IN the ever-changing world of modern football parlance, they are what has become commonly bracketed under the term 'numbers'. In old money, they are goals and assists and the way in which the best midfielders made their names.
Whatever the phraseology, the commodity remains as priceless today as it always has been. Funds must now be spent at Ibrox as Rangers prepare to cash in on Joe Aribo.
It was the Nigerian who topped the chart in terms of numbers from midfield last season and replacing those statistics specifically, and his influence more generally, will become one of the defining deals that Giovanni van Bronckhorst does this summer.
There has long been a sense that supporters had seen the last of Aribo in a Rangers shirt and a return to England is now more imminent than it has been for some time. Such a scenario will rightly disappoint those who have taken Aribo to their hearts, but it should not come as a surprise.
For 12 dream, delirious minutes in Seville, Aribo had them believing. Now, several weeks on, it is he who is set to reach for the stars once again as a move to the Premier League beckons.
Aribo is not short of suitors, and rightly so. Southampton have become the latest side to join a queue that already included Crystal Palace, Fulham and Nottingham Forest and a fee around the £10million mark won't put off admirers who are buying his potential as much as his talent.
Three seasons at Ibrox may only have returned one league title and one Scottish Cup, but Aribo's career and progression cannot be defined solely in those terms. Indeed, it cannot be restricted just to the numbers - nine goals and ten assists - that he delivered last term.
Those contributions came from 57 matches for Rangers. Overall, he pulled on his boots on 70 occasions as a marathon campaign of more than 5,500 minutes for club and country came to an end some eleven months after his first outing.
That magical moment that gave Van Bronckhorst's side the lead in the Europa League final was undoubtedly the peak point, but there were many highs and lows throughout the season as Aribo's form fluctuated. The pressure on him rarely diminished, though.
There were several reasons why Rangers ultimately failed to defend their Premiership title, why the heroes of 55 floundered so badly at times and ensured that their reign lasted just one term before they ended on a positive with victory over Hearts at Hampden.
A lack of goals from across the side was costly. During a term where the combination of contributing factors proved too great to overcome, their profligacy in the final third was as damaging as any as Rangers struggled to find their rhythm.
The 38 Premiership fixtures saw 80 goals, some 12 fewer than Celtic, scored. It was also a dozen less than Steven Gerrard's side had netted the previous campaign and every area of the side was culpable for the drop-off.
Aribo could argue that he played his part but the lulls in his form, especially in the aftermath of the African Cup of Nations exit at the round of 16 to Tunisia, showed how reliant Rangers were on him as a creative presence.
Had he chosen to remain at Ibrox, Van Bronckhorst would have had to find a way to compliment and supplement his contribution. As it transpires, the Dutchman will have to replace Aribo as well as find a way of adding much-needed numbers from the central area.
No midfielder other than Aribo hit double-figures in terms of combined goals and assists last term. On their way to title 55, Rangers saw Aribo contribute 15 times overall, while Scott Arfield was involved in 13 goals compared to just six strikes last time out.
The return of Ianis Hagi and emergence of Alex Lowry gives Van Bronckhorst options but the rest of his middle men are similar in style and the likes of John Lundstram, Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara cannot be pinpointed as regular scorers.
All three have shown that they are capable, however, and Lundstram and Jack in particular should be expected to contribute more in the final third given the way in which they can strike the ball so crisply and powerfully from distance.
It is an operator with more guile and finesse, as well as a cutting edge, that Rangers require, though, and supporters eagerly awaiting transfer business of any sort will be keen to see a playmaker arrive as a matter of urgency ahead of the new campaign.
There is nobody else within the current squad that has the close control or eye for a pass that Aribo possesses. In truth, his record in front of goal over his three seasons should have been better given his quality but that burden will now fall on the shoulders of another creative force in the coming months.
The ability to unlock congested defences, that nous of timing runs beyond the striker and being able to finish from a range of distances, are not traits that every midfielder has in their armoury and a player that combines the best of Aribo and Arfield will require a significant outlay.
Rangers cannot afford to cut corners, however. The fee that Aribo will command when he heads back across the border will help in that regard and there is pressure on Van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson, the sporting director, to identify and recruit someone capable of providing Rangers with that X-Factor from midfield.
It was unfair and unrealistic to expect Aribo to carry Rangers throughout the entirety of last term and such a demand shouldn't be placed on his predecessor but Seville showed the importance of a player that is adaptable and reliable, one who steps up when needed.
Legendary status was not bestowed on Aribo. Now it is time for Rangers to put their faith in the next playmaker who could make himself a hero at Ibrox.
