It was Deadline Day in 2008 when York United FC's assistant coach Paul Stalteri faced a situation for the very first time in his football career: a mid-season move.

Following a stellar time in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen, with whom he claimed a historic league and cup double in 2004, Stalteri earned a well-deserved switch to the Premier League and arrived at Tottenham Hotspur the following summer. There were plenty of high points under Martin Jol but things started to change when the Dutchman was replaced by Juande Ramos early in the 2007/08 campaign.

"Things weren't going great in that third year and then you're looking for something else," Stalteri says.

"That's when the phones start to pick up. There was a lot of talk that January about me and where I might go. Ramos had come in as the new manager and you just knew what his thoughts were long-term. Funnily enough, I had just got back in the side when Fulham came in. They really came out of nowhere, to be honest, and on the last day of the transfer window.

"It was one of those moments - and the first time in my career - where if something came about during the season then you'd have to strongly consider it. Fortunately enough it was another Premier League club, which was fantastic. There were a few Championship clubs that wanted me but I was always hesitant to go anywhere below the top-flight. It was in London and though I did end up getting a place on that side of town because the traffic was always such a disaster, it meant I didn't have to uproot the family completely. I wouldn't say it was a complete no-brainer because you don't have long to make the decision but it was a loan until the end of the season, a chance to play and a much easier transition than most. You've got to take that opportunity, get there and perform. And I have some really good memories."

While Stalteri had grown accustomed to featuring in both the Uefa Champions League and Uefa Cup at Tottenham and Werder, it was a substantial contrast at Craven Cottage. The season had started poorly for Fulham and despite Roy Hodgson's arrival as manager in December 2007, the side were embroiled in a scrap for top-flight survival.

To some it possibly seemed a strange move. But not to Stalteri.

Hodgson made him feel wanted.

It was that simple.

"The most important part of the entire process is to speak with the manager of the club," Stalteri continues.

"There's loads of 'interest' but the reality is that there's much less of the genuine stuff. That's what makes it authentic. And it's only when you talk with the manager that you find out how important you're gonna be, whether you're going to be a fill-in or how well he even knows you. That conversation is really massive and I had it with Roy Hodgson. He was an absolute gentleman. I can't say enough good things about him. At that time in England he was so under-rated. He'd done fantastically well outside of the country but he was trying to prove himself there - to the public and the media - despite being such an experienced manager. But he had that passion and still does, clearly."

"It's funny, though. If we didn't stay up that season, maybe he doesn't stick around and you don't know how the rest of his career goes within English football. But just a few years later they're in the final of the Europa League, he gets the Liverpool gig, he gets the England gig and he's still doing such a terrific job at Crystal Palace over the last few seasons."

It wasn't until the final day of the season that Fulham confirmed their safety, a solitary goal from Danny Murphy giving them a nervy 1-0 victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park. A different experience for Stalteri, though a memorable one.

And, with a permanent exit from Tottenham imminent, it would serve him particularly well for what came next.

"There was a lot of talk after that season too, about where I'd end up," Stalteri says.

"And it was another German team that came in for me. It's strange because two coaches I had in the final period of my career were older guys - Roy at Fulham and then Hans Meyer at Borussia Monchengladbach. Both similar personalities. It was good for me, certainly. I felt very appreciated in both places. I was made to feel they wanted me at their respective clubs."

Gladbach - a team with a massive history, huge fanbase and substantial pedigree - also faced the prospect of dropping down. Stalteri officially arrived in January 2009 and things looked bleak. The squad boasted a number of magnificent underage prospects: Marco Reus and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen among them, while a certain 21-year-old named Michael Bradley patrolled central midfield. The lack of experience was a problem, and why Stalteri was brought in.

And, just like at Fulham, they stayed up.

"You looked at the squad and it was a very young group," Stalteri says.

"Marco Reus was there but couldn't even drive yet. Ter-Stegen was similar. He rolled into the team about 18 months after I got there but he didn't have a licence. Some of them hadn't even played a Bundesliga game. There wasn't much experience but it was a massive club: a 60,000 stadium, very traditional in German football, all the framework for it to be what it should be: a huge success. But I could never figure it out. Their big rivals were Cologne and both were up-down, up-down and no real consistency, unlike before when they had dominated."

"Gladbach turned a corner and have been amazing over the last decade or so. But we could easily have gone down, and again two years later. But it was a great opportunity at the time. Again, it was a club that really wanted me. I wasn't exactly old but the clock was ticking a little bit so you want to finish strongly and pick the right place to play your football. I spoke to their Sporting Director quite a number of times, and the manager, and you felt you were gonna play an integral part. Sometimes that carries more weight than anything else when you're talking to clubs."

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