Southampton's gesture to keep Adam Lallana's No. 10 jersey vacant leaves fans stunned, for whom Mateus Fernandes should have succeeded the historically rich Saints number.
The English division football has evolved quite a lot in recent years, but thankfully, some things still haven't changed. Even now, while rocking in their traditional long followed colours, some players stand out with their unique game accessories, marking an impact beyond the sport.
And who will relate more to this than the Saints who long followed one club man, Matt Le Tissier, wearing his iconic Black Umbro, finishing up as a one-boot man too. Probably, it's this hereditary spirit that drives the fans till today, even on the off-pitch events like jersey reveals, in the same way.
Well, being showered with such overwhelming support is no less than a blessing to any club on the fans' part. But the sad part? Southampton has time and again failed to pay back the gestures brilliantly.
Recently, the Saints were at task again, as they committed a major slip-up in their 2025/26 season jersey number reveal. Take a look at the nearly 1-to-n list, where the club skipped a number too big to go unnoticed.
Saints let go pass perfect opportunity to tie Mateus to the club's history
Yes, we talk of the historic attacking midfielder's number 10 jersey, which, after icon Adam Lallana's retirement last season, lies vacant now. Now, a fraction of fans may argue that this has been the best thing to offer respect to Lallana's legacy, who has been Saints' best midfielder in recent history.
Well, that remains a perspective, but the general consensus of Saints fans stares down the reality as to why Mateus Fernandes wasn't crowned with the iconic number 10. Being a rising talent, being the current best Saint, Fernandes could have been the perfect jersey successor of the number previously worn by club icons Che Adams, Charlie Austin and Sadio Mane.
That's because this single call wouldn't have boosted Fernandes' morale to follow in the club legend route, but might've turned out to be a financial powerhouse move, skyrocketing shirt sales.
Anyways, here we are, we Saints fans, consoling ourselves on the back of a blunder slip-up once again. Let's hope denying Mateus the deserved number 10 doesn't affect his performances ahead of the soon-starting season.