Beneath the hype and the drama comes the emotion. You may think transfer deadline day is all glitz and glamour but the reality is different.
I had a feeling my time at Stoke was going to end but I only knew in the final 24 hours of the window that the longest chapter of my club career was going to close, presenting a fresh and unexpected challenge.
Moving on deadline day is something I had experienced before.
In August 2011, I joined Stoke from Tottenham and one of my abiding memories of that day is Tony Pulis asking his canteen staff to make a curry for us as the clock ticked down while we waited for Daniel Levy to sign off his side of the deal.