When Wolverhampton Wanderers won the Championship with 99 points in 2017/18, there was an emanating feeling of optimism that had scarcely been seen at Molineux for some years.
The Old Gold had crafted a team capable of competing in the Premier League before promotion had even been clinched, with the likes of Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves featuring prominently in the ascension from the second tier.
The latter still stars at the centre of the Old Gold system to date, with Jota completing a £45m transfer to Liverpool in 2020, and with Neves having been touted by the likes of Jurgen Klopp's Reds after proving a staple to his side's success over the past five years, his stature as a leading Premier League midfielder is illuminated.
How much is Ruben Neves worth now?
Signing for £15m from Porto in 2017, the Portuguese machine has made 244 appearances for Wolves, scoring 29 goals and providing 12 assists from his assiduous central role.
According to Football Transfers, the 26-year-old is now worth £39m, marking a 160% increase in his value; out of contract in 2024, if boss Julen Lopetegui fails to tie his star down to a new long-term deal, instead choosing to recuperate the fee the club paid, there is no doubt that he would eclipse the initial figure.
The 37-cap international has been hailed a "beast" by former US international Jimmy Conrad for his exploits in Wolves colours, integral in clinching successive seventh-place top-flight finishes and taking his outfit to the quarter-finals of the 19/20 Europa League, and he has cemented his legacy as one of the proud club's modern legends.
What is Neves' record at Wolves?
Dubbed "sensational" by former skipper Conor Coady, Neves has been a stalwart for his team and an imperious and unrelenting engine to ensure a fall back into the Championship has not materialised.
This season, Wolves have been threatened by relegation, with the appointment of Lopetegui in November proving a success thus far – though with just three points separating the 13th-placed team and newly-promoted Bournemouth in the relegation zone, safety is certainly not yet ensured.
But with Neves scoring five goals from 26 league matches this term, recording an impressive average Sofascore rating of 7.28, the club's Spanish manager has the perfect force to stave off the threat.
Neves' 1.5 shots and 0.8 key passes per game illustrate his creative threat, while his 85% passing accuracy and 70% dribble success rate provide a level of assurance that is imperative to treading water above danger.
And with the combative nature of the £50k-per-week phenom evidenced by his 2.4 tackles, 2.6 clearances and 1.4 interceptions per match, his all-encompassing work would likely leave him flourishing among any crop of players in European football, hence the mounting interest from European outfits.
As per FBref, Neves ranks among the top 11% of midfielders in Europe for total shots and the top 2% for clearances per 90, compared by the site to the likes of Arsenal's Thomas Partey and West Ham United's Declan Rice, clearly a stellar peer to some of the Premier League's most admired holding stars.
Neves' rise in value is a testament to the shrewd scouting unit at Molineux, and the diligence of chairman Jeff Shi to make a bold move for the machine before a return to the Premier League has even materialised.
He embodies the Old Gold side that has plied marvellous work over recent years, and his transfer as an aspiring talent should be viewed as nothing other than a comprehensive success.