Manchester City are not expecting Ayyoub Bouaddi to tear up the Premier League this season. That much is clear. The club's internal position is that the teenager's defining years at the Etihad remain ahead of him, not behind him, and the early evidence suggests they have a point.
Bouaddi arrived from Lille for €100 million on a five-year contract that runs to 2031. Only a handful of teenagers have ever commanded a fee in that bracket. Hugo Viana, the director of football, was unambiguous when the deal was completed, describing the midfielder's ceiling as exceptionally high and calling him a player equipped with everything a top midfielder needs.
Enzo Maresca took a slightly different angle. The manager highlighted Bouaddi's maturity and communication skills as the qualities that convinced the club to sanction the outlay, saying the youngster is different in terms of empathy and maturity, and that this is why City made the effort to bring him in.
That faith has already produced a moment. Bouaddi's full debut came in a 2-0 Champions League win at Porto, where he was deployed as the holding midfielder and ran the game. Maresca called the performance unbelievable. A few days later, the 18-year-old supplied an assist in a 5-0 Carabao Cup victory over Norwich City.
Even so, City are not pretending this will be a seamless transition. As BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel reported, the club acknowledge Bouaddi will not rip it up immediately and will need time to settle into English football. The expectation instead is that he establishes himself as a key first-team figure over the next two seasons.
That timeline makes sense when you look at the options Maresca already has. Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez, Mateo Kovacic and Nico O'Reilly are all established in his thinking for the 2026/27 campaign. There is no hole to fill in a hurry.
Richard Dunne, the former City captain, has been clear that no amount of spending can directly replace Rodri. He is backing the club's £326 million midfield investment to prove its worth over time, which is a fair summary of the situation. You do not buy a ready-made Rodri. You buy a player who might, in three or four years, make you stop missing him.
Bouaddi, for his part, seems unbothered by the noise. He described his approach to a summer of transfer uncertainty by saying he stayed really calm, that he watches what will happen and enjoys life. Not a bad mindset for a Morocco international who helped his country reach the quarter-final of a FIFA World Cup.
Recognition has followed. He has been nominated for the Kopa Trophy at October's Ballon d'Or ceremony, the award given to the best under-21 player in the world. Lamine Yamal is among his competition. At 18, with six months still to go before his 19th birthday, that is not a bad place to be.
City return after the international break with a trip to Anfield on October 11 to face Liverpool, before Maresca and his squad welcome Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain to the Etihad Stadium. Bouaddi will get more chances. The club are in no rush to see him take them all at once.