Cardiff City's preparations for the 2025-26 League One campaign are firmly underway.
Players linked up at the club's Vale Resort training base on Monday to undergo testing with the Bluebirds' medical and performance coaches.
But one man who was not present for the opening day of Cardiff's pre-season was Joe Ralls.
With his contract expiring next week, Cardiff confirmed the central midfielder - who made 409 appearances in all competitions for the club - would leave the Cardiff City Stadium after 15 years with the Bluebirds.
It means Cardiff will undertake a pre-season campaign without Ralls for the first time since prior to his arrival from Farnborough in 2010.
Despite still being only 31 years of age, Ralls has had his issues with injuries of late, as evidenced by the fact he played in just 21 of his side's 46 Championship matches last season.
It perhaps goes some way to explaining why the club were willing to make the difficult decision to part company with the man who only earlier this year rose into the top 10 list for most appearances for Cardiff.
And Ralls himself, ever the role model and ultimate professional, was typically gracious towards new boss Brian Barry-Murphy, despite being told he would not be part of the former Rochdale manager's plans in south Wales.
"I’d like to thank our new head coach, Brian Barry-Murphy, for being completely honest with me," said Ralls.
"That’s all I can ask for as a player and after our conversation I’m really excited about the future of this football club and wish him and his team the best of luck for the upcoming season."
Time and time again, Ralls proved himself to be the ultimate club man both on and off the pitch and never shied away from playing the role of the fall guy when it came to facing the media during times of crisis.
While he did spend the duration of the 2013-14 season on loan at Yeovil Town, making 38 appearances in all competitions for the Glovers, Ralls - who scored 34 goals for Cardiff - has the feel of a one-club man given his vast years of service to the Bluebirds.
READ MORE: Joe Ralls Backs Cardiff City To Progress Under Brian Barry-Murphy . . . Despite Big Exit
You would expect given his wealth of experience and age that the central midfielder will have no trouble when it comes to finding a new club.
But the exit of Ralls truly does show the club is in a major transitional period - although, most would argue it's a process that's long overdue.
For players over the age of 30, featuring more than 400 times for the same club in the current day and age is a real rarity.
Even true Premier League greats such as Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard had stints elsewhere having spent the majority of their careers at Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
Former Wales winger and manager Ryan Giggs is arguably the ultimate one-club man of recent times, although the likes of Gary Neville, Tony Adams, Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher from these shores can make strong claims for that gong.
But much like England icons Gerrard and Lampard with Liverpool and Chelsea respectively, Ralls is fully deserving of a 'Mr Cardiff' type title.
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He twice helped the club secure promotion into the Premier League and made 28 top-flight appearances in 2018-19 under Neil Warnock.
In an era where intense transfer speculation and cryptic social media posts dominate the football news cycle, Ralls' pleasant demeanour and no-frills approach is nothing short of a real breath of fresh air.
Barry-Murphy brings new ideas to a club that has largely stagnated since being relegated from the Premier League six years ago.
And while the head coach's ruthless streak is admirable in many ways given the relentless calls from fans for change at the club over recent years, Ralls' departure truly does represent the end of an era.
However, as Ralls himself said in his classy farewell post, the club will hope it kick-starts the beginning of a new period of positivity in the Welsh capital, albeit without a man who served Cardiff with the utmost distinction.
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