West Ham United are enjoying a far better season than what was on show last term. Triumph in the Europa Conference League eradicated any noise surrounding a lacklustre campaign, sure, but it papered over cracks that would have been glaring otherwise.
A 14th-place Premier League finish was honestly a fair reflection on the domestic front, and with Declan Rice sold to Arsenal for £105m soon after the campaign's conclusion, David Moyes and the board needed to get it right during the off-season.
Thankfully, get it right the Irons did. With Edson Alvarez, Mohammed Kudus and co arriving to replenish the squad, currently seventh in the league table and into the quarter-finals of the Europa League, pitted against indomitable-looking Bayer Leverkusen.
The first team is firing and hopeful of sustained success in a position of promise, but the academy is the bedrock of a football team and it wouldn't hurt to have another exciting talent emerge.
That might just be the case with Oliver Scarles on the up.
Oliver Scarles' season in numbers
Scarles only turned 18 years old back in December but he is already stretching his boyish avidity into the senior set-up, having perched on the bench in the Premier League five times since the new year.
A versatile player, Scarles is principally fielded as a left-back but has played at left wing, central midfield and central defence as he finds his feet ahead of a desired breakthrough to the West Ham first-team.
Left midfield
12
2
3
Right midfield
2
0
1
Left-back
2
0
0
Central midfield
1
0
0
Left wing
1
0
1
He has been particularly eye-catching in the EFL Trophy, bagging a goal and two assists from five matches for the Young Hammers against senior opposition, also averaging two tackles and clearances, 6.6 ball recoveries and 4.6 successful duels per game.
He's a real talent and now appears to be on the cusp of prominence at the top level. He might just be the biggest talent since Rice, surpassing fellow academy stars such as Divin Mubama.
Mubama is admittedly an exciting young striker and actually scored in the Europa Conference League last season, but his progress has somewhat stagnated this year and the 19-year-old has featured just five times in the Premier League, with two goals from five matches in the development top-flight.
Why Oliver Scarles could be West Ham's Rice replacement
Like Rice, Scarles was released from Chelsea's Cobham academy as a youth, since picked up by West Ham and provided with a platform to grow into his skin.
He might not be positionally identical to Rice but there are parallels to be drawn, with both players blessed with dynamism and flexibility that has seen them used in midfield as well as their typical defensive role.
Moreover, Moyes has remarked that Scarles is "stylish on the ball", with a natural grace and presence that strengthens the argument that the Irons are nurturing their next version of Rice.
To put it in a nutshell, Scarles has further development ahead if he wishes to emulate a fellow academy graduate in Rice and make an impression under Moyes' wing, but the Scotsman has spoken of his admiration for the young talent and this is reflected through his recent features in the Premier League matchday squad.
The next step in his flowering career will be telling, but the signs point toward success.