The Alexander Isak transfer saga dragged on long enough to leave a mark on two clubs simultaneously, which is quite the achievement for one footballer who hadn't even packed his bags yet. BBC Sport has taken a closer look at how the whole drawn-out affair ended up affecting both Newcastle United and Liverpool, and it is fair to say neither club comes out of it looking particularly well organised.
From Newcastle's perspective, having your best player linked with a move all summer is absolutely poisonous for morale. It is hard enough trying to build momentum going into a new season without half your fanbase wondering whether your top striker will still be there by deadline day. Transfer uncertainty of that kind seeps into everything — training ground atmosphere, recruitment decisions, tactical planning — and Newcastle clearly felt the effects of it.
Liverpool, meanwhile, were hardly covered in glory either. Spending the best part of a summer publicly chasing a player who was at a rival Premier League club created its own kind of mess. It signalled that their striking options were not quite where they needed them to be, and that sort of thing can quietly undermine confidence in the squad before a ball is even kicked competitively.
Isak himself is obviously a fantastic player. Genuinely world class on his day, the kind of centre forward who makes defending look embarrassing. You completely understand why Liverpool wanted him and why the whole saga gathered so much attention. But there is a lesson here for everyone involved about how these things are handled, or rather how they are not handled.
Transfer sagas of this length rarely end cleanly for anyone, and this one was no different. Newcastle lost a generational talent and felt the disruption long before he actually left. Liverpool got their man but spent months looking unsettled in the process. As a Manchester United fan, watching two rivals create chaos for themselves is mildly entertaining, though honestly even we have to admit it was a bit of a circus all round.
Let me know your thoughts.