Steve Cooper called it “unique”. There has certainly never been a transfer window like it at Nottingham Forest - nor will there be again.
And that only serves to underline why the Reds had no choice but to embark on a summer shopping spree. It was a necessity.
Whether they found themselves in the Championship or the Premier League, this was always going to be a busy window at the City Ground. In either scenario, there was going to be a turnover of players.
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A substantial number of new additions were needed, not just to strengthen, but to replace those who departed. Focusing simply on the quantity of arrivals, however, ignores the quality, and how some excellent business has been done.
As soon as promotion was achieved, it became clear Forest didn't just want to survive in the top-flight, they wanted to thrive. They want to be competitive.
Recruiting the likes of Dean Henderson, Moussa Niakhate (when he returns from injury), Neco Williams, Jesse Lingard, Morgan Gibbs-White, Remo Freuler and Renan Lodi, gives them that chance. In almost every press conference in recent weeks, head coach Cooper has been questioned on the number of new faces. And each time he has made the point that the Reds wanted to ensure they have sufficient cover/competition in each position.
But by making the signings they have, the club are not just preparing for the present and the challenge of mixing with the elite, they have also put in place the foundations of a squad which can develop over several years. It doesn’t always work out like that, of course, but a significant proportion of the new faces have plenty of years - potentially their best ones - ahead of them and have been tied to long-term contracts.
In future windows, the work done in the last few months should, in theory, serve Forest well. They already have a good basis there. Having seen the impact relying on too many loans can have, when those players then return to their parent teams, the Reds now have a talented group on permanent deals.
“You’re investing in them. I don’t just mean financially investing, but also football programme investing, in something that you can grow over a period of time," Cooper has said.
They have the strength in depth the manager identified as being key, too. The Welshman regularly talks about the effect being able to make five substitutions has on his thinking. A strong bench is required.
Given the selection dilemmas Cooper will have most weeks, whoever misses out on the XI will provide a good option to change a game midway through - be that from an attacking or defensive perspective. In almost every area, most notably in central midfield and at the back, Forest are now well stocked.
What this all means for the months ahead is difficult to predict. There's no denying it could be tricky to get so many new faces to gel, even for an expert man-manager such as Cooper - albeit, at times, this team has given the impression it has been together longer than it has, while players have spoken about the unity in the changing room.
But the club have given themselves the best possible chance of being able to pick up results, and then see where that takes them. Their sense of ambition cannot be questioned.
After successive defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, and the closure of the transfer window, this is when a more accurate judgement of the Reds can begin to be formed. With games against Bournemouth, Leeds United and Fulham in September, it is a big month after the busiest of summers.
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