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Mario Lemina hoping to find his feet quickly at Southampton

By Chris Hughes

TURIN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 21: Mario Lemina (R) of Juventus FC is challenged by Luca Ceppitelli of Cagliari Calcio during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and Cagliari Calcio at Juventus Stadium on September 21, 2016 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 21: Mario Lemina (R) of Juventus FC is challenged by Luca Ceppitelli of Cagliari Calcio during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and Cagliari Calcio at Juventus Stadium on September 21, 2016 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) /
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Southampton new boy Mario Lemina is excited for the season ahead, but insists he must adapt quickly to the Premier League.

The Saints made their second major play in the transfer market yesterday evening, spending £16 million up front to bring in Mario Lemina from Juventus.

Whilst there was no doubt a lot of business going on the background, the deal for Lemina was seemingly completed within a matter of days, with the rumour first surfacing on Saturday.

The deal for the 23-year-old could rise to as much as £20 million, meaning Lemina has the potential to be Southampton’s most expensive signing. He’s tied down on a contract until 2022.

The Gabonese international made 29 appearances last season but only 19 in the league, with ten of those being substitute appearances, spurning rumours of a move to Spain or England.

The midfielder chose the latter and is hoping to land on his feet in the competitive division, which he has admitted is a tough league to play in.

"“I am really excited. I have a lot of friends from France who are here and they have explained to me what it’s like to play in the Premier League. “I am really excited to be playing in stadiums in the Premier League this season.  “It is a different league and I hope that I adapt quickly to it because I know that it is a league where everything goes quickly. I know that the team will help me lots to get used to it.”"

BARCELONA, SPAIN – APRIL 19: Mario Lemina of Juventus embraces Neymar of Barcelona after the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final second leg match between FC Barcelona and Juventus at Camp Nou on April 19, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN – APRIL 19: Mario Lemina of Juventus embraces Neymar of Barcelona after the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final second leg match between FC Barcelona and Juventus at Camp Nou on April 19, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

Lemina brings European experience to the Southampton side having also played for French giants Marseille before moving to Turin, and after featuring in pre-season for Juventus he could start this weekend against Swansea City.

The Gabonese international is a box-to-box midfielder who stands at six-foot tall, meaning he possesses good physical qualities and a driving run. A weak point of his game could be his defensive work-rate however, meaning he will likely start alongside Oriol Romeu.

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Lemina reportedly had interest from Stoke City, West Ham, Everton and Valencia but is excited to join the Saints due to their ambition, as he went to say:

"“The aims this year are the same as they were last season. We want to finish high up the table whether that be sixth, seventh or eight place and why not challenge for the Europa League.“I’ve seen that the club is very ambitious and we want to stay on this upward path.”"

Southampton host Swansea City this Saturday at St. Mary’s Stadium, with a kick-off time of 3:00 PM.

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