Debt-ridden and in danger of going bust they may be, but Cardiff City have pulled off the biggest transfer coup in their history, with the signing of Wales captain Craig Bellamy.
What was initially thought to be little more than wishful thinking became reality on yesterday afternoon, as fans poured into the Cardiff City Stadium to give Bellamy the warmest of welcomes on his homecoming.
Bellamy has joined on a year-long loan from Manchester City, and the 31-year-old forward has already outlined his ambition of leading the club he supported as a boy to the promised land of the Premier League.
"It has been my dream to play my part in taking my hometown club to the Premier League, which would be fantastic for the football club, the city of Cardiff and Wales," said Bellamy on his arrival.
At his unveiling press conference, Bellamy carefully navigated a minefield of prickly questions about his parent club Manchester City, and his manager there, Roberto Mancini.
A player who attracts controversy as much as he does adulation, Bellamy has recently fallen out of favour with Mancini and is reportedly banned from Manchester City's training ground as a result of his "disruptive" behaviour.
And while his career has spawned highlights such as a winning goal for Wales against Italy and a spectacular brace against Manchester United at Old Trafford, Bellamy's 13 years as a professional have also been blighted by conflict.
Alan Shearer, John Arne Riise and Graeme Souness – of whom Bellamy said, "He's just gone behind my back right in front of my face" – are just three of the many unfortunate souls to feel the wrath of the former Liverpool striker.
But there is little to suggest that Bellamy will be a source of conflict in the Cardiff camp, as he charmed both local and national media. Although his latest move is likely to irk Swansea supporters as much as it will inspire the Cardiff faithful, Bellamy was diplomatic on the subject of Welsh football.
"If Cardiff or Swansea get to the Premier League, it would be great for Welsh football," he said. "There's lot of excitement at both clubs."
Excitement at Cardiff has seldom been so tangible, and bookmakers have already shortened the odds on the Bluebirds winning the Championship title this season.
Having starred for Manchester City as one of the brightest Premier League talents last season, Bellamy faces the somewhat sobering reality of Championship football on Saturday, when he makes his Cardiff debut against Doncaster Rovers. A sell-out crowd is almost guaranteed, however, and Cardiff fans will never have looked forward to a fixture with Doncaster with quite so much anticipation.
Today's guest blogger Dafydd Pritchard is a Cardiff City fan who has previously contributed to cardiffcity-mad.co.uk and has worked at BBC Sport Wales. You can see his blog here.
