Just like the husband who has waited until Dec. 24 to spend big on his wife's Christmas present, a raft of Premier League managers and chief executives are about to discover this week that leaving it until the last minute of the transfer window to make a key signing risks either getting it wrong or over-spending -- or both.
Between now and 11 p.m. BST on Thursday, Premier League clubs could top up their overall £1.2 billion summer spending by lavishing another £300 million on transfers.
And there are some big clubs and big-name players at the heart of the action this week, which promises to be the most dramatic summer deadline day since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan arrived at Manchester City and delivered Robinho as a £32.