It's actually happening. Julian Speroni is leaving Crystal Palace after almost 15 years of service.
It's not the most surprising news of the summer given his contract is up at Palace but that doesn't mean it's any less of a bombshell.
It's like when a beloved pet passes away; you knew it was going to happen but it's still a shock when it actually does and leaves you quietly sobbing in the toilets at work. Or is that just me? (I miss you, Fluffles).
Palace have announced that the 39-year-old goalkeeper won't be offered a new deal and will leave the club at the end of the season and he does so having racked up quiet the record haul.
He has made 405 appearances since 2004, the fourth most of any player and the highest of any goalkeeper; has kept 112 clean sheets, more than any other custodian, and has won a record four Player of the Year trophies. All of that makes him a bona fide club legend.
Oh and he has a very nice restaurant at Selhurst Park named after him which, let's fact it, is every footballer's dream.
But to put bluntly there are few people in football like Julian Speroni. Aside from all his record breaking stats and the fact one-club men are few and far between these days, Jules is also one of the nicest men in the game.
He always has time for fans - regularly being the last out of Selhurst after games because he is still there signing autographs and posing for selfies - and there isn't one person in football who has a bad word to say about him. Which is rare.
He is a consummate professional but in a world where nice guys often finish last he doesn't. He still trains as hard as his first day at the club and there were rumours that he is still one of the fittest players at the club, despite being about to turn 40.
I, like so many Palace fans, absolutely love Julian. Arguably more than I love some of my family. But then he's been here so long he actually does feel like family, which is why this news hurts to much.
I remember when he arrived at Selhurst from Dundee, sporting a very questionable ponytail and an enthusiastic look in his eyes. There was a pre-season friendly against QPR before the start of the 2004/5 season and fans already started chanting "He's got a s*** haircut/he's keeping Palace up" about our new Argentinean shot-stopper.
And what a shot-stopper he turned out to be. Few other players in Palace's history - in fact I'm not sure there are any - have managed to turn their fortunes around so spectacularly. In only his second competitive game as an Eagle he tried to dribble around Everton's Kevin Campbell but got robbed of the ball and panicked, hauling down the striker and giving away a penalty.
He lost his place soon after to Gabor Kiraly and many fans probably thought they'd seen the last of him. He had to wait a good two years to get back into the team but his hard work and patience during that time goes some way to indicate the sort of man he is.
Speroni's legacy at Palace will probably see him be remembered as one of the club's nicest, most respectable players but that doesn't even begin to tell the story of his impact on the pitch.
There are too many moments to mention where he has single-handedly won Palace points. That penalty save at Derby in the promotion season that helped earn a precious three points in the race for the play-offs.
That save from Ashley Barnes in the play-off semi-final first leg at Brighton that year and then clawing the ball away from Troy Deeney's feet in the final when it seemed certain the Watford man would score. Kevin Phillips went down the other end, buried a penalty, and the rest is history.
Then there are countless saves in the Premier League the following few seasons that earned countless points, all of them precious in Palace's battles against the drop.
There are arguably no other players who have been as influential to Crystal Palace in the last decade. He was there when the team had to get a result at Sheffield Wednesday in 2010 to avoid relegation to League One and potential liquidation; he was there for promotion and subsequently did his bit to keep the Eagles in the Premier League.
He has played 18 seasons as a professional footballer; 15 of them have been at Palace so it's no surprise he holds this club so dearly in his heart and given everything he has done for the Eagles, that the fans hold him dearly in theirs.
He just cares about this club in ways not many footballers do. If there is any charity event held at the club or by the Palace For Life Foundation you can put your mortgage on the fact he will give up his spare time to be there, wishing people well and getting involved.
He basically is Mr Crystal Palace and without him at the club things won't really feel the same.
Whatever he does next; be it play somewhere else, return as a coach or retire he will always be welcome back at Selhurst Park and hopefully it will be to open the newly revamped Julian Speroni Main Stand in a couple of years. Thank you for everything, Manos de Dios.
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