Paul Gascoigne, whose professional playing career stretched from 1985 to 2004, was one of the most-discussed and popular players of his time. Making his debut for Newcastle United shortly before his eighteenth birthday, he appeared for the Magpies in 102 league games (21 goals) before joining Tottenham Hotspur in a £2.2m deal in 1988. Soon to make his England debut, his rise to fame was to be cemented by his performances in the 1990 World Cup finals. A £5.5m move to Lazio followed in 1992 and, after an injury-hit and often-controversial three year stay in Rome, he spent three years with Rangers before spells with Middlesbrough (1998-2000) and Everton (2000-2002). 

Having spent time in a alcohol rehabilitation clinic in Arizona, Paul left Everton in March 2002 and immediately drew the attention of a number of clubs including fourth-tier Darlington. Eventually signing for Burnley, he made half-a-dozen league appearances by the end of the season by which time he became available once again. Reportedly  rejecting a contract with DC United in the Major Soccer League, and failing to land a deal with Gillingham after a trial, he was also linked with Auckland Kingz, Partick Thistle and Colchester United without anything coming to fruition. 

Meanwhile Exeter City had fallen under the control of the publicity-keen John Russell and Mike Lewis and, in the wake of pop performer Michael Jackson's visit to St James' Park in June 2002, speculation mounted about the club making an attempt to sign Gascoigne. This was not without foundation given that manager John Cornforth also hailed from the north east of England with the two sharing an agent. A deal was duly prepared with Daniel Geller, son of the illusionist Uri Geller who was then associated with the Grecians, suggesting that it was in excess of the £1,000 per week offered by Darlington with a share of the gate receipts also part of the package. Mike Lewis enthusiastically spoke of the possibility of Paul Gascoigne coming to Exeter as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" only for the player's agent to ultimately declare that it wasn't an appropriate time for Paul to consider a drop to the fourth level of English football. 

Three months later, in October 2002, Exeter City sacked John Cornforth and made an audacious attempt to replace him with Paul Gascoigne. Representatives of the club planned to fly to Newcastle for discussions but these were cancelled at the last minute with John Russell later becoming critical of Gascoigne's agent as well as citing supporter unease about the whole affair. 

City appointed Neil McNab who was in post for four months prior to the arrival of Gary Peters and relegation from the Football League at the end of the season. Paul Gascoigne, whose only other connection with football in Devon was an appearance at a testimonial game in Torquay in 1997, subsequently spent a period in China with Gansu Tianma in China ahead of making his final Football League appearances in 2004/05 when briefly player-coach of Boston United. 

He was later manager of Kettering Town for just over a month in 2005 and, in October 2018, made an appearance in Exeter at an event organised by the City Sporting Club.