Football is littered with stories of players either returning to old clubs to heighten already established legendary status, or departing after disastrous spells in the hotseat.
For Mikel Arteta, a dream return to Arsenal is turning into a nightmare as he struggles to hit the heights on the touchline as well as he did in the midfield.
In Italy, Andrea Pirlo started to show signs of recovery after an inauspicious start to life in the Juventus hotseat before another blip, having taken charge in the summer.
So should players stay away from their former sides to protect their playing legacies or is the lure of earning club immortality as player and manager too good to turn down?