BREAKING (and I use that word loosely): Paulo Fonseca has told the world he is "not satisfied" with Endrick's form at Lyon, and I want you to know that I have already cleared my schedule for the next six weeks because, friends, this is where it gets interesting.

Sources close to sources tell me that the phrase "not satisfied" is, in football management, roughly equivalent to a flare being launched from a sinking ship. It is a distress signal. It is also, simultaneously, an invitation. And every agent from Lisbon to São Paulo just felt their phone vibrate in their pocket.

Let me walk you through what happens next, because I have seen this film approximately forty seven times and it always follows the same plot.

Act One: The Public Declaration. A manager goes on record saying he expects "more" from a young, expensive, high profile player. The press conference clip does numbers. Football Twitter splits into two camps: those who think the manager is being brilliantly tough and those who think he's just torpedoed a relationship worth tens of millions of euros. Both camps are correct.

Act Two: The Awkward Training Ground Footage. Within 48 hours, someone films the player looking slightly dejected during a rondo. It might just be that he's tired. It might be that he's contemplating the existential void. Doesn't matter. The narrative is set. "ENDRICK FROZEN OUT?" the headlines scream, based on a seven second clip of a teenager not smiling.

Act Three: The Agent Interview. This is my favourite bit. An unnamed representative will tell a Brazilian outlet that their client is "focused on Lyon" but also "open to opportunities" and "aware of interest from several top clubs." This translates, in human language, to: "Please, for the love of God, someone bid for him before his value drops any further."

Act Four: The Tap-In Zone. This is where I live. This is my home. Because once Act Three happens, every major club in Europe gets linked. Real Madrid, who let him go in the first place, will be "monitoring the situation." Barcelona will be "exploring a loan with an option." Some Premier League club with more money than sense will reportedly offer a fee that makes everyone do a spit take. And I, Terry Tap-In, will be there for every single unverified whisper.

Now look. I want to be fair to Fonseca. He might genuinely be trying to light a fire under the lad. Endrick is, what, twenty years old? He's got all the talent in the world. Sometimes a young player needs a public prod. Sir Alex Ferguson built an empire on the strategic deployment of the hairdryer. Pep Guardiola once benched Raheem Sterling for arriving late to a meeting. These things can work.

But here's the thing that nags at me, and I say this as someone whose entire career is built on nagging feelings: Fonseca's track record with young attackers at previous clubs is, shall we say, inconsistent. He loved Rafael Leão at Milan until he didn't. He championed youth at Roma until results went sideways. The pattern is: public praise, public frustration, quiet exit.

Endrick went to Lyon to get regular football after things didn't quite click at Real Madrid. He's in Ligue 1, learning a new league, adapting to a new country, and now his own coach is putting him on blast in press conferences. That's not nothing for a twenty year old, even one who was once described as the future of Brazilian football.

Sources close to sources tell me there's no concrete offer on the table. Yet. But I've set up Google Alerts for "Endrick transfer," "Endrick unhappy," and "Endrick seen at airport," because the transfer silly season waits for no man, and brother, I can smell this one coming from Lyon to London.

Watch this space. And by "this space" I mean my increasingly unhinged timeline.