The closure of the transfer window for League One, Two and European sides on Monday brought to an end what has been a very busy summer for Nottingham Forest.

They sacked manager Martin O’Neill in June, replacing him with Sabri Lamouchi, and have seen some pretty significant squad turnover.

12 new players joined the club in the transfer window, four on loan deals and eight arriving permanently, while since the end of last season, 18 players have left the City Ground.

One of the last players to leave the club this summer was Arvin Appiah, who joined La Liga 2 side Almeria on Monday in a move that could prove to be a huge mistake for the Reds.

Forest received a significant fee for the 18-year-old winger, £8 million according to BBC Sport, but in many ways that only serves as evidence of the how talented the young player they have let leave is.

From a financial point of view, it is an understandable move for the club to make. With the number of signings that the club have made, they will have spent a lot of money in transfers fees and wages and the fee received for Appiah will be a real boost for the club's finances.

However, the England under-19 winger is arguably the finest prospect to come out of the Forest academy in recent years and appears to have the potential to be a fantastic player.

Appiah broke into the first-team last season and showed some real flashes of brilliance. The teenager made seven appearances in all in the 2018/19 campaign and had featured once under Lamouchi this season, starting in the 1-0 Carabao Cup win against Fleetwood Town–a game in which he was the best player on the pitch in the first half.

On a short-term basis, Appiah’s exit reduces the options available to Lamouchi at Forest.

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Albert Adomah and Joe Lolley have started the season well but should they suffer an injury or a drop in form, Matty Cash and Sammy Ameobi are the only other options in the squad – the Frenchman could be left wishing he had the 18-year-old to call on later in the season.

Looking long-term, great things had been predicted of Appiah at Forest by his teammates and such is his potential that he was reportedly being watched by Manchester United.

If the Englishman becomes the player that many people seem to believe he can be then the Nottingham club will surely regret letting him leave and may look back at the decision to sell him as a huge mistake.