Chelsea's deadline-day capture of Manchester City's Cole Palmer was perplexing, not least because the £42.5 million ($52m) fee pushed their spend under co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali past the £1 billion ($1.2bn) mark. In what was viewed as a costly, knee-jerk reaction to Christopher Nkunku's untimely pre-season injury, the Blues had shelled out on another youngster who, despite boasting a portfolio of impressive cameos, was unproven in the Premier League and had made just 41 appearances for City overall.
However, Palmer's faultless start to life at Stamford Bridge has flipped that narrative on its head; a string of imperious, influential performances has seen questions over his price tag become muted. Having been sensibly eased into the team by Mauricio Pochettino, the 21-year-old has emerged as one of Chelsea's most important players.
That was certainly the case on Sunday, when Palmer proved a point against his old side, impressing throughout the Blues' Premier League clash with City and eventually earning his new team a point from the penalty spot in second-half stoppage time.