Southampton goalkeeper Joe Lumley has been urged to submit a transfer request this summer after head coach Russell Martin snubbed him from the starting lineup on Tuesday night.
The 29-year-old shot-stopper has yet to make a single league appearance for the Saints this season, although he featured four times in the FA Cup, including in a 3-0 defeat at Anfield against English giants Liverpool.
However, when it was revealed that Martin would be forced to make a late change to his starting lineup on Tuesday as Gavin Bazunu had been ruled out with injury, it seemed logical that Lumley would step in to make his league debut for Southampton.
Unfortunately, for the former Queens Park Rangers man, that’s not how it panned out. Martin turned to the experienced Alex McCarthy, who had made only one other appearance this season, which came back in August in a 3-1 defeat againt Gillingham in the EFL Cup.
McCarthy hadn’t been named in the squad for a Championship game since the end of the November but managed to keep a clean sheet in midweek during a 3-0 win at the St. Mary’s over Preston North End.
The perfect time to score 👏❤️ pic.twitter.com/DJLSQ3fgCP
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) April 18, 2024
Speaking about the game on the What The EFL? Podcast, EFL pundit and former player Adrian Clarke has admitted that he if was Lumley, he would have handed in a transfer request straight after the match [quotes via Southampton FC News]:
“If I’m Lumley, transfer request has gone in already,” Clarke said.
“It’s an obvious lack of trust. How can you work with a manager that does that to you?
“It feels too harsh.”
In his post-match interview, Martin tried to cool the reaction behind his decision to pick McCarthy over Lumley as Bazunu is set to miss the remainder of the campaign [quotes via the Daily Echo]:
“I think I’ve said to the goalies of the season, I don’t really see it the same as any other position on the pitch,” the Southampton manager explained.
“I think there’s this thing in England and maybe in football in general, you need to have a nailed number one or two.”
“But maybe it’s just deemed a bit different from the outside. I haven’t had a chance to explain to Joe properly the decision,” he continued.
“I’m sure he’ll be very annoyed and frustrated and hurt but we will chat to him and explain to him why.
“Then how he reacts to that is his choice and we’ll see for Saturday if he’s going to play or not.”
Writer’s View
It was a big decision for Martin to leave Lumley out of the squad despite the ex-Reading loanee playing three more times for Southampton than McCarthy had this season prior to kick-off on Tuesday night. Ultimately, the decision paid off as the former England international kept a clean sheet.
However, Lumley had every right to be upset at the decision. Nevertheless, with Bazunu expected to be out for the final few matches of the campaign, which may include the play-offs, he needs to clear his head quickly and fight with McCarthy for the number ‘1’ berth.
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