If only the Premier League table were considered, Morgan Gibbs-White's move from Nottingham Forest to Tottenham Hotspur would be a total non-starter.
It's inconceivable that the talisman of the 7th-best team in the division would be pursued or persuaded to join a side that finished just above the relegation zone.
But glory in the Europa League final against Manchester United means Spurs is more than the worst team in the league that wasn't relegated. Victory provides the club with Champions League soccer and evidence that silverware can be won in Tottenham.
In reality, it is an asterisk that obscures the greater overall trend from last season, which was that the Reds have a better trajectory than the Spurs.
As speculation about his future swirled, Gibbs-White reported back for preseason training with Forest and has already featured in friendly games for the club.
Perhaps the use of a player wanted by another team shouldn't come as a surprise, given how reluctant the Reds are to let him leave.
Forest's position is that Gibbs-White is not for sale, and it's even been suggested that the club could take legal action against Tottenham Hotspur over its pursuit after Thomas Frank's side triggered a confidential release clause.
According to his teammates, Gibbs-White has not let the furore affect him on the training field.
"Morgan is a professional. I don't really know the ins and outs of that, but he was here today, he was playing, training with us, staying fit as normal," said fullback Ola Aina.
"At the end of the day, we're all professionals. We've got a job to do and that's what Morgan's doing right now, keeping it professional."
The pain of Gibbs-White's potential departure is worsened by another recent departure from the East Midlands.
Anthony Elanga, another of Forest's key men last season, recently agreed to move to Newcastle United for around $70 million.
Losing two of their most important players has understandably caused concern for Nottingham Forest supporters, who are keen to build on their recent success.
"[The Gibbs-White transfer is] certainly one that Forest could have been doing without and one that has got the fans worried," BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray said on the local station's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast.
"On the back of the exit of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle, fans were willing to accept that a big sale might be necessary this summer because that's life in the days of PSR and the Premier League. Although disappointed with that possibility and subsequent reality, people accepted that.
"But, to have this right on the heel of the Elanga deal caused a lot of concern among supporters, and still is. It is a moving situation and things may change quickly - but it is messy, it is horrible, Forest don't want to be there in that situation. I'm fairly sure Gibbs-White doesn't either."
"It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out from here.
"Most thought it would be ironed out and the transfer go through. Not many were expecting him back at training and here he is. That is another twist in the story.
"Forest have set their stall out that they aren't looking for a quick resolution. They want to keep him."
As Fray correctly points out, Forest's decision to dispose of its most talented players is not driven by either a financial imperative or a sporting decision.
Profit and Sustainability Rules require the club to keep losses at a certain level, and the Premier League has already docked points for past failure to reach the required threshold at the specific deadline.
Although European soccer promises to bring revenue next year to help counteract any expenditure until those games are played, the cash remains a future rather than a current benefit.
But it's frustrating. Forest were one of last season's most exciting English soccer disrupters. They were outsiders from the established status quo whose exceptional performances put the more established order to shame.
Just as Aston Villa managed to gatecrash the Champions League places and were forced to sell key personnel, Forest find themselves in the infuriating position of not being able to build on last year's success.
Like the Birmingham side, they have a storied history that includes European glory and fans who feel they have the right to dream of sustained improvement.
But the function of rules on spending has consistently demonstrated one thing: the upwardly mobile will have their wings clipped.
Since PSR was introduced, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest have improved the Premier League's competitiveness by challenging at the top of the table, only to plateau or regress because they were unable to invest in that potential.
Meanwhile, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have wasted vast sums as they blundered downwards. However, they remain unlikely to be overtaken by more dynamic rivals because PSR will always slow this progress.
However, BBC Sport football news reporter Nick Mashiter is one of the few willing to offer Forest fans reason to be optimistic.
He highlighted that there has been a good track record of reinvestment in recent years.
"It sounds very very boring, but Forest know exactly what they are doing," he explained in a BBC article.
"It sounds strange when you are selling two of your best players, but they have targets - long-term targets in the likes of PSV Eindhoven's Johan Bakayoko, James McAtee of Manchester City and Liverpool's Harvey Elliott.
"Bakayoko was on the list when they signed Elanga initially. So, I think it is a case of 'trust the process' with Forest because over the past couple of years they have shown they know what they are doing.
"It is worth pointing out that Forest have always improved on what they had. Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi came in for a combined £16.5m and they replaced Brennan Johnson, who went to Tottenham for about £47.5m.
"They have improved since then. That was two years ago and they have done the same. Orel Mangala left, Elliot Anderson came in. Moussa Niakhate left and Murillo came in.
"So they have always improved on the players they have lost."
Forest fans will be hoping that proves to be the case, but it is a shameful indictment of PSR that they cannot build on the success they so brilliantly delivered last year.