Nottingham Forest endured a horrible few years under the ownership of Fawaz Al-Hasawi, with the club narrowly avoiding relegation to League One during the 2016/17 season.
Mark Warburton's side beat Ipswich Town 3-0 on the final day of the campaign, securing their safety by the barest of margins – with the club taken over by Evangelos Marinakis over the summer.
He would invest in the playing squad, with the club developing rapidly under Frenchman Sabri Lamouchi before an infamous collapse on the final day of the 2019/20 season that saw the Reds miss out on the playoffs despite an eight-goal swing.
The failure to gain promotion to the Premier League saw multiple departures from the City Ground that summer, with one player in particular moving to play in England's top flight.
He's since excelled, with the former Forest player now a full international and excelling more than any Reds fan could have anticipated.
Matty Cash's stats at Nottingham Forest
After coming through the Nigel Doughty Academy at Forest, winger Matty Cash made his first-team debut in the 4-3 opening-day victory against Burton Albion during the 2016/17 campaign, with the youngster going on to make 28 appearances throughout the season.
He would spend two more seasons as a right-sided midfielder, before dropping back to right-back under Lamouchi during the 2019/20 season.
It was a decision that would shock Forest fans, with the then-Reds boss claiming that Cash had "all the qualities" to play as a right-back in his 4-2-3-1 system.
Despite it being his first full campaign in his new role, Cash excelled in his 42 appearances, scoring three times and being named Nottingham Forest Player of the Season.
His sensational form at the City Ground, coupled with the club's failure to win promotion to England's top flight saw the defender complete a move to Aston Villa for £14m in the summer of 2020.
Matty Cash's market value in 2024
Nearly four years on from his move to Villa Park, the defender has gone on to achieve remarkable things with Cash now a prevalent figure for the Poland national team and for the West Midlands side under boss Unai Emery.
The now 26-year-old has since made 136 appearances for Villa, with the right-back also winning the Player of the Season award in his second full term with the club.
He's since been the subject of interest from Spanish side Atlético Madrid, with the defender's market value taking a sharp upturn since his move from Forest.
The Polish full-back is now worth £24m as per Transfermarkt, a figure that is £2.5m more than Forest's current young talent, Murillo, who is currently valued at £21.5m according to the same source.
Given his rapid rise, the Reds must regret selling him for as little as £14m – with Cash now an established full-back in the Premier League.
The club undoubtedly had to sell him to comply with FFP rules, but the club must hold some regret with Cash being the perfect fit in Nuno Espírito Santo's current system.
His energetic playstyle and ability to create chances down the Reds' right-hand side would be perfect under Nuno, with the 26-year-old an upgrade on current full-back Neco Williams.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
