Nottingham Forest's decision to let Anel Ahmedhodzic leave the City Ground back in 2019 could well go down as one of the biggest howlers the club has made in recent times.
Ahmedhodzic was a product of Swedish outfit Malmo FF and left the side to join Nottingham Forest's U18s. The Bosnian with Swedish citizenship worked his way up to the Forest senior side, where he made one first-team appearance as a substitute against Newcastle United, before rejoining Malmo FF - this time as a first-team player.
After a six-month loan spell to Danish outfit Hobro IK, Ahmedhodzic was recalled and became a big part of the squad after signing a new three-year deal, with the side becoming league champions just seven months after he returned from his loan spell.
The following year was the antithesis of his spell at Forest and saw the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Atalanta very much interested in signing the then 22-year-old. The latter, Atalanta, were on the verge of signing Ahmedhodzic in March of 2021, though he stayed with Malmo and made his Champions League debut just five months later against Juventus.
Fast forward to the present day and Ahmedhodzic finds himself on loan at Ligue 1 outfit Bordeaux, having established himself as a starter since joining in January.
Bordeaux have an option to buy the 6 foot 4 centre-back for just €4m (£3.3m) which is a bargain, considering his market value has elevated to £6.3m, according to Transfermarkt.
At 23-years-old his potential is limitless, though if you were to take a look at his stats, they would suggest he is a box-to-box midfielder.
They are peculiar to say the least, but nevertheless impressive. As a centre-back, it is very rare to achieve a shot-creating actions average of one SCA per 90 minutes. Though that suggests everything you need to know about Ahmedhodzic and the system that he operates in.
The Bosnia international plays in a back three and functions as an overlapping centre-back, with his ability in possession a key enabler in his desire to progress up the pitch.
He's been described by Fabrizio Romano as a "top talent" and it is easy to see why.
If Ahmedhodzic keeps up this trajectory, he will have Nottingham Forest deeply regretting their decision to sell him after he was afforded just one appearance.