Tottenham Hotspur boast a rather chequered history when it comes to transfers, having pulled out some true blinders, but failed dramatically in equal measure. It could even be argued that the latter have been far more prevalent over the last decade, given their adversity to silverware which spurred Daniel Levy to change the direction of the club.
Enjoying steady progression under Mauricio Pochettino, the chairman saw a struggling start to the 2019/20 season and acted decisively, dismissing the former Southampton boss and instead opting for Jose Mourinho.
This kickstarted a spiralling turn of events which saw the club without any European football after last term's disaster, as Antonio Conte became the latest manager to face the chopping block.
It is now Ange Postecoglou tasked with reigniting this once great institution, and the Australian has already made great strides towards achieving the long-term goals that even Levy likely did not expect would be hit with such speed.
The future is exceedingly bright under the admired coach, who can only go from strength to strength.
His transfer business too has been surprisingly impressive, after years of numerous missteps. After all, despite Pochettino being a truly revered tactician, his business in the market was somewhat underwhelming.
Acquisitions like Tanguy Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko do little towards easing such a narrative, but his work in acquiring, nurturing and subsequently selling Kevin Wimmer marked a refreshing change of pace, as a successful example amongst a sea of failures.
Who is Kevin Wimmer?
Having shone in Germany, the Austrian defender was snapped up in 2015 for just £4.3m. Given the immense accolades the colossus was amassing, this marked an insane coup, as his FC Koln side earned promotion from the second tier of German football, conceding just 20 goals in 34 games.
The 30-year-old would then translate such sparkling solidity into the Bundesliga as they finished 12th on their return term, boasting the fifth-best defence in the division.
It marked a no-brainer to secure the services of a man so integral in one of Europe's best defensive units, and the hope was that he could challenge Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderwerield, forging a fine dynamic between the trio. After all, the latter was only signed later in that same summer.
Whilst this would fail to come to fruition, unsurprisingly so given how the Belgian centre-backs would instantly strike up one of the paramount partnerships in Premier League history, there was little pressure applied by the Austria international, who would amass just 31 appearances across just two years in N17.
That's not to suggest that the move did not show promise, with his debut season offering a glimpse into what might have been. An average rating in the league of 7.00 marked a fine return, and was buoyed by an 89% pass accuracy alongside two interceptions and 4.9 clearances per game, via Sofascore.
However, in the end they were to cut their losses, yet still managed to turn a healthy profit on the defender.
Stoke City were the willing recipients as they now saw him as the foundation of what was a mini-revolution at the Bet365 Arena that eventually fell flat, but not before the man seeking to lead it, Mark Hughes, praised him: "Bringing Kevin here is a real coup in my view, because he is a hugely talented young player who will undoubtedly add further quality to the group.
"There is a lot of money being spent this summer, so for us to get a player of Kevin's calibre through the door for the price we have paid, in my opinion, is something we will really appreciate for years to come. As soon as the possibility of bringing Kevin here presented itself to us we moved quickly on it, and have managed to get the deal done, so we are understandably delighted to have brought him in.”
How much did Spurs sell Kevin Wimmer for?
Given the lack of game time he was offered, it was impressive how Levy managed to hang onto the starring qualities that they had been initially seduced by.
After all, recouping an £18m fee marked sensational business, especially given they would hardly rue their decision to sell as Wimmer failed to kick on elsewhere in England.
In fact, the centre-back would feature even less for the Potters, making a total of 19 league appearances before being branded a flop by sections of the media. His fitness was low and confidence even lower, making for a terrible combination as they desperately sought to recoup some of their investment.
Loans to Hannover 96, Mouscron and Karlsruher SC all failed to reignite the spark, and in the end, his contract would be terminated in 2021 to allow him a free return to his homeland.
What is Kevin Wimmer worth now?
Given how promising Wimmer's career was with FC Koln, to see how far he has fallen has made for a truly tough watch.
The defender underpinned a record-breaking backline in Germany that had spearheaded a promotion push, and with a move to Spurs under a coach who prides himself on promoting youth, it seemed like the perfect partnership.
However, it was not to be, and even featuring for Rapid Wein clearly could not recapture that passion for the game as they would see out his contract once again, sanctioning another free transfer.
The nine-cap dud now plays his football for Slovenian side Slovan Bratislava, as if to emphasise just how far he has fallen, and his depreciating transfer value makes for depressing viewing.
2021
€1.5m (£1.3m)
35% decrease
2020
€2.4m (£2m)
41% decrease
2019
€4m (£3.4m)
46% decrease
2018
€7.5m (£6.4m)
37% decrease
2017
€12m (£10.3m)
71% increase
2016
€7m (£6m)
6% decrease
2015
€7.5m (£6.4m)
N/A
Transfer valuations via Transfermarkt.
Reaching a peak of €12m (£10.3m) in 2017 whilst still at Stoke, having previously been worth around €7m (£6m) with Spurs, every permanent transfer would see a slight decrease in that value, via Transfermarkt
It has since settled at a measly €500k (£432k) via Transfermarkt, but at an even lower £260k, as per Football Transfers, suggesting that the Lilywhites actually enjoyed a huge success with Wimmer given the manner of his north London exit.
Having recouped £18m for a man whose value has plummeted so quickly is indicative of a rare Levy success, of which there might be plenty more under Postecoglou's watch.