Joe Lumley has settled into his new Bristol City surroundings and now, he awaits working with a previous Southampton name.
Bristol City might be accused of being the only team to spoil away the playoffs thrill in May, but they are atleast giving something for the Saints fans to still keep following their coming matches. During the ultimate week of June, they captured former Southampton backup keeper Joe Lumley.
Understandably, that may not be a standout move but Lumley won't find himself away from the gaze of his former supporters. The 30-year-old was more of a third-layer keeper security at St. Mary's in case there is a massive outbreak of absences near the Saints goal.
Overall, it was a comfortable enough role for Lumley and now he is set to shake hands with another past Southampton figure ahead of a season that will test both his playing skills as well as the learnings he can pass on as a slight mentor in his new group.
Fleming follows Bristol's budget friendly signing ideology
According to Bristol City's official website, they have onboarded former Saints team trainer Craig Fleming. In their own words, they highlighted: "The former defender spent four years as Assistant Coach at Southampton in the Premier League, working under Ralph Hasenhüttl, having progressed through the ranks as Under-18s and Under-23s coach."
Now, Bristol has limited their arrivals tally to free agents and budget alternatives until now, but their consistency might do the desired trick for them. They have travelled the lengthy distance as semi-finalists and preventing any major overhauls can give them the stability to fetch a Premier League place without needing more than a bunch of attempts.
As for Southampton, the free transfers are yet to arrive in the picture, but quality will need to be strictly measured else, it's fine to remain unfazed by any such rumours.