Wolfsburg left-back Ricardo Rodriguez believes he was fated to miss out on a summer move.
The Switzerland international was linked with an array of clubs, including Arsenal, Manchester City and Barcelona, but nobody came in to match the asking price of €25 million.
The 24-year-old said: "I guess it was just meant to be this way. God wanted it this way."
Rodriguez told Switzerland's Blick newspaper: "You just need the right timing for a transfer and it's a fact that during this transfer window, there were hardly any transfers of players in my position."
Rodriguez does not believe the price tag will have put off teams.
"I don't think €25m is too much for me," he said. "I'm only 24 and I already have more than four years of experience as a regular in the Bundesliga and the national team, and over €40m has been spent on players with less going for them.
"To be honest I don't think any footballer is worth so much, but these are the mechanics of professional football."
Even though he misses out on Champions League football this season, Rodriguez is not upset to be remaining in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.
"I have a contract here until 2019 and I've been here for four-and-a-half years and established quite a reputation within the team," he said. "Everything's good, believe me."