When Sory Kaba pulls on a Cardiff City shirt for the first time, he'll likely feel a little heavier around the shoulders.
Despite a transfer embargo tempering expectations for the January transfer window, the need for more firepower up front has been blindingly obvious to anyone with even a passing interest in Cardiff''s season so far.
A disastrous relegation to League One remains a very real possibility, and the room for error is dwindling at a rapid rate. On the evidence of Tuesday night's defeat to Luton Town, confidence is dropping just as fast.
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No pressure then, Sory.
It remains to be seen whether the Guinean can handle the heat of a Championship relegation battle, although he does have some idea on how to handle the weight of expectation.
After all, when he signed for parent side Midtjylland in 2019, he did so as the club's record signing, although clearly the brief was a little different with the Danish side rubbing shoulders with some of the best teams in Europe.
On that occasion, he arguably took the challenge in his stride, going on to net eight goals in his first season and 14 in the following campaign. Those who saw him in full flight were understandably impressed by his physicality and imposing presence up front, which helped him terrorise defences to ruthless effect.
Having seen what he's got in his locker, many Bluebirds fans might well be asking why Midtjylland were seemingly so willing to sanction a move away during the dying embers of the transfer window.
But as Johnny Wojciech Kokborg, journalist at Danish outlet BT tells WalesOnline, his time in Denmark sparks mixed memories.
"Why were they willing to let him go? I think it's a combination of a lot of things," he explains.
"He has fine technical ability. He's very strong and powerful, and is really good when in form. But he does have his ups and downs and he can have a bad attitude."
Explaining further, Kokburg points to an incident in the summer of 2021, where Kaba, Midtjylland's top scorer at this point, refused to play under coach Bo Henriksen, ruling him out of the start of the domestic season, and a crucial Europa League tie with Celtic.
"There were some episodes where the tried to push himself out of the club," Kokborg explains. "He refused to play a friendly and walked out of a practice because he was asked to play the role behind the striker which he refused to - because 'Sory Kaba is a striker' as he said to the coach."
It may seem something of a trivial disagreement to some, but one local outlet at the time described it as "a sensational power struggle with the club's management and the head coach".
Kaba was transfer listed and was shipped out on loan to Belgian side OH Leuven, who had the option to make his stay permanent. Despite scoring 10 goals in 26 games, they passed, and he returned to Denmark. To everyone's surprise, he's since been a regular starter for his parent club this term, featuring in all but one of their Superligaen games, netting twice. He's also tussled with the likes of Lazio, Feyenoord and Benfica in Europe this season.
It's a far cry from a Championship relegation battle.
"He made surprising comeback when he played again after his loan," Kokburg adds. "But overall, I still don't think they were a good match.
"However, I still think he could do a good job in Cardiff."
Clearly he's a player who might may have to be managed carefully, and there will understandably be some unease about his past. But even with all the apparent turbulence rumbling away in the background, Kaba has left the Jutland outfit with an impressive tally of 20 goals in 73 league games.
His record at previous clubs Elche (22 in 59) and Alcobendas (13 in 52) is just as strong and, with the Bluebirds struggling for a meaningful attacking spark it's a record they'd be foolish to overlook.
Additionally, it seems likely he will be genuinely be relishing this next chapter. Swapping European football for a relegation dogfight in the second tier may seem mad, but don't underestimate the level of pull clubs like Cardiff can still present to players itching to find a way into English football.
After everything that's happened, it's not unreasonable to suggest he will feel determined to prove he can live up to the billing of star striker once again.
"Some footballers like to be on the bench and other footballers like to be on the pitch," Kaba said in an interview a couple of years ago. "When I'm not on the field, I'm not happy. That doesn't mean I don't understand the coach's position.
"I understand it all. I'm just not happy. People sometimes don't understand that when I'm frustrated, I'm not frustrated with the decisions or people. I'm frustrated with myself because sometimes when I get taken out I feel like I could have done better."
On the plus side, those comments arguably point to the sort of dogged personal ambition, passion and determination that's been lacking in this Cardiff squad in recent months.
But they clearly hint at the potential for fireworks too. Harnessing that energy could well be the key to any sort of success Kaba will enjoy in south Wales, although it's clearly a two-way street.
The player clearly needs a fresh start. Cardiff need goals. If both scenarios pan out successfully, it's likely that little else will matter.
