New Huddersfield Town signing Tommy Elphick comes to the club not only looking to add competition to Jan Siewert's centre-back options, but to act as a trusted senior general in a dressing room that contains more than a few younger faces - and if you ask any of his former managers or teammates, he is perfect for that role.
The first positive omen for Town fans is that Elphick has been involved in no fewer than four promotion campaigns over his career.
First, he helped Brighton finish as League One champions in 2010/11, earning the respect of then-Seagulls manager Gus Poyet for his exemplary attitude after losing his place in the side due to the undroppable form of his teammates.
Poyet said: "He has been a true professional, impressive. Many other players in his situation would be moaning and complaining and trying to leave but he has been outstanding in those terms.
"He wasn’t happy but he was training, even more than the rest. He asked to train a few days when we were off, he asked to play in the reserves and we had to stop him because they were not the best games for him.
"I think it’s an example for the rest of the players and they are the players you want at the club. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have a player like that during a difficult time for him."
Elphick missed the entire 2011/12 season for Brighton with an Achilles injury, and upon making a successful recovery moved across the south coast to help Bournemouth finish as runners-up in the same division two years later.
The 6'2" defender was then ever-present as captain during Bournemouth's Championship title-winning season in 2014/15, and started all of the Cherries' first five games in the Premier League before going down with a recurrence of his Achilles injury, which kept him out for much of the season.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was full of praise for his skipper upon his departure in 2016, telling the Bournemouth Echo: "Tommy has played a key role in the incredible journey we have been on and has been a big part of a team which has created some wonderful memories for a lot of people and everyone connected with the club would like to thank him for his efforts.
"He has been an incredible servant and the most successful captain in the club’s history. He led the club and the team with real distinction, both on and off the pitch. He was also a great ambassador and someone I really enjoyed working with.
"Tommy has a real winner’s mentality and that was very evident to me as soon as I started working with him. He never lost it for a second and was always fiercely determined to do his best at all times. He is a person of great character and an inspiration to all, especially his team-mates.
"A lot of what Tommy did our supporters didn't see. The way he was with his team-mates in training and the way he communicated with the squad away from the pitch were top class.
"You need players to set the standard and the culture of the football club and Tommy was a fierce protector of everything we did. That is why I think him and I had such a good relationship and why everyone in the squad respected him so much."
He recovered well enough to earn a move to newly-relegated Aston Villa in summer 2016, and spent the first half of last season on loan at Hull City.
The impact he made to the Hull side is revealed through the statistics: the Tigers conceded 1.22 goals per game with Elphick in the side, but 1.64 per game without him - an increase of 34%. Coincidentally, one of the goals they conceded without Elphick was scored by the man himself, as he got on the scoresheet to help Villa to a 3-1 win on the opening day of the season.
That convinced the Villans to bring back their former captain for the second half of the season, and he started 10 games in a row from New Year's Day onwards before suffering a fractured ankle in the 4-0 win over Derby that would serve as a preview of Villa's eventual playoff final triumph.
True to his reputation, Elphick continued to behave as a consummate professional behind the scenes, with Tyrone Mings - who also played with Elphick at Bournemouth - lauding him for his impact behind the scenes even during his imposed absence.
Mings told Villa's official website: "Tommy has been brilliant. He’s really helped. He’s a big influence in the dressing room. He’s a big character.
"You can’t underestimate him here – and for me settling in either.
"I obviously played with him at the start when I joined. He’s a good player. He’s a good talker.
"Obviously, off the field, I have known him for a long time and he’s a really top guy. He’s helped me."