So the worst kept secret is out with Stuart Webber finally unveiled to the media earlier today as Norwich City's new sporting director.
After weeks of speculation and rumour, Huddersfield Town confirmed the 33-year-old was placed on gardening leave last Thursday (March 30) after he expressed a desire to leave the club.
The resultant departure was finalised yesterday afternoon.
It's been a long, drawn out saga since East Anglia media outlets claimed Webber was Delia Smith, Ed Balls and co. main man as part of a fundamental behind the scenes shake-up at Carrow Road.
A large proportion of the delay in finalising the move would have been a combination of Huddersfield Town officials initially trying to persuade him to stay then, once accepting the inevitable exit, getting the best agreement in place for him to do so.
The loss of Town's Head of Football Operations is certainly a blow but what appears most baffling is not only the timing but the destination as Town arguably stand on the precipice of their greatest ever season.
As David Wagner's side blew away an uninspiring Canaries side on Wednesday evening it would be hard for anyone connected to the club not to have a wry smile whilst wishing Webber all the best as he left via the back door.
And keeping things in perspective, as departures from the club go, Webber's is damage limitation compared to the disastrous contemplation that head coach Wagner should ever leave or worse still if chairman Dean Hoyle decided to sell up to an uninformed overseas investor.
Certainly Stuart Webber was recognised, alongside Wagner and Hoyle, as part of a glorious triumvirate who have gone about overseeing the total transformation of the football club from perennial strugglers to promotion candidates.
He played an integral role in what appeared to be the left field appointment of Wagner as Huddersfield Town's head coach back in November 2015 before working with the latter and Hoyle to completely overhaul the squad and training facilities last summer.
With Huddersfield Town very much about a long-term vision, is seems bizarre someone who appeared so invested in it, as well as selling the project to so many others, should abandon it mid-way through when there is so much exciting and positive work still to be done.
Speaking to the Examiner just over a year ago, Webber outlined the ambitions for the club and how tight budgeting parameters meant Huddersfield Town had to not only be realistic but also think practically in order to achieve success.
Webber went on to reveal his own ambitious streak, stating: “I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to come here if I thought being average was the limit of our objectives.
“What’s the point in us all getting out of bed in the morning and coming into work if we don’t want to strive for the best? We certainly wouldn’t have David Wagner here if that wasn’t how we sold our vision to him.”
At Norwich City, a club only just relegated from the Premier League, a lot of the resource issues Huddersfield Town face should not be a factor.
Add the fact the role is effectively a promotion with extra remuneration and a reported family connection in the area, it starts to make sense for Stuart Webber to move to East Anglia.
It was probably this latter 'personal decision' which David Wagner alluded to in his pre-match press conference ahead of Town's trip to Nottingham Forest after previously being aggrieved at the timing and manner of the proposed departure.
So what next for Huddersfield Town? The club have successfully survived the loss of one Head of Football Operations when Ross Wilson left for Southampton in June 2015 and will do so again.
Arguably much of the groundwork in which Webber flourished at the John Smith's Stadium was down to Wilson with whoever comes in having the same framework with which to hit the ground running.
They will also need a global and expansive scouting network and although national media outlets have linked former England and Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren to the role these are far-fetched and unfounded.
But given McClaren's name and footballing CV it is further testament to the rapid rise of the football club which is a credit to the legacy Stuart Webber has created alongside Dean Hoyle and David Wagner.
As the latter said earlier this week, it is about getting the right appointment – not the easiest or quickest one as Huddersfield Town's continued success and development may well be at stake.
