According to many news wires, Scott Sinclair was expected to complete a £6.2m move from Swansea City to Manchester City at some stage this week.
However, reports today suggest that a move has stalled. What a blessing this could be for the career of the young winger.
Should the move be completed, Manchester City would become his tenth club, including loans, at the age of 23 but it would potentially signal the end to his dreams of becoming an England regular.
Having been at the Liberty Stadium for just over two years, enjoying promotion from the Championship in his first season and a superb debut season with the Swans in the Premier League, it seems as though Sinclair has found the right club.
A player with undoubted ability and attacking flair like Sinclair will always attract interest from top clubs, so it is no great surprise that Manchester City are trying to prise him away from Michael Laudrup's side.
The proposed transfer would represent a huge moment in the 23 year-old's fledgling career, potentially a defining moment.
A move to the current Premier League champions would give Sinclair the opportunity to realistically compete for trophies on all fronts and compete in the UEFA Champions League, as well as the obvious increase in financial reward.
The attractions, whether they are financially motivated or not, are there for all to see and appreciate. The question, and it is a serious one, is how realistic his chances of playing regular first team football would be at Eastlands.
Roberto Mancini, the Manchester City manager, has already spoken of the need to find a replacement for Adam Johnson having let the England international complete a transfer to Sunderland last week.
By virtue of Johnson's lack of first team football, Mancini's comments suggest that Sinclair would arguably be the latest player to be warming the bench for the Citizens.
Sinclair wouldn't be the first or last player to be attracted to a bigger stage. It is a recurring theme, like a moth to flame, that has affected and continues to affect many a career.
Yet the reported breakdown of this deal is surely a blessing in disguise.
At Swansea, he is a first team regular which instantly enhances his chances of breaking into the England squad. Some may argue that it is the very fact that he plays for Swansea that is preventing his progression to the international scene. It is a double-edged sword, but with Roy Hodgson now the manager of the national team, consistent performers for club will most probably be rewarded with a call-up, regardless of the stature of the club.
Whilst Sinclair may be ruing the fact that a move to the champions could desert him, it is something that he could well be thankful for in years to come.
Having made the difficult decision of relieving Kenny Dalglish of managerial duties at Liverpool, the appointment of Brendan Rodgers attracted many cynical comments.
There was the obvious criticism that Liverpool, the five time European Cup winners, should be recruiting someone more high profile than a man whose only experience of top flight football was with Swansea in the Premier League last season.
Although the expansive brand of football that Rodgers had Swansea playing saw them finishing just five points behind Liverpool, his appointment still drew derision from fans.
Remarkably, Liverpool fans were adamant that Dalglish should have remained at the helm despite the win ratio during his tenure being less than 10% better than the under the much-maligned Roy Hodgson's stewardship.
Many would argue that Hodgson was denied time to settle as manager because he wasn't the fans' choice. The calls of "Dalglish" from the Kop soon told the board who they wanted.
Having won the League Cup and reached the final of the FA Cup, eventually losing to Chelsea, it was the eighth placed finish in the Premier League that saw Dalglish's time as Liverpool manager come to an end.
With Rodgers sworn in and wanting to have his new team playing in the style that saw his Swansea side attract many plaudits, his foray into the transfer market saw him bring in two players that he had previously managed in Fabio Borini and Joe Allen.
The two signings only served to bring more negativity in certain quarters with many, like Rodgers' appointment, seeing it as a decline in the club's ability to attract high quality personnel.
Following their opening day defeat, a 3-0 loss away to West Bromwich Albion, the early cynicism resurfaced. The knee-jerk reactions were already apparent on the terraces and on radio phone-ins.
Today, they entertained Manchester City at Anfield in a match that many predicted would see a second straight defeat for Liverpool. How wrong they were.
Although it ended in a 2-2 draw, with both City goals being defensive lapses, the Anfield faithful will be encouraged to see their side play with such tempo and tenacity that the current Champions struggled to contain them.
Joe Allen, pulled the strings in a three-man midfield and was awarded the Sky Sports Man of the Match award for his efforts. It was a performance to silence the critics and to alleviate the pressure on the team and Rodgers.
After a terrible opening day, perhaps Rodgers' work on the training ground is starting to come to fruition.
Earlier this week Roy Hodgson declared that John Terry would be included in England's World Cup qualifying squads for the games against Moldova and Ukraine.
The reason this was even seen as news is due to The Football Association's protracted dealing of Terry's independent hearing over charges he used a racist slur against QPR's Anton Ferdinand in a Premier League game last October.
Terry, who denies the allegation, was cleared of racially abusing Ferdinand by a magistrates' court in July. Weeks later and having waited for the legal case to run it's course, The FA charged the Chelsea captain with using "abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour" towards the QPR defender.
Almost a month has passed and the football fraternity is still to learn what sanctions will be bestowed upon Terry.
It is a farcical situation and only adds to the weight behind accusations that The FA are inept at dealing with the big decisions in football. They also display a complete lack of consistency in the speed in which these matters are dealt with.
Luis Suarez, the Liverpool and Uruguay striker, was banned for eight games and fined £40,000 in December of last year for "using insulting words" towards Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra. The ban and fine was delivered less than two months after the incident, which occurred on 15th October 2011.
Unlike the incident involving Terry and Ferdinand, the inquiry into the Suarez/Evra race row required intricate study of numerous camera angles to ascertain what had been said and, indeed, whether it was insulting.
