Chelsea fans will now be more aware than ever that a deal to sign a player can progress quickly after the Blues went from being in talks with Denis Zakaria to having agreed a deal for the midfielder and a medical being done in Italy.
The Juventus player rapidly emerged as the most likely choice to become Thomas Tuchel's newest defensive midfielder. He was the second important piece of deadline day business done by Chelsea after a deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was agreed earlier in the day.
It serves as some of the final actions of Todd Boehly's first transfer window, a spell in which he has overseen a large overhaul of the squad - though there still remain long-term issues to sort out. With sanctions, a new ownership and lots to sort out this summer, Boehly has done more than his fair share of work.
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The opportunistic moves for Marc Cucurella and Raheem Sterling shouldn't become a precedent for Chelsea if they plan on progressing though, and even a late deal for Memphis Depay could go against the grain.
With the Dutch attacker being available during the summer window, Fabrizio Romano's update on the player indicates that a move from Chelsea isn't yet off the table. He tweeted: "Keep an eye on Memphis Depay. It’s not over yet - there are talks with his camp working on potential last minute solution. It could be part of domino for Barcelona to sign new player. Negotiations ongoing and run against time."
The Barcelona attacker attended the club's training session unlike Aubameyang, indicating that any talks to sign him were less advanced than that of his teammate. He is in a situation at the Spanish club where if Chelsea were to make a move and agree a deal for him then his contract would be terminated in order for the move to happen, effectively meaning no transfer fee.
The move has also escalated and could yet be one of the late deals to keep an eye of with DiMarzio reporter Nathan Gissing saying that "an intermediary that was involved in the Auba operation is also working on Memphis-Chelsea" and he "can confirm this and I understand Memphis Depay is keen on a move to Chelsea."
That would be a move that, whilst exciting, once again shows some negative thinking for the youth at Chelsea. The Blues have been able to tie down Harvey Vale on a four-year deal on deadline day. The 18-year-old is one of the most highly-rated young players at the club but had been a risk with just one year left on his current deal and no sign of a first-team breakthrough due to a lack of obvious pathway for him.
Although Aubameyang is all but complete, the 33-year-old is a certain short-term option for Tuchel whereas Depay, at 28, could realistically have a prolonged career with Chelsea should he sign. This isn't an immediate issue given Vale is moving to Hull City on a season-long loan, but it could become something more pressing down the line.
Both Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic are set to stay at SW6 and although neither of them appear to have much of a future at the club, if Boehly and Tuchel can't move on from those attackers and continue to bring in Aubameyang and Depay, the pathway for Vale might not look much clearer next season either, and for a player thought of as well as Vale is, it's not a situation where Chelsea will want to put much doubt into his head. Having previously been described as a 'baller' it's a tough call for Chelsea to make at such a late stage, especially without a director of football.
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