Southampton will feel somewhat disheartened that they have faded away from the automatic promotion picture in the Championship, with Daniel Farke's Leeds United pulling away from the Saints in the process to jump to the top of the league.
Now, Russell Martin's men find themselves nine points off the top two but they will still believe they can leap straight back up to the Premier League via the lottery of the playoffs.
Regardless of whether promotion glory is sealed or not, there will be a lot of deliberation this summer over who should be kept on at St. Mary's with a number of contracts up or heading into their final year.
Jack Stephens could begin to feel anxious about his Southampton future as a result – his contract comes to end in 2025 – with his hefty wage also burning a hole in the club's pocket when you look at how many times he's played this season.
Jack Stephens' wage at Southampton
According to Capology, the 30-year-old Saints centre-back currently rakes in a handsome £45k-per-week despite not being a regular in defence this campaign.
It would be a bittersweet severing of the ties to axe Stephens, who has been at Southampton since 2011, but it would be a smart decision to make to then utilise that cash more effectively.
Stephens has only made 15 appearances in the second tier this season, but has been entrusted with the captain's armband when playing with his manager openly praising him for possessing all the attributes of a "real leader."
That doesn't take away from the fact the experienced defender has struggled this campaign when selected away from his vocal presence in the dressing room, notably underwhelming in Southampton's 4-2 win over Sunderland just before the break.
The Southampton number five would fail to win a single duel in that back-and-forth contest before being substituted off, on top of failing to register a single tackle from his lacklustre 73 minutes on the South Coast.
His hefty pay packet is made to look even more excessive when you compare his salary to that of Kyle Walker-Peters, who has continued to be a key performer for the Saints even in their drop-down to the Championship with his hunger to succeed for the club still present.
Jack Stephens' wage compared to the Southampton squad
Walker-Peters hadn't missed a single minute of second-tier action for Martin's men before injury disaster struck, leading to Stephens being called back into action in a reshuffled back four.
Therefore, it's bewildering to see such a key first-team presence on £25k per week less than the 30-year-old who is only really used as a utility figure if and when he's required.
Stephens also finds himself pocketing a heftier wage than regular first-team faces Gavin Bazunu and Will Smallbone who come in at £20k and £25k-per-week respectively.
1. Joe Aribo
£70k per week
2. Stuart Armstrong
£65k per week
3. Jan Bednarek
£60k per week
4. Adam Armstrong
£55k per week
5. Alex McCarthy
£50k per week
Stephens only just narrowly misses out on being a top five earner at St. Mary's based on the table above, with the long-standing servant's future at the club surely up for debate soon when you consider the likes of Jan Bednarek and Taylor Harwood-Bellis are set in stone as a relied upon centre-back duo over Stephens.
Openly admired by his manager for his credentials to be a commander at the back, Martin must know that his defender's time could be up soon at St. Mary's regardless when you cast an eye over his excessive salary compared to Walker-Peters and others.
