There were smiles all round Hotspur Way as James Maddison finally put pen to paper on the contract that commits him to Tottenham for at least the next five years.
That's because there are a lot of people within the north London club that are fans of the 26-year-old England international. It goes all the way to the top with chairman Daniel Levy, who saw him as a fan-pleasing statement signing, and Ange Postecoglou, who sees him as the perfect fit for his system.
Then there is Fabio Paratici, who football.london revealed this week is still involved with Spurs on a consultancy basis, and chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini, who both rate Maddison highly. There are also even more crucially the players, many of whom know the former Leicester midfielder well and have seen first hand what damage he can wreak on the opposition.
The midfielder has scored three goals and provided one assist against the north London club in the Premier League in his past three matches against them. Those Tottenham players will be delighted to have him on their side from now on.
Maddison was strongly considered as a signing last summer but there was ultimately an acceptance that under Antonio Conte, the Italian's formation did not allow for the then Leicester man through its centre, thus rendering a much higher fee difficult to justify for a player who might end up on the sidelines more often than not. Under Postecoglou, Maddison will be a pivotal cog in the machine.
The arrival of Maddison in the white threads of the new Spurs shirt marks the end of a long, long period of interest, stretching all the way back to his formative seasons at Coventry City more than eight years ago. Every time the midfielder has moved club, Tottenham have been watching in the background only for one reason or another never to push through a move.
READ MORE: The awkward moment and task awaiting Guglielmo Vicario as Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham keeper
Now they have finally got their man for £40million, a fee that looks like one of the bargains of the summer amid the money being thrown around in the transfer window. Maddison's talented England colleague Declan Rice, with his longer contract, looks set to move from West Ham for a nine figure sum.
Spurs have taken advantage of Maddison's contract situation - he only had 12 months left at Leicester - as well as the Foxes' relegation and they benefited from Newcastle dropping out of the chase. That left not only Tottenham with a clear path to the player but also the lack of competition which meant Leicester could not hope to get anywhere close to their original £60million valuation of the player.
With Maddison keen on the move, neither club wanted a long drawn out transfer window saga and negotiations, when they began, were concluded relatively swiftly with Norwich getting a reported 15% cut of the profits.
Many believe Tottenham have got themselves a remarkable deal for a player valued in previous years at around double his eventual Spurs fee, although Leicester will receive more in further add-ons should he rack up the appearances and impress in north London. If, as expected, he does then Spurs will only continue to see it as the bargain many believe it is.
On top of that, albeit in a separate deal, Harry Winks, who also is in the final 12 months of his contract, is set to head in the opposite direction to Leicester in a deal worth £10million.
Last season Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness said of Maddison: "He'll do the hard jobs, he's an all round top man and I really think it will be hard to hold onto him. [It will have to be] over £100million for him. Chelsea spent £110million on [Enzo] Fernandez, you're buying potential with him, whereas Maddison is a great now player. The hardest thing in football is to get goals, he does that. He gets goals, and he creates.
"I think he's destined for the biggest stage. I think it's going to be hard for Leicester to hold onto him. The hardest thing to get in midfield is what he possesses in abundance. He's got a cute pass, he takes the ball in tight areas, he can slip people in and he's got an eye for a goal."
What also helped Tottenham's cause was the big connecting factor of CAA Base. The huge agency that represents Maddison has a strong presence at Spurs with Postecoglou, Son Heung-min, Richarlison and Pedro Porro on their books as well as many talented youngsters in the club's academy and the agency has Levy's trust, rare for a man who never appears to be the biggest fan of agents and intermediaries.
It is now three transfer windows in a row in which a Base client has arrived at Spurs for big money and it's four clients if you include the new head coach. It's rare to have a Tottenham transfer window without a Base client tipped for the north London club and Spurs have also been linked this time around with Juventus defender Gleison Bremer again as well as Eberechi Eze at Crystal Palace, both Base clients.
Maddison is a statement signing for Tottenham just when they and Levy especially needed it. Spurs fans have been calling for a creative central midfielder for years, especially with Christian Eriksen never truly replaced. The team has had to rely too heavily on Harry Kane to drop deep and create as well as score the goals they need.
Spurs must improve their defence and that will come in this window, but the signing of Maddison is one that benefits the under-fire Levy. It's an eye-catching arrival and most of all it's an exciting one.
The supporters have not always enjoyed the football of recent seasons and now they not only have a manager in Postecoglou who demands thrilling, attacking football but they have a playmaker to help make it happen.
In Postecoglou's system, Maddison will sprinkle his creativity liberally. The England international can play as a number eight in the three-man midfield in the Australian's 4-3-3 or on the left or right of the front three. The new head coach sometimes utilises a 4-2-3-1 and in that formation Maddison can play as the central number 10 behind the striker or again on the flanks.
With the newcomer's ability to pick out quick passes and thread the ball through to the likes of Harry Kane, Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison, Postecoglou's relentless style of attacking is going to have its fulcrum.
Then there is Kane. Speculation continues to persist around the England captain although Tottenham maintain they have no intention of selling the striker and that Postecoglou's plans very much include the 29-year-old for the coming season.
football.london understands that Postecoglou and Kane have plans to talk about what comes next when the striker returns from his summer holiday.
The Australian's system, which will be tweaked as he has done in the past to spare Kane the constant running required, will furnish the forward with chances galore next season. Kane managed 30 Premier League goals in the last campaign despite Spurs' struggles. He will be presented with the opportunities to far better that this time around.
Maddison will play a big part in that and he will allow Kane to focus more on his finishing than dropping back. The striker will appreciate the arrival of his fellow England international and the statement nature of the signing, even if it means he's unlikely to be attempting to take many more free-kicks for the club thanks to Maddison's expertise in that area.
While there is still plenty to be done in this transfer window for Tottenham, not least moving on a number of players, that they have managed to sign two first team starters before pre-season begins is an important step. Guglielmo Vicario is expected to be just what the Postecoglou ordered at one end of the pitch and Maddison will relish his role at the other.
