When Raul Jimenez moved to Wolves on loan from Benfica in the summer, his buy-out clause almost looked like a joke.
Was anyone really going to fork out £30 million (/$40m) for a player like Raul, who never managed to force his way into the starting line-up at Atletico Madrid before serving primarily as a super-sub in Lisbon?
Now, though, the clause that Wolves triggered on Thursday looks more like a bargain than a laughing matter.
In Jimenez, Wolves have locked down a forward who has scored 12 Premier League goals this season and created a further seven for his team-mates.
“It’s a great honour for me to now be a permanent member of the team," he said. "I’m very happy for this permanent deal as I feel that being at Wolves suits me."
Indeed, it's actually hard to imagine another forward better suited to Nuno Espirito Santo's system.
Of course, by becoming Wolves' record signing, there will now be even greater pressure on the Mexico international to continue producing the goods, but that should sit just fine with Jimenez.
This is the significant show of confidence in his skills that he's been waiting for from a team ever since he left America for Atletico, in 2014.
Rojiblancos boss Diego Simeone was fond of Jimenez, but the competition for places at the Calderon was fierce. After four starts in La Liga, just one of which came after September, it became clear he needed to go elsewhere.
So, he left after a solitary season, ending up at Benfica, where Jimenez scored at a remarkable clip but still couldn't dislodge the starters at the club.
That meant mostly mop-up duty for Jimenez, coming on when the Eagles were already ahead. He'd often extend the lead, managing a goal every 161 minutes – which is even better than his present strike-rate at Molineux.
It didn't do him much good, though, earning him just six starts in each of his final two seasons at the Estadio da Luz.
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The Premier League has proven to be a breath of fresh air, with the forward immediately feeling at home in the locker room (thanks in no small part to speaking Portuguese with more than a half-dozen of his team-mates from the country he'd just left) and earning a starting spot.
“From the second he walked through the door, he settled straight into the group, and that reflects in his performance, with Raul providing assists and overall selfless performances, as well as obviously goals," Wolves' sporting director, Kevin Thelwell, said.
Jimenez has been critical not only in the Premier League campaign but also in Wolves' run to the FA Cup semi-finals. He'll be on the hunt for his fourth goal of the competition in Sunday's match against Watford at Wembley.
He has contributed to a lethal counter-attack, partnered well with players like Diogo Jota and Joao Moutinho, and continues to be deadly from the penalty spot, where he's converted both of his attempts.
He's shown few signs of fading, contributing an assist in a 2-1 win over Manchester United earlier this week despite the fact that his minutes tally this season is on pace to eclipse his total from the rest of his European career combined.
Wolves legitimately depend on Jimenez and want to give him opportunities to succeed. That's all Jimenez has been looking for since he left Liga MX, and it's good news that he'll press on in a situation where he's comfortable for the foreseeable future.
The stay in the Premier League also is good news for Tata Martino and El Tri. The Argentine manager sent a not-so-subtle message in starting Jimenez over Mexico's all-time leading scorer Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez.
He also left the door open for the two to play together. That's never worked, though. Chicharito has been on the field for only one of Jimenez's 17 goals in a Mexico shirt: the stunning overhead kick goal against Panama in 2014 World Cup qualification.
FREDERIC J. BROWN
Jimenez will be chasing Chicharito for some time, and the Little Pea's marks of both 52 Premier League and 51 international goals may well both be beyond Jimenez's reach.
The 27-year-old is three years younger than the West Ham United forward but while his new deal with Wolves will keep him in the West Midlands for four more seasons, it will be tough to keep up his current levels of production as time goes on.
That said, he's off to a good start. With .38 goals per match, Jimenez is ahead of Chicharito's .34 strike-rate.
Where he's already exceeded Chicharito is in how he's set up his team-mates. As well as racking up seven assists in the league alone, he is also credited with 11 big chances created. Chicharito has 10 assists and 18 big chances created in 122 more matches.
Jimenez is carving a different path than his Mexico team-mate and Premier League predecessor. It's one that has opened up to give him the opportunity he has craved for years.
Now, it's on Jimenez to prove this season was no fluke and seize the starting No. 9 job in Martino's system.
Predictions at the start of the year that Jimenez would be the future for both Wolves and Mexico may have drawn chuckles at the start of the year.
Now it's Jimenez smiling, reveling in the season he's had and the chance it's earned him going forward.