Carlos Espí arrived at Real Madrid in a swift deal, after Gonzalo García's departure to Fulham left a gap in an attack whose first-choice line-up appears entirely clear.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, head of scouting Juni Calafat put three names on the table before settling on Carlos Espí, the tall striker who saved Levante thanks to his 11 goals, 10 of which came from February onwards, when every match was effectively a final for the side.
More than two months into the campaign, Espí has not started a single game. He has played 38 minutes out of Real Madrid's 900. His longest appearance lasted 10 minutes, against Espanyol on the opening matchday of La Liga, yet the young forward is still regarded as one of the standout players of the season in José Mourinho's side.
Why? Because Espí has scored three goals in those few minutes, and only Kylian Mbappé, with nine, has bettered him.
Twenty-nine touches of the ball, three goals. Espí's strikes have delivered two La Liga wins against Espanyol and Elche, and he changed the course of the match in Rome with Real Madrid's third to make it 3-2.
His presence in the squad gives Real Madrid an attacking option that has long held a prominent place in the club's history: the out-and-out striker who specialises in finishing moves with a single touch.
Two of those three goals, against Elche and in Rome, came first time. At the Cornellà stadium he needed three touches to control the ball and strike it beyond the reach of goalkeeper Dmitrović.
Mourinho has been completely satisfied with what Espí has offered since their first meeting, but he knows his attacking plan relies on Mbappé as the centre-forward.
That choice requires little explanation, given the French star's ability to score consistently. What stands out is how few minutes Espí has been handed, with only Endrick, on 35 minutes, playing less.
Even so, the Brazilian forward got a full half an hour in Rome, three times the number of minutes Espí managed in the match that saw his biggest involvement on the pitch.
Five minutes at the Bernabéu
A goal every fewer than 13 minutes. Nobody comes close to that rate, and Espí is forcing Mourinho to reconsider how he deals his attacking cards and divides the minutes among his players. On the one hand, there is Mbappé's goalscoring appetite, with one of the team's biggest stars, by virtue of his status, receiving plenty of playing time even in matches that have already been settled.
On the other, there is a striker who scores every time he gets a chance to play, even if it is limited to a few minutes.
Mbappé is one of Real Madrid's icons, more than simply a player on the club's books, but Espí has earned the right to have the Santiago Bernabéu crowd demand greater playing time, after his appearances in the capital were limited to one match, in which he played only four minutes, against Real Sociedad.
Supporters, by contrast, now have every right to demand to see Espí on their own pitch, having watched him prove his ability to score. Wanting those goals in front of them at the Santiago Bernabéu has become only natural.
The clash with Sevilla, which marks the start of Vinícius's long suspension and comes before the eagerly awaited meeting with Leipzig in the Champions League, opens the door for Espí and Endrick to stake a claim for a bigger role.
Mourinho holds the decision. How to use them, when to do so, and how many minutes each of them gets.