Now that it's over, Antonio Conte and Daniel Levy's fractious relationship at Tottenham can be epitomised by the £20million signing of Djed Spence.
Remember the Championship's outstanding wing-back last season who sparked a bidding war between Premier League clubs in the summer? Well, Spurs won the race and fans were understanding excited to see the Nottingham Forest promotion winner in action.
Unfortunately for those supporters, Spence only featured six times before being sent out on loan to French side Rennes in January. Conte made it clear shortly after the 22-year-old's arrival that it was indeed Levy and the club who decided to buy Spence, signalling a disconnect which rarely showed signs of healing during the Italian's tumultuous 16-month reign as boss which - to no one's surprise - came to an end on Sunday.
The £20m deal also suggests that Levy is steadfast in his desire to be the man driving Tottenham's transfer business, as opposed to allowing the manager and his backroom staff to solely sanction signings. "Spence is an investment of the club," Conte declared in July. "The club wanted to do it. I said okay, this player is young but he showed he can become a good, important player for us. The club decided to buy him."
When directly asked about his manager's comments, the England under-21 international replied: "I didn't really see it. I don't really pay attention. I just train, you know, pay attention to my football and train hard. Let the rest do the rest."
In October, when Spence had only played one minute of first-team football all season, Conte faced criticism from unhappy supporters over his decision to leave him out of the North London derby defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal. The man who got the nod instead, Emerson Royal, was sent off in the 3-1 loss and Spence's sister took to Instagram to say how things 'could've been different'.
"The fans have to be fans," the now ex-Spurs boss responded. "They can think anything but I see every day the training sessions. If I don't decide to pick a player, it's because maybe he's not ready. We are talking about a young player with a good prospect, but I try to pick the best team.
"I'm not stupid, I don't want to lose. I try to pick the best team. If they don't trust me then I'm the coach and I need to take the best decision for Tottenham."
Come the January transfer window, the club agreed a deal worth more than £40m to sign Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon, initially on loan. Porro's arrival signalled Spence's temporary departure to Rennes until the end of this season.
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Although his future didn't look bright while Conte was still in charge, Spence now has the opportunity to impress a new manager at Tottenham. In France, the former Middlesbrough starlet has made an impressive nine starts and was part of the side who beat Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 before the international break.
Spence was also in the starting line-up as England under-21s beat their French counterparts 4-0 on Saturday, showing why he's still highly-rated within the Three Lions' youth setup. Conte evidently felt that he wasn't ready for Spurs' senior side on a regular basis, but Levy and the club's recruitment team might end up having the last laugh.
