Former Derry star Conleith Gilligan believes the chance to take over another county with genuine All-Ireland credentials was an opportunity Mickey Harte couldn't refuse.
The three-time All-Ireland SFC winning manager has made a surprise switch from Louth to Derry, neighbours and traditional rivals of the 71-year-old's native Tyrone.
"It was a bolt from the blue for everybody," Gilligan told RTÉ's Game On before Harte was confirmed for a three-year term with the Oak Leaf county.
"Everybody thought that Malachy O'Rourke was next in line to take the job. It was the name on everybody's lips. Suddenly the phone started blowing up with messages: 'Mickey Harte; is he in, is he not in, has he left Louth’?
"Mickey Harte is synonymous with Tyrone, and with Tyrone teams that won All-Irelands. He has a legacy and a record that will never be rivalled.
"In his advancing years, he probably looks at this as the chance to be one of the few if not the only manager to win two All-Irelands with two different teams.
"His assistant Gavin Devlin has a long history in Derry club football, having managed Newbridge, Bellaghy and most recently winning a senior championship with Slaughtneil. He knows Derry football really well and with Mickey Harte, they would know that there's a Derry team performing at the top level.
"A team that have won back-to-back Ulster championships, have been knocking on the door for the past couple of years and probably need a push over the line. It's not like they had to do in Louth, start in Division 4 and get promotion, promotion. This is a Derry team that are Division 1, at the very top end.
"They have to find players, find something different but it’s definitely achievable. And they’ll probably think it’s a team ready-made to get over the line.
"The last number of years, Derry have had very good Under-20 teams and All-Ireland winning minor teams. So there is a conveyor belt of talent coming. It's not this year or never. There is a window for the next number of years where Derry should be very competitive. It’s just whether they can get to the very top and beat the likes of Dublin and Kerry regularly."
How will Derry and Tyrone fans react to the shock appointment?
"When Derry were winning the All-Ireland in 1993 they and Tyrone would have had a fierce rivalry. It dissipated a bit when Tyrone were on top and Derry went to Division 4. But over the last number of years Derry have got the better of it.
"It's probably not as intense as some of the rivalries in the South but when the two teams are level, it’s massive.
"Tyrone might feel a bit aggrieved as Derry were seen as the old enemy and Mickey has gone across. Albeit he has been in Louth for three years. But it has to be remembered that Mickey lost a vote for the job, he wanted to remain Tyrone manager.
"I don't think what he has done for Tyrone will ever be rivalled. There will be a sense of hurt in Tyrone in many places but the reality is, it’s football. There was an opportunity for Mickey and Gavin to go to a top-end team with the possibility of winning an All-Ireland. It doesn’t in any way diminish their Tyrone credentials."
As for Louth, the Wee County may be feeling like jilted after three seasons of progress under Harte.
"It appears it was a shock to the players and [chairperson] Peter Fitzpatrick alike," said Gilligan.
"The statement from Louth showed the esteem in which Mickey was held and that they appreciate the work he put in.
"But to leave them at this stage, in Division 2, it's going to be difficult in the short-term for Louth to get the right person.
"And they have got to a level where they looked like they were going to push on with the right people around them.
"Louth people, like Derry people and a lot of Tyrone people are in shock at this news unfolding. It’s not something anyone expected."
Watch the Dublin Football Championship quarter-final, Kilmacud Crokes v Ballymun Kickhams, on Saturday from 4.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
