The latest new era at Cardiff City is finally here. After weeks of speculation, and the emergence of what felt like a countless list of names, the Bluebirds have opted for former Fenerbahce coach Erol Bulut.
He was always their number one choice.
The 48-year-old, a hugely unknown figure on these shores, is set to get to work in the capital on Monday, and will already have a meaty to-do list.
But there's a palpable sense of cautious optimism around his appointment. Vincent Tan was right on the money when he said the club had never really had a boss like this before. After all, Cardiff's previous approach to managerial appointments was to either dip into the merry-go-round of fading Championship-level managers, or leave it in the most secure pair of hands in the building they could find.
In Bulut it feels like they're taking a comparative step into the unknown, but upon scratching the surface a little, one can see the reasons behind it all.
Having been out of work since leaving Gaziantep, who were forced to withdraw from the Turkish league midway through the season due to the tragic earthquake that struck the country back in February, this is the chance for a new chapter, and one he will undoubtedly relish.
What of Bulut's playing philosophy?
At Alanyaspor, where he got the side to a Turkish Cup final and a Europa League spot in the league, he built a team that was largely known for his rock solid defensive fundamentals and its eagerness to aggressively press opponents, hitting them in transitions to create chances.
In many ways, it worked. Bulut's teams have frequently been near the top of the list of teams for chances created and shots per game.
Bulut's Alanyaspor side were dominant in the air too. Only Fenerbahce, a club he'd join the following season, enjoyed a higher aerial duel success rate than their impressive rate of 53.9 per cent. It's perhaps for that reason they enjoyed such success from the set-piece, with his team's xG from corners and free kicks the highest of any team in the league that season.
As a result, Alanyaspor weren't really known for intricate possession play. Indeed, going on stats alone, it would be easy to label his approach as the sort of route one, direct football that so many in the capital have become accustomed to.
However, those that have watched his teams, insist his understanding of the game is deeper than many give him credit for. Burak Özdemir, editor at Turkish sports news outlet Fanatik, believes there's a certain level of sophistication to Bulut's tactical approach.
"He has a tactical understanding according to the opponent," he explains. "I think he's a really good tactician.
"He was very successful in Alanyaspor and he played good football. Yes, he was not successful in Fenerbahçe, but things there are a little different. The most important measure of success in Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş is the championship. Second place is a failure for them.
"So there was great pressure in Fenerbahçe. They haven't been champions for many years."
It should be pointed out, mind, that Fenerbache were having perhaps their best season in seven years under Bulut's watch. He did still mange to finish third, winning 21 and drawing five of his 34 league and cup games in charge.
How Cardiff fans would covet a record like that at the moment!
The Cardiff job is something of a tough gig, but the passion and fervour of fans in Turkey means the pressure at teams like Fenerbahce is well beyond most jobs on these shores.
Patience is certainly not a virtue when you're in the hot-seat there, and that experience will have given Bulut the sort of steely stomach other candidates for the Cardiff job may have lacked.
It would subsequently perhaps be a little unfair to use his time at Fenerbahce as an accurate metric of Bulut's abilities as a manager. When he arrived he did so alongside 16 new players.
Besides, while again showing little interest in dominating possession in the same way as the other top teams in Turkey, there's an argument Bulut didn't get all the tools he felt would be needed to carry on what he started at his previous club.
"When he was at Fenerbahce, former Newcastle United player Emre Belözoğlu was sporting director," Turkish journalist Özdemir explains. "Fenerbahce didn't have a really good squad that season.
"Mesut Özil came in the winter period. But he was really physically exhausted. Bulut requested players from Alanyaspor, but was not taken. Those players went to Trabzonspor - and Trabzonspor became the champions."
Identifying talent is going to be a key part of Bulut's job here in Wales and the contacts made as a player clearly proved beneficial to his time in the dugout.
"He played football in Greece," Özdemir continues. "He knows Greece very well. From there, he brought in low-cost major stars. He probably performs better in low-budget teams."
Whether it's Greece or further afield, Bulut will clearly be able to bring contacts to the table that few of his predecessors, with the possible exception of Sabri Lamouchi, have really even come close to.
For a team that may well need to be creative in the market, it's easy to see the attraction for Cardiff.
But the transfer window will be just one part of what is likely to be a busy summer.
Developing players from within will likely be a key part of the brief too. The likes of Rubin Colwill and Isaak Davies simply cannot endure another season of stagnation if they are to become the stars so many are hoping for.
Certainly, Bulut's favoured 4-2-3-1 formation arguably suits the two players, but there are plenty of other holes that will need filling all over the pitch over the coming weeks. Getting the blend right is essential.
Having been handed a chance to shine in a league as competitive as the Championship, Bulut knows he has to deliver. For himself as much as anyone.
After all, chances like this don't always come around too often.
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