As Red Bull Leipzig and Tottenham lock horns in the Champions League on Wednesday night, Paul Mitchell will watch on with the most unique perspective of anyone.
Th 38-year-old Mitchell is the transfer guru who followed Mauricio Pochettino from Southampton to Tottenham in 2014, before moving on again to the German side in 2018.
Mitchell's sway at all three of these sides simply cannot be understated but it was at Milton Keynes where he first began, in 2010. The former Wigan midfielder was there for just two years, alongside manager Karl Robinson before heading to St Mary's in 2012.
Southampton won Premier League promotion during his first season and in the second, Mauricio Pochettino replaced Nigel Adkins midway through the campaign.
A strong relationship blossomed, albeit just for 18 months before Pochettino headed to Tottenham amid a summer of mass departure on the south coast.
Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool also raided Southampton for Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert, while Manchester United signed Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers went to Arsenal.
When Ronald Koeman arrived to replace Pochettino, the Dutchman had to work urgently alongside Mitchell on a rebuilding project.
And, to their credit, they bought astutely. Dusan Tadic, Graziano Pelle, Fraser Forster, Shane Long and Ryan Bertrand were signed, as well as defender Toby Alderweireld arriving on loan. Oh, and a winger from RB Salzburg was brought in, called Sadio Mane.
Southampton finished seventh, just two points behind Liverpool but Mitchell was only at St Mary's until November in the following 2014-15 campaign. He joined forces with Pochettino once again at White Hart Lane after proving himself at Southampton.
There, he oversaw the arrival of players such as Dele Alli from MK Dons, Kieran Trippier from Burnley and Alderweireld from Atletico Madrid. He was also involved in the arrival of Son Heung-min and Victor Wanyama.
But in 2016, whispers of discontent emerged. The Guardian said that Mitchell's dream job at Tottenham had become a nightmare and that he was struggling to work alongside Daniel Levy. Mitchell had a lengthy notice period to serve and eventually, he resurfaced in Germany in February 2018, with Leipzig.
But, speaking to The Athletic, Mitchell is pleased of his work in north London.
'We had some really good years,' he said. 'I think Tottenham at the time were always synonymous with being a bit of a Europa League team and a cup team. And I think history shows that we changed that to make them a really competitive top-four team, playing aggressive, dynamic football with a really exciting coach and a really exciting team.
'From my perspective delivering on the remit, which was trying to create that with the management team there. And I left satisfied that I delivered on that.'
And steadily, they are heading in the right direction. Mitchell's arrival at the club has been key, as has the appointment of Julian Nagelsmann as manager. They currently sit second in the Bundesliga, only a point behind leaders and defending champions Bayern Munich.
Tottenham present an intriguing challenge for Leipzig, for whom victory would be an undoubted landmark moment. Yes, Spurs have struggled this season but they are still last season's runners-up and this stage of the tournament is already as far as Leipzig have ever progressed in Europe's elite club competition.
The following few months will be hugely exciting for Leipzig followers. Whatever happens against Tottenham, they have a real chance of landing their maiden Bundesliga title.
Come the summer, they face a battle to keep hold of their star striker Timo Werner, with Liverpool circling.
But if he departs, Mitchell can step in and lead the work to replace the Germany international. It is where he comes into his own.
That is, of course, if Mitchell remains with the Bundesliga club. He has been repeatedly linked with Manchester United's now almost fabled director of football role.
If Leipzig send some shockwaves around the continent in the coming months, don't be surprised if it isn't just Werner being targeted by Europe's big guns.