In the case of Garang Kuol, the most hyped Australian player of 2022, opting for nouveau rich Newcastle United, and the glamorous trappings of a Premier League club, eclipsed the less lustrous allure of battling Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart.

On the surface at least, It was the stuff of fairytales. After only 19 A-League appearances and four World Cup cameos, the 18 year old South Sudan-born winger was whisked away on a magic carpet ride from the Mariners to the Magpies, and immediately ushered out on loan to Scottish Premiership high-fliers Hearts.

The fanfare from cheerleaders back home, along with curious Geordies on Tyneside, was clamorous. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, after seven Scottish Premiership appearances for the Jam Tarts since his January debut against St Mirren - a solitary start coming in the 3-0 loss to Rangers - all that giddy expectation looks to be weighing heavily on the raw youngster. 

Other than fleeting flashes of potential in the 190 minutes afforded him by coach Robbie Neilson to date, Kuol has been largely peripheral, perhaps burdened by his reputation back in the A-League as an impact weapon almost guaranteed to swing the pendulum of a match each time he made an entrance.

Six goals and four assists for the Mariners supported that narrative. But the fast and furious Scottish Premiership is a different habitat entirely a player of whom little would have been expected had he opted to join older brother Alou at Stuggart, a club renowned for its youth structure and patience in instilling the tactical and technical awareness which fledgling footballers require to ultimately flourish. 

The sugar hit of first team appearances, which Kuol has enjoyed with the Jambos at a level significantly below that of the Bundesliga, would not have been easily won in Baden-Württemberg where the focus lies with painstakingly developing and polishing a player's craft. 

The home of Porsche, Stuttgart is also a football talent factory with sleek machines like Tim Werner, Antonio Rudiger, Serge Gnabry, Joshua Kimmich and Mario Gomez all rolling off the production line.

Kuol, though, was bedazzled by the EPL strobe lights, and opted for the instant exposure and laser focus on his every touch in Edinburgh, where palpable disappointment is felt whenever he doesn’t deliver that special ju-ju each time he’s unleashed. 

Case in point Hearts’ 3-1 overnight loss to Ange Postecoglou’s champions-elect Celtic, where a willing but frustrated Kuol barely got a touch in his 25 minutes off the bench at Parkhead.

There are previous cautionary tales of Aussie talents taking wrong career turns and learning harsh lessons. Look no further than Daniel Arzani, who found Scotland to be his personal graveyard of unfulfilled dreams. 

Whether Koul, or his advisers,have quietly started to question the wisdom of rebuffing the German option is uncertain.

Time will tell either way. But, for the foreseeable future at least, Kuol’s ambition of one day lighting up St James’ Park in the iconic black and white stripes of Newcastle United remains a long way from his reach.