Former Nottingham Forest striker Garry Birtles has said that the club made the right decision to sell Michail Antonio to West Ham United.
The winger, who scored 14 goals in the Championship last season, completed his move to Upton Park on the final day of the transfer window for £7m.
Birtles has said that the lure of Premier League football was too much for Antonio to ignore.
"Of course he wanted to go. And, from the moment that became clear, Forest were facing a losing battle when it came to keeping him," Birtles told the Nottingham Post.
"The important thing was they won the fight to get a deal that was right for the club. And, in my eyes, that is one battle they did win. They did not buckle at £4m or even £5m, when the Hammers upped the ante in the final week of the window.
"No, Forest held out and got a very good deal for the player, in difficult circumstances. A fee of £7m is good business for a player who, while possessing all the attributes to be a good performer in the top flight, is still untested at that level."
Antonio cost Forest £1.5m when they signed him from Sheffield Wednesday last summer.
Steven Toplis
