Alexander Isak knows a thing or two about anxious waits after having to be patient throughout the summer hoping for the green light to sign for Newcastle United.
For the last two months, he has been waiting for the nod from Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay to finally sanction his big money move to Newcastle. Like fans in Spain, he picked up Marca to see his name linked with Newcastle but was then continuously told: "Business as usual" from the big boss and through it all he was told to stay silent.
The Sociedad supremo would not entertain Newcastle's opening bids for the Sweden international and told him to report to training during pre-season in July just when United thought they were getting somewhere with a bid. But on August 23, after it took sporting director Dan Ashworth and head of recruitment Steve Nickson, and a private jet over to San Sebastian, Aperribay finally caved in.
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Isak could cost Newcastle more than £63million in total and there are other clauses that could yet come into play for the former Borussia Dortmund centre-forward. Isak admits he is relieved that the deal did get done in time for the transfer deadline - even if he then had another enforced wait placed on him by the Home Office after a red tape wrangle.
And it was little wonder that Liverpool felt the full force of Isak in his opening 64 minutes of action in a black and white shirt with a well-taken goal and a strike that was taken off him, despite being onside.
Reflecting on his stints in the waiting room this summer, Isak said: "It's been frustrating. Not knowing if you can play or not but you prepare anyway.
"Then losing the game in the last seconds on my debut, that's never nice. We're disappointed but you have to use this feeling and turn it into energy for the next game."
Isak's record-breaking move from Spain was done and dusted in good time before the transfer window closed. For Eddie Howe, he was even able to sit back on deadline day night with four hours to go knowing he'd brought what was needed to the table.
The 22-year-old's arrival was the headline of Newcastle's summer business by some margin but it was a quiet introduction to life as the club's record signing compared to others. It was a far cry from the 20,000 fans who greeted Alan Shearer in 1996 behind the Leazes End and it was very different to the day Michael Owen signed and club officials opened the stands for fans to cheer him on after signing from Real Madrid.
United simply didn't have time to arrange a grand unveiling like they were able to for Miguel Almiron, Bruno Guimaraes or Gini Wijnaldum. The deal - which took place in the middle of the schedule that included trips to Tranmere and Wolves - was as hectic as events unfolding around United.
Remarkably, Howe has held six press conferences in the last week or so and has spent way more time than he would have wanted fielding questions from journalists. But he was calm on Friday morning with business now behind him.
Now Isak just wants to impress the boss and the fans. His introduction to the press wasn't ideal for himself or the small media scrum who spoke to him for the first time in the bowels of the famous Anfield but nobody was going to turn it down.
Ideally, Isak would have wanted to be talking about scoring the winning goals against Liverpool while journalists, who crammed the five minute and 17 second interview in around tight midweek newspaper deadlines, would at least have preferred to have offered the striker a chair as he walked through the mixed zone with a dead leg.
Isak admitted: "The last week and a half has probably been not normal for the club as well! We've had a lot of games in a short period of time so the training load has been quite low which hasn't been ideal for me as I haven't played for the last week."
When asked about what he hoped to bring to the table, Isak said: "I will try to provide a bit of everything, not only in the box but also in the build up play. I will try to float around and use my qualities."
Isak, though, can't wait to get going in front of the fans, as he said: "It's incredible to have away fans that make that noise, it gives you a lot of energy.
"That is something very special, especially at away games. It was really nice to see. I'm really looking forward to playing in front of our fans at home.
"So that's a positive thing that we have another game just around the corner to respond. I have a good feeling here already. "And hopefully that will now just get better."
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