Once Alex Pritchard demanded out, Norwich City had little choice but to cash in on the midfielder.
Sporting director Stuart Webber revealed on Friday the 24-year-old made it clear he wanted to leave just two games into a comeback from ankle surgery back in December.
The former Tottenham starlet got his wish in a reported initial £11m move to Huddersfield last month, but has only made two appearances for the relegation-threatened Terriers.
'He thought his destiny was the Premier League,' said Webber.
'We didn't have to sell Alex, we chose to sell him because it got to a point it reached a price we thought was pretty good for us and relieve some of the pressure this summer.
'Alex made it clear two games after getting back fit he wanted to leave.
'That becomes hard and then it is about negotiating the best price. We felt the price for a player who hadn't played that many games this season might allow us to help other deals and keep other players.
'We added five players with Kenny McLean.
'When we sold him there was a clamour to come out and make statements but I would rather say, 'judge us at the end of the window. Don't judge us at the start'.
'We managed to sell him and that helped us significantly strengthen the squad, despite losing a top player, and helped reduce some of the financial pressure.
'The summer will be a jump still in that respect but not as big. We didn't have bids for any other players but if we had done then doing that deal enabled us not to sell.'
Pritchard's exit had a domino effect.
MORE: Have your say on our Pinkun forum
'If you would have asked me mid-December if it was going to be a busy window I would have said no,' said Webber.
'It was pretty clear then, when Alex made his intentions known, we could be in for a busy period.
'All of sudden things came for Cameron (Jerome), (Steven) Naismith and Russell (Martin) which made it even busier.
'January is not normally that type of window. We were always ready if that was the case. When we did get the money in and off the wage bill we were able to action new signings. Within 10 days of him leaving we had done our business.
'That would have stitched us up if the Pritchard deal had come at the end of the window.'
• For the latest Norwich City news and opinion follow Group Football Editor Paddy Davitt on the following channels…
Paddy Davitt on Twitter @paddyjdavitt
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here