The most gut-wrenching aspect of the departure of Mateusz Klich is another reminder of the fading of the light from the Marcelo Bielsa years. There were few players more integral to that wonderful rollercoaster ride than Klich. As Jimi Hendrix sang, ‘Castles made of sand fall in the sea eventually.’ It’s difficult watching such a carefully constructed masterpiece slowly eroded by the lapping tide of time.

But it’s good that we’ve had players like Klich who we’ve so come to love and relate to. This time five years ago that seemed implausible. Our players were more peripatetic than permanent. The refulgent ones shone brightly all too briefly, then fucked off. Think, Kyle Bartley.

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