Jack Grealish's summer was dominated by transfer rumours before the Aston Villa captain put pen to paper on a long-term deal with his boyhood charges.
Now an established Premier League talent, the likes of Manchester United have been mooted as a potential landing spot for the England international.
Obviously, the fact he will stay in the Midlands is a massive boost for a Villa side in his thrall but, according to David Ornstein, it could have been very different.
Speaking on Tifo's Youtube channel, The Athletic journalist revealed the club would have been 'sympathetic' should a suitable offer have arrived for their captain.
'I think Villa would have been sympathetic to the situation if a suitable offer had arrived,' said Ornstein when asked about the player.
There is little doubting Grealish's quality and the fact he tops the rankings in almost every attacking metric tells you how important he is to their cause.
Still, as Daniel Storey pointed out recently, he surely wouldn't dominate a major European club in the same manner, so perhaps that's why no such offer presented itself.
Then there's the pandemic.
In a post COVID-19 world, not many of the continent's powerhouses splashed out significant sums of money as football feels the effects of the damage the virus has caused.
With that in mind, it looked to be the perfect summer to keep Grealish. By extending his contract, Villa have also ensured they'd be getting as much money as they possibly can should elite level clubs no longer ignore his exploits.
Perhaps the day for him to leave Villa will come and, should they take the same attitude they reportedly had this summer, his beloved club may not stand in his way.