Rio Ferdinand, the Manchester United defender and older brother of Anton, was charged by The FA on 30th July with improper conduct following a comment made on Twitter. Another user labelled Ashley Cole, the Chelsea and England defender, a 'choc ice' for supporting Terry in his court case.
By re-tweeting the comment, a derogatory term meaning black on the outside, white on the inside, Ferdinand was seen as endorsing the slur.
Within three weeks, Ferdinand was found guilty and fined £45,000.
Given the speed in which the latter two cases have been dealt with, serious questions need to be asked of The FA as to why it is taking them so long to deal with such a high profile case which has only served to tarnish the sport and the Premier League's reputation.
By virtue of the fact the case was subject to a legal investigation, any hearing held by The FA was always going to be delayed; but there are many who feel that The FA were too weak in allowing Terry to delay the court case until after Euro 2012.
The delay lead to Hodgson having to make an awkward selection for his Euro 2012 squad which ended up with Rio Ferdinand omitted from the squad, despite the initial reassurance that having both Terry and Ferdinand involved would not be divisive.
Last week, the situation became even more embarrassing when Hodgson openly stated that he hopes Terry is cleared of any wrongdoing as he wants him available for selection.
Although this comment was ill-advised and subsequently criticised by Lord Ouseley, chairman of anti-racism organisation Kick it Out, perhaps it shows the complications that a prolonged hearing is causing the England manager.
The inquiry involving Suarez was far more complex, not least because the insult aimed at Evra was spoken in his native tongue. The charge brought about by The FA set a precedent, but the longer they take to make a decision on the Terry/Anton Ferdinand saga, the more people will begin to wonder how equipped they are at making a stance on such a imperative issue.
Manchester United's 3-2 home win against Fulham this afternoon saw Robin van Persie score on his full debut and Wayne Rooney ruled out for a month following a nasty looking injury.
Rooney, who was introduced as a second half substitute, was carried off following a challenge from Fulham striker, Hugo Rodallega, and Sir Alex Ferguson has predicted that his striker will be out for four weeks.
Whilst it may sound absurd in the aftermath of such a key figure of United's attack being ruled out, this could be a welcome relief for Ferguson as he looks to shape a team that has had little time to gel since the arrival of van Persie.
On Monday night, against an inspired Everton side, United looked devoid of creativity which wasn't helped with an unfamiliar 4-3-3 formation, eventually succumbing to a 1-0 defeat. Shinji Kagawa, signed from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, was the only outfield player who came out of the game with any real credit after showing promising touches in an advanced role.
United's formation in the defeat to Everton lacked width and penetration. Rooney, at the forefront of the attack, struggled to have any impact on the game and looked visibly fatigued midway through the first half.
The injury to Rooney in today's game will allow Ferguson to re-assess his first choice eleven without the media glare that would ensue if a fit Wayne Rooney was overlooked.
It was a peculiar move to opt for a 4-3-3 against Everton given the time it took to come to fruition when Cristiano Ronaldo was at the club. Perhaps it suggested that Ferguson was looking for a way to accomodate a front three of Rooney, van Persie and Kagawa at some stage. The early signs did not look good.
With Rooney now out for a reported four weeks, Ferguson will be able to mould a side with van Perise, the Premier League's top scorer from last season, as the focal point.
Ferguson's main gripe from the defeat at Goodison Park was the lack of service to van Persie after his introduction midway through the second half. Given United lacked any real width and looked lacklustre in the final third, this was no real surprise on the night.
Kagawa, whose talents are best utilised in a role just off of the striker, has all the attributes to supply van Persie with goal scoring opportunities. Today's formation of 4-4-1-1 at Old Trafford suggested that this may well be the preferred look with natural width across a four man midfield.
Whilst United fans may have cause for concern and rival supporters may be rejoicing at the lay-off for Rooney, this could well prove to be just what the doctor ordered.
It is still less than two weeks from the curtain closing ceremony of the London Olympics, not that you needed reminding.
Since then sport, notably football, has been read the "follow the Olympic example" mantra and it shows no sign of abating.
There is no doubting that it is a credible mantra. The world has witnessed one of the most memorable Olympics of recent times and the feel-good factor generated across the UK was evident for all to see. The nation shared the elation of success and the disappointment of failure with the athletes, recognising the personal sacrifices made by each and every athlete who had given everything to win an Olympic medal at their home games.
Admittedly football does need to clean up its act after a season which was overshadowed by racism rows. Although the quarter-final defeat to Italy signalled the end of England's Euro 2012 campaign, it also signalled the start of the much anticipated court case involving John Terry, the Chelsea captain and former England captain.
The whole court case, read out in front of the entire nation, was an embarrassment to the sport and for all the organisations that have been working so tirelessly to rid football of racism. Whilst Terry was cleared of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, the QPR defender, the language used was deplorable and is still subject to a Football Association hearing.
Whether The FA determine Terry's comments to be worthy of a fine or ban remains to be seen. Quite what Roy Hodgson, the England manager, was thinking by pleading with his employers for Terry to escape punishment we may never know. For such an intelligent man to even entertain the question of Terry's potential penalty was unwise, but not fatal.
The opening week of the new football season has, thankfully, shown an awful lot of good. For entertainment, there are few sports that can compete.
The euphoria that swept the nation during London 2012 was of such magnitude because everyone was supporting the same team and one can only hope that the same level of support is maintained for Team GB in the Paralympics.
Following the example set by the Olympics may prove to be difficult in the short term, but there is no reason why the success of one sport should shackle another.
