A year ago Matz Sels was on the verge of a low-key move to Nottingham Forest.
The 2024 January transfer window was overshadowed by the threat of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), meaning spending and excitement plummeted.
There were only 17 permanent deals done by Premier League clubs.
Yet Selz’s move still did not make BBC Sport’s round-up of the ‘most interesting’ transfers of an underwhelming window.
He just looked like yet another player joining a club that seemed to be in a constant cycle of chaos.
One season at Newcastle United nine years ago was his only previous experience in England but Forest spent £5m to make Belgium goalkeeper their third No.1 of the season.
Sels accepted the gamble of leaving the relative comfort of life at Strasbourg in Ligue 1 to parachute into Forest’s relegation battle.
His debut in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on 4 February left his new side third bottom of the league, three points from safety.
The threat of a points deduction over PSR was also looming over Forest and they were indeed docked four points a month after he joined.
It was not an optimistic scenario, but fast forward a year and the gamble has patently paid off.
Forest go back to Vitality Stadium on Saturday in third place, just six points behind leaders Liverpool and with Sels leading the race for the Golden Glove with nine clean sheets.
He is part of the third-best defence in the division and has been a huge influence in what has been an incredible turnaround.
“I knew when I signed they were searching for a goalkeeper and I knew it was to keep the team in the league,” he tells BBC Sport.
“When you take a goalkeeper in January, most of the time it’s when the team is in difficulties.
“To play in the Premier League, that’s why I wanted to come back – to live the dream a little bit – and I’m really happy with this season.
“Even when I came last season it was not so easy but I knew the situation when I signed. You cannot see too far forward, but you try to see if it was a good step or not.
“Nobody thought it would be like we are doing now, but there is a lot of quality in the squad – I saw it when I signed.”
Sels’ impact in the year since joining is in contrast to his 2016 move to St James’ Park, having been a champion in Belgium with Gent.
He made just 14 appearances for the Magpies, nine in the Championship, and when Rafael Benitez’s side returned to the Premier League in 2017 he joined Anderlecht on loan.
“When I came to Newcastle it was not so easy. It was my first time abroad and I was 22 years old – I don’t want to say I was a child but I was still really young,” he says.
“Sometimes it works out, sometimes it does not work so well. Sometimes a bad experience makes you stronger. Everyone in life has difficult periods – it’s how you cope with it. I’m here now and I’m really happy.”
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