A year ago, Matze Sils was about to Low key Moving to Nottingham Forest.
The threat of profit and sustainability (PSR) has overwhelmed the transfer period in January 2024, which means low spending and excitement.
There were only 17 permanent deals concluded by the Premier League clubs.
However, the Siels move still did not make the BBC Sport report on the “most interesting” transfers in a disappointing period.
He seemed to be another player joining a club that appears to be in a continuous circle of chaos.
One season in Newcastle United was nine years ago, he was his only previous experience in England, but Forest spent 5 million pounds to make the Belgian goalkeeper his third goalkeeper this season.
Before Sils, a gambling was left the relative comfort of life in Strasbourg in the French First Division to land in the parachute battle to land.
His first appearance in a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on February 4 left his new team in third place in the league tail, three points behind the safety zone.
The threat to discount points on PSR was also on the horizon on Forest, and four points were already deducted a month after joining.
This was not an optimistic scenario, but a year later, the gambling came clearly.
Forest returns to the Vitalyti Stadium on Saturday in third place, just six points behind leaders Liverpool, and Sils leads the race on the golden glove with nine clean nets.
It is part of the third best defense in the department and had a major impact on what was an amazing shift.
“I knew when I fell aspects that they were looking for a goalkeeper, and I knew that the goal was to keep the team in the league,” he told the BBC Sport.
“When you deal with a goalkeeper in January, this is often when the team faces difficulties.
He added: “Playing in the Premier League, and for this reason I wanted to return – to live a little dream – and I am really happy with this season.”
“Even when I came last season it was not easy, but I knew the situation when I fell. You cannot see very far, but you are trying to find out whether it was a good step or not.”
“No one thought it would be the same as we do now, but there is a lot of quality in the team – I saw it when I fell.”
Sells's influence in the year has contradicted since he joined with his transfer in 2016 to St. James Park, after he was a hero in Belgium with Gent.
He participated in only 14 games with the Magpies team, nine of them in the tournament, and when the Rafael Benitez team returned to the Premier League in 2017, he joined Anderlecht on loan.
“When I came to Newcastle, it was not easy. I was the first time for me 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 succeeds, and at other times it does not work well. Sometimes, the bad experience makes you stronger. Everyone in life is going through difficult periods – this is the way you deal with it. I am here now and I am really happy.”
