Midfielder Lewis O'Brien faces the prospect of going six months without playing football.
He had a medical with Blackburn and agreed to join the club on loan from Nottingham Forest.
But the required paperwork wasn't submitted in time before the transfer deadline, and the EFL rejected the club's mitigating factors as to the reasons why.
As a result, his move to Blackburn is off.
But it is unclear if O'Brien is in Forest's 25-man Premier League squad.
If he is not, the midfielder faces six months without playing professionally.
