Southampton's forgotten shot-stopper Joe Lumley has joined hands with promotion-chasers Bristol City where his Premier League experience can help them mount a dominating promotion challenge from the get go.
Amidst all the bling-bling transfer links surrounding star shot-stopper Aaron Ramsdale, Southampton fans shouldn't forget that the club had three more goalkeepers last season. Now, mostly one option is enough for addressing the entire league commitments but a backup is always better for squad rotation purposes.
The issue with the Saints is that they employed three such deputies behind Ramsdale, which is too much of a safety net to maintain. Now, Gavin Bazunu holds some significant transfer value and Alex McCarthy might seem unnecessary but he has delivered on multiple big occasions for Southampton.
Thus, it was Joe Lumley all along to make way for an extra roster spot and the board too signalled his swift exit at the beginning of June. Now, his brave efforts in securing an important 0-0 Fulham draw can't be ignored but it was evident that his awful decision-making enraged Saints fans every now and then.
Lumley's few poor outings reduced an already minimal playing time
Even that Cardiff City classic could have been a statement victory if not for Lumley's casual keeping in crucial moments.
Regardless, he has gone his separate ways and his new role is of an understudy at Bristol City.
Honestly, his new teammates turned heads in the Championships with their consistent form and their morale would be sky high albeit conceding a one-sided defeat in the semi-final tie. Plus, any high achiever in the second-division is worthy of an upset delivering side, so, it isn't vague to expect them to start the coming season from where they left off.
Hence, let's wish the best to Lumley in his new adventure and hopefully, Southampton too, sort out their keeping dilemma soon.