Tottenham Hotspur have made numerous errors in their relentless pursuit of a return to the top of English football, with Daniel Levy often the orchestrator behind the curtain, sanctioning questionable transfers and terrible managerial changeovers.
Whilst he has made some true howlers across his 22 years associated with the Lilywhites, it could be argued that the worst of those decisions came as he dismissed Mauricio Pochettino and kickstarted a torrid few years in north London.
Jose Mourinho was first employed to bring that winning mentality, before Antonio Conte was recruited to do what the legendary Portuguese legend could not. In the end, both failed, and they are back where they started hoping that a progressive coach in Ange Postecoglou can lead them into a brighter future.
That is, at least what Levy is expecting, as he noted in a recent fan forum: "They're great managers but maybe not for this club. For what we want, we want to play in a certain way and if that means it has to take a little bit longer to win maybe it's the right thing for us. That's why bringing Ange in was from my point of view the right decision."
So, with the former Celtic man at the helm, already their development has been fast-tracked, aided by his shrewd recruitment, and the uncanny ability to turn previously poor assets into starring ones.
Who is Ange Postecoglou's favourite Spurs player?
Whilst it is hard to exactly pin down Postecoglou's favourite player for the club, given he speaks so highly of them all, it is clear that a few outstanding stars are beginning to emerge that are catching his eye particularly.
After all, it would be hard to look beyond James Maddison, whose £40m summer addition has proved revolutionary in its own right. The 26-year-old has taken no time to acclimatise, having already notched seven goal contributions in their opening eight league games, and helping them maintain their unbeaten league start.
Heung-min Son is another set to earn his admiration, with the South Korean having even been entrusted with the captaincy, to which he has repaid the new gaffer with six goals in that same Premier League period.
And yet, despite all these impressive starters, there is one man who the 58-year-old seems incensed to get back to fitness and return to the side, with his desperation to include Giovani Lo Celso outlined back in July: "I’m really happy with Gio. He’s been really good in training. You can see he’s a quality player and I think the way we play suits him. I’ve enjoyed working with him and I think he’s enjoying himself in terms of the football we want to play and yeah it’s going well."
However, the Argentine has just 86 Lilywhites appearances to his name despite joining in the summer of 2019, having failed to announce himself after an impressive spell with Real Betis which initially piqued their interest.
It was during that 2018/19 campaign in La Liga that he truly began to shine, as the 27-year-old scored nine and assisted four, whilst also managing 1.6 tackles per game, via Sofascore.
His tireless work rate in the engine room, plus his touch of quality, arguably makes him the perfect man to partner the likes of Yves Bissouma and Maddison in Postecoglou's midfield.
However, it has been far from plain sailing since that switch, with Spurs expert John Wenham even noting as recently as 2021: "He was awful and did absolutely nothing. Poor set pieces, poor pass completion, he was an utter passenger." Then, pundit Noel Whelan would slam his off-field antics, branding his and Romero's flagrant ignorance of club rules during the Covid-19 pandemic as "disrespectful".
The new manager is set to offer him a much-needed fresh start, but he has a long way before he can start repaying the huge faith shown by the club, which has seen next to no return.
How much did Spurs pay for Giovani Lo Celso?
The exact fee regarding Lo Celso's acquisition is somewhat shrouded, given he initially joined on loan just over four years ago, with one report suggesting he would cost around £55m.
However, in the end, the most accurate figure likely comes courtesy of The Standard, who outline the £15m loan fee initially paid, and the further £27.3m transfer fee later offloaded in January 2020, combining to the tune of £43.2m.
Regardless, it has marked a huge acquisition that Mourinho sanctioned, with the current AS Roma boss having clearly got it all wrong with this deal.
What is Giovani Lo Celso's market value now?
Numerous loan spells away from England have marked a desperate attempt to recoup some value on this deal, with Conte wanting nothing to do with the midfield maestro upon his appointment.
2022
€22m (£19m)
27% decrease
2021
€30m (£26m)
13% decrease
2020
€35m (£30m)
30% decrease
2019
€50m (£43m)
N/A
As such, despite some solid if inconsistent performances with Villarreal, his value has overseen a sharp decrease.
In fact, CIES Football Observatory suggests that the 46-cap star is now worth just €10m (£8.6m), marking a £33.7m loss across the three and a half years he has spent contracted to Spurs.
Why is Giovani Lo Celso worth that much?
Admittedly, it could be argued that such a figure is perhaps harsh given his performances back in Spain. After all, last term saw him score two and assist three, whilst also averaging 1.4 shots, 1.4 key passes, 1.5 tackles per game and an 87% pass accuracy, via Sofascore.
There are signs of a true star within these displays, but one which was never bound to emerge under the tyrannical and stubborn leadership of Conte.
With the Italian having since been dismissed though, it does finally seem like Lo Celso is to get his chance, should he return to fitness soon.
Fans have patiently awaited the true unveiling of the £70k-per-week workhorse, and this season could mark just that. If Postecoglou can reignite the careers of Bissouma, Romero and Pedro Porro, turning them into outstanding and reliable assets, there is every reason to believe that he can work his magic again on a midfield maestro with all the talent needed to succeed.
At present, however, Lo Celso looks like a costly blunder as far as Levy is concerned.