Kieran Trippier's arrival at Newcastle United will do more than improve Eddie Howe's squad - it will provide a vital tool in persuading potential other arrivals that the club, despite its Premier League position, is for them.
Those in charge of the transfers were always going to need a convincing sales pitch to convince quality players to head to Tyneside - and even more so given the club lies 19th in the table with only one win so far this season.
Newcastle despite the riches of the ownership, are not guaranteed an easy ride in the market this month - reports of fellow Premier League sides refusing to sell their stars to the club may sound a bit far fetched but there's every expectation that the Magpies will be forced to pay an added premium given their wealth.
Yet money isn't everything in football - the very best players do indeed require big fees and eye-watering weekly wages but also a club that can match their ambition, and with Newcastle battling relegation, some potential incomings may find it hard to look past the league table.
That's not necessarily the worst thing, for Newcastle do not want players who jump at the first offer but rather characters who want to know what the vision is, and what comes after survival.
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Top players want to win trophies and battle for the Premier League title - and thankfully, so do United's owners but with the club so far off that reality, it will have to use other ways of persuading players to join.
To those who have followed Newcastle since childhood, it's easy to point out the passion of the fanbase, the wonderful stadium and the pride in the club's history and tradition - for that is what many were brought up on.
For the likes of Alan Shearer back in 1996, it would have played a part as he was taken back to his childhood on the terraces - but he too wanted to win titles, and Kevin Keegan and Sir John Hall persuaded him Tyneside was the place to do that.
But United were in a much better position back then to persuade a player of Shearer's quality to sign - this time around they don't have a 2nd place finish or the lure of home to encourage any new arrival to sign.
Of course, they have the money but hopefully, and now they have Tripper - and his arrival will be key for the rest of the transfer window.
A player of his quality arriving at Newcastle in the middle of survival scrap, may well be the move that turns the heads of other targets - those who had the big offer, and know about the fanbase but look at the club's current league standing and form with worry.
That worry is understandable for no one wants to be part of the big money side that went down - that would be a stain on anyone's CV.
Newcastle tempting Trippier back to the Premier League can only be good news for when they pick up the phone to their next target.
They will see an England international, La-Liga winning defender joining and maybe think heading to Tyneside is worth the gamble.
The other thing to note is that at 31, this may well be Trippier's last big-money move - the years ahead of him to win a trophy not as far in the distance as they once were.
If indeed he does move to Newcastle, it would not have been an easy decision given his desire to win something before he retires.
But the vision sold him must have worked - and that will be noted by other potential arrivals who will look at the quality arriving at the club.
Trippier is set to kick-start United's transfer window and he may prove a useful asset just as much off the pitch as on it.
