Palace have pulled off the signing of the century and Rob Sutherland is so, so excited.
There are times when you witness significant moments in history – many times, movements that you wouldn't dare to imagine to come true – from moon landings, to giant killings, to occasions of shock or horror. Moments where you might pinch yourself in disbelief, or remember exactly where you were when you heard the news.
This moment, the Crystal Palace signing of World Class Frenchman Yohan Cabaye for a club record fee, this is one of those moments. In the context of football, it's the equivalent to when Crystal Palace signed Atilio Lombardo, or when Middlesborough signed Juninho – a signing that shows a level of ambition and intent few could have imagined.
It is so because of where Crystal Palace were just five years ago, scraping together a squad of free-transfers in the hope of having a squad ready to start the season with. Fast-forward to today, and Palace fans are pinching themselves so hard it's drawing blood – this is just so unexpected.
Unheard of, in fact. Palace don't deserve a player of this calibre – just ask the fans of clubs that were also reported to be interested in. He can't go to Palace - it's Palace for crying out loud!
When the move was first mooted, the expectation would be that it would follow the typical Palace steps. Get linked, get excited, get gazumped and get disappointed – we knew it would never work out. That's what we expect. That's what we were waiting for.
Even at the point where Cabaye was having a medical – the last point in the transfer process – we expected it not to happen. He’d fail the medical. He'd do what Willian did to Tottenham and leave for another club right after the medical - that's what we expected. He'd see sense and find another club.
And yet, through a miraculous turn of events, here we are - celebrating the arrival of the most high-profile signing the club has ever made. It isn't just a significant moment because of the enormity, but because it signals a change in how others perceive the club.
And that's the really historic point for the club - it's time to take Palace seriously, because serious players do too.
Welcome Yohan. May the next four years at Selhurst Park bring you as much joy as the news your signing gave to us today.