level. No player has displayed the consistency of McLean since David Wagner was appointed last January.
His loyalty coupled with his importance to Wagner's system has seen them reward McLean with a fresh contract that will take him close to the final chapter of his career.
Norwich have shifted their approach this summer; there has been a not-so-subtle changing of the guard and adding of experience.
Only two teams, West Brom (29.1) and Sheffield Wednesday (29.5), have fielded older starting XIs than Norwich this season - who are yet to put out a side with a younger average age of 28.1.
That compares to the youngest fielded XI of 23.8 last season, where only Swansea, Sunderland, Blackpool and Blackburn naming sides with a lower average age.
Prior to the summer window, Norwich hadn't signed a single outfield player over the age of 30 since Stuart Webber's arrival in 2017.
This summer, they signed five. Plus, both Christian Fassnacht and George Long will be 30 by the end of the year.
It marks a real shift in strategy after an emphasis on purchasing players with potential who can flourish into future stars in years gone by. That isn't to say that pillar of their approach has been forgotten - as the early season form of Jonathan Rowe and Gabriel Sara show.
The science behind it is that Wagner wanted to insulate the group with more experience and an improved mentality - dropping in players who have enjoyed long careers was the key to overhauling what went wrong last season.
Ashley Barnes and Shane Duffy have had an early impact, but what McLean has done in central midfield also points to that fact. That trio make up the spine of the team and have made Norwich look more robust and uncomfortable to play against so far.
The older trio have been pivotal in implementing Norwich's structure but their respective qualities have also had an impact on matches. McLean is helping Sara flourish and executing that deeper midfield role with aplomb.
Adam Forshaw, 31, gives them further depth and more experience - as has been the order of the day. Wagner was quick to sing his praises at Thursday's press conference.
Wagner wanted Norwich to pursue players who could bring mental minerals and quality. He has found all of them possess a real hunger to prove people wrong.
There are questions that remain - how does a City side with a higher age cope with the intensity that Wagner demands over the course of a season? That is one hurdle they will have to prove they can jump through.
Perhaps the elephant in the room is geared towards the long term. Norwich have been winning. They needed to given the way last season unfolded. Signing players capable of hitting the ground running was imperative.
But for a club that need to be constantly improving players to shift on for their financial health, carrying such a quota of older players is a risk. It puts a lot of pressure on the need for success either this season or quickly thereafter.
They did undergo an impressive and aggressive recruitment drive at U21 level. Players from Benfica, Manchester City and Palmeiras arrived. The hope is that many will challenge for Wagner's squad moving forward.
Norwich will need to continue to evolve their squad. With a sporting director approaching his final few months at the club, it will likely fall to his successor to manage it moving forward.
Then there is the change at higher levels - will Mark Attansio's involvement help them financially? Does that ease the pressure on the need to be constantly improving young talent? Only time will provide the answers.
But in the here and now - it will be fascinating to see whether City's revolution under Wagner continues to plough ahead at full steam.
Upcoming Carrow Road tests against Stoke and then Leicester in midweek serve as litmus tests for their early season progress. For narrative, after that Rotherham defeat, it will be important to emerge with the positivity unscathed.
