At the end of the 2012-13 Premier League campaign, then-Tottenham Hotspur boss Andre Villas-Boas openly expressed his interest in appointing a Technical Director once again at the North London side.
In an approach which has worked so well for a number of clubs around Europe, FC Porto and Sevilla to name just two, the Technical Director uses their contacts around the world to negotiate and broker transfers at the club.
The one outstanding candidate at the time was former England assistant manager to Fabio Capello, Franco Baldini.
In the summer of 2013, Baldini left the corresponding role at A.S. Roma - ending his long association with the club between 1999-2005 and 2011-2013 - to take the hot seat at White Hart Lane.
An unrivalled reputation around Europe
Baldini had long been regarded as one of the best negotiators in Europe, with strong contacts in South America particularly.
Having attempted to bring Villas-Boas to Roma in 2012, before the Portuguese manager eventually opted for Tottenham, Baldini was expected to work closely with the former Porto and Chelsea boss.
Baldini was to be used as a middleman between the manager and chairman Daniel Levy, in order to produce a list of potential transfers at the best possible price.
Quickly in the spotlight
Just two months after taking over at Tottenham, however, Baldini was thrown into the spotlight with a war chest of funds at his disposal.
The world record fee received for Gareth Bale in August, around £85million, gave Baldini and Villas-Boas the opportunity to invest heavily in a number of areas perceived to be weaker in the Tottenham squad.
That infamous summer of incomings at White Hart Lane, however, is likely to be regarded as one of the poorest in the clubs’ history. A total of seven players from around the world came into the club as Baldini spent virtually the entire transfer budget.
‘Selling Elvis and buying the Beatles’
At the time there was excitement from all corners of Tottenham, as many hailed the impact Baldini had in signing some of the biggest names from world football.
Having been named the third-best player at the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil, Paulinho was hailed as the ‘new Frank Lampard’ in some parts of South America with his ability to burst into the box, scoring vital goals.
Spanish international striker and Valencia club captain Roberto Soldado joined to replace the vital goals of Bale whilst French international Etienne Capoue joined with the reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in his homeland.
The one defensive signing at the time, Vlad Chiriches, joined from Steaua Bucharest as Romanian national captain to shore up an inconsistent back line at the club.
However, despite spending up to £55million on these four players alone, all four have struggled to settle into the Premier League for a number of reasons. Paulinho, Capoue and Chiriches have all since departed in the current transfer window, whilst Soldado could yet return home to Spain.
Out of the seven signings in the summer of 2013, only Nacer Chadli, Christian Eriksen and, to a certain extent, Erik Lamela can be seen as successful signings. The three attackers remain the only ones likely to feature for current boss Mauricio Pochettino this season.
Paying the price
Two years after that fateful summer, and with considerable less spending in the windows since, Baldini looks set to finally depart the club with time still remaining on his contract.
The Guardian claim Baldini and Tottenham have agreed a severance package, with the 54-year-old Italian leaving the club when the transfer window slams shut on the 1st September.
Before leaving the club, Baldini has been given the task of removing those deemed surplus to requirements from Pochettino’s squad as the season gets underway on Saturday away to Manchester United.
With signings still a necessity at the London club, Baldini will possibly be given one last opportunity to prove his worth as he looks to complete a number of signings in the coming weeks. Baldini has always had the contacts, but it is perhaps now too late now for the Italian to show to the Tottenham faithful and Levy that he warrants his reputation from previous spells around Europe.