Sammie Szmodics exploded into life at Blackburn Rovers last season, finishing as the top scorer in the Championship despite not exactly showing that kind of form ever during his career.
For a man who only registered five goals and two assists in 34 league appearances during the 2022/23 campaign, he did remarkably well to take his game to a new level.
His goals helped John Eustace's side to stay in the Championship - and that firepower was much-needed following the departure of Ben Brereton Diaz.
Sammie Szmodics' 2023/24 campaign at Blackburn Rovers
(All competitions)
Appearances
Goals
Assists
In so many games, he proved to be the difference, and his goals during the latter stages of the season were particularly important.
His strike away at Leeds United helped Rovers to win three points against the odds - and he also struck twice away at Leicester City to secure safety on the final day of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Foxes may have been in holiday mode at that point, having already won the second-tier title, but that didn't make this victory any less impressive.
Szmodics also started this season with the Lancashire side, registering a goal and an assist against Derby County from the bench on the opening day of the season and also scoring a brace in the EFL Cup away at Stockport County.
But it always looked inevitable that he would move on from Ewood Park during the summer transfer window - and newly-promoted Ipswich Town swooped in to tie up a deal for the attacker - believed to be in the region of £9m.
Sammie Szmodics estimated wage at former club Blackburn Rovers
John Eustace applauds the Blackburn Rovers supporters at Ewood Park
In November last year, Szmodics put pen to paper on a three-year deal, with Rovers having the option to extend his contract by a further 12 months.
This proved to be a very shrewd bit of business, considering he went on to become the second tier's top goalscorer, and this deal put the Lancashire side in a stronger negotiating position going into the previous window.
It wouldn't have been a surprise if the club had to raise his salary to persuade the forward to put pen to paper on a new deal, but he certainly repaid that faith with his performances and match-winning moments.
According to Capology, Szmodics was estimated to be earning £780,000 per year (£15,000 per week), putting him in joint-third place in terms of last season's top estimated earners at Ewood Park along with Harry Pickering and Arnor Sigurdsson - only John Fleck (£20,000 per week) and Dom Hyam (£16,923 per week) were estimated to be earning more.
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How much more Sammie Szmodics is estimated to be earning at Ipswich Town
Szmodics already been able to make a difference for the Tractor Boys, scoring a crucial goal in a 2-1 away win at Tottenham Hotspur, and he has also been able to get himself on the scoresheet against Manchester City and Brentford.
Kieran McKenna will be hoping that the 29-year-old can keep producing and provide value for the money they have spent on him, not just on a transfer fee, but also on wages.
Capology have estimated that Szmodics is earning £1.3m per year (£25,000 per week). That's a sizeable jump from his estimated wage at Rovers, where he was earning £10,000 less per week and £520,000 less per year, but perhaps you'd expect it to be more than that, given how much salaries have increased over the years in the top flight of English football.