Southampton set to sign 28-year-old | OneFootball

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Southampton are set to sign former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Joe Lumley, according to The Athletic journalist Dan Sheldon.

The 28-year-old is currently a free agent following the end of his time at the Riverside, with Michael Carrick opting to release him and that comes as no surprise considering he wasn't convincing between the sticks for the Teesside outfit during the 2021/22 campaign.

Boro have strengthened since his departure, bringing in Seny Dieng, Tom Glover and Jamie Jones to compete for a starting spot.

Lumley could face any of these stoppers this term, with a Championship return for the experienced stopper looking inevitable.

How did Joe Lumley get on at Reading?

There were a lot of changes in Boro's goalkeeping department last season too, with Zach Steffen and Liam Roberts both coming in.

With Luke Daniels remaining at the Riverside, that freed up Lumley to make the switch to then-Championship side Reading, who were in desperate need of new shot-stoppers at the time following the departure of Orjan Nyland.

During the early stages of the season, he suffered a nightmare performance away at Rotherham United and was arguably at fault for three of the Millers' goals that afternoon.

But that turned out to be a low point during a reasonably decent loan spell for Lumley, who looked reasonably confident for much of the season and didn't make too many errors.

He simply had to minimise errors following a poor 2021/22 season with Boro, looking extremely shaky at times during that campaign.

In terms of last season, he couldn't prevent the Berkshire outfit from being relegated but it would be difficult to blame him for that considering the poor defence he had in front of him.

What role could Joe Lumley have at Southampton?

Considering Alex McCarthy and Gavin Bazunu are at the club, it would be difficult to see him securing a starting spot and he may even be a third-choice option for the Saints.

There's a chance he could start if he performs well enough in training though and this is one reason why he may be open to making the move to St Mary's.

Mateusz Lis has secured a loan exit which has opened up a first-team spot for Lumley - but he will need to work extremely hard and be brilliant in training to have any chance of winning much game time.

Is Joe Lumley a good signing for Southampton?

Considering he did reasonably well at Reading last season, he could be a good backup option to have but he shouldn't be a starter for the Saints.

He could be a good medium-term option and may be a good role model for the younger keepers at St Mary's considering the experience he has under his belt.

But he should only be offered a one-year contract before his future is reassessed.

Considering Lumley is still a free agent at this stage, this is a proposal he may be willing to accept.

And if the player doesn't settle in well, he will be able to leave next summer, so a 12-month deal is probably one that suits all parties, especially the Saints who can offload him fairly quickly if things don't work out for the best.