It wasn't quite as exciting for the keyboard warriors as a sighting of Kylian Mbappe's private jet landing at Newcastle Airport or Erling Haaland strolling by the River Tyne.
But Newcastle United's £25million signing of Chris Wood this week will certainly serve a handy dual purpose.
Not only will their own attack be bolstered by acquiring a pretty reliable 12-goal-a-season Premier League striker but a relegation rival has been seriously weakened, and perhaps fatally so.
Newcastle United are closing in on the signing of Chris Wood from relegation rivals Burnley
Burnley manager Sean Dyche is understood to be furious at losing a key player to a direct rival
The Kiwi scored 12 of Burnley's 33 league goals last season - the next highest had only three - and ensured a club with one of the division's most modest budgets once again survived.
It comes as little surprise, therefore, to hear that Clarets manager Sean Dyche was livid after learning that Newcastle had triggered Wood's release clause.
Though Wood has only scored three times so far this season, you only have to glance at the lower reaches of the table to realise the significance.
Burnley and Newcastle occupy 18th and 19th places respectively, tied on 11 points. Dyche's team have two games in hand on Eddie Howe's because of Covid postponements but Wood moving clubs probably negates all that.
The Lancashire side have mustered only 16 league goals all season - only Norwich and Wolves have scored fewer - and unless they reinvest that money wisely and immediately on a similarly reliable forward, their relegation odds have just shortened significantly.
Eddie Howe will be thrilled to get a new striker and a rival in the relegation battle is weakened
It shows that Newcastle's new Saudi owners are perfectly happy to raid Premier League rivals
Newcastle have the financial clout to buy the best players from their relegation rivals
But it goes a long way beyond all that. It's a clear signal to not only Newcastle's relegation rivals but ultimately everyone else in the Premier League that the wealth of their new Saudi owners means they can and will come for your best players in the years ahead.
A release clause some way above a player's true value? No problem. Ultimately it's all small change to the richest backers in world football, with a collective wealth of £320billion.
Newcastle may be having a stinking season, something Howe is desperately trying to turn around, but there's still a chilling psychological effect about their bulging financial muscle.
Speculation was always going to be rife ahead of Newcastle's first transfer window under new ownership but they have been linked with players at clubs in and around them in the table and that will have an impact.
Norwich's Todd Cantwell was one and let's not forget the Canaries are merely one place and one point beneath Newcastle despite being abject all season.
Everton left back Lucas Digne was another, though he looks bound now for Aston Villa. The Toffees are 15th and only eight points above the bottom three with half the season left to play.
Norwich's Todd Cantwell (left) and Everton's Lucas Digne (right) are two other players at
