Southampton: Should Saints be letting Mario Lemina go this summer?

Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina is reportedly free to leave the club this summer should a suitable offer be received for the Gabon international.

A report from the Daily Echo recently confirmed that interest in him would be welcomed, whilst he has been speaking openly about his future in the past week.

Serie A outfit Atalanta were said to be the latest side actively looking to sign him but their offer was reportedly for a loan; something Saints may not be looking for themselves.

The question is though, can Saints afford to let Lemina go this summer?

Whilst the 25-year-old has suffered with injuries that have hampered his progress in recent times, he is one player in a limited pool of central-midfielders that Ralph Hasenhuttl can call upon.

The main three who would be considered as first-choice for Saints at the moment are Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse.

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During last season, Hojbjerg and Romeu were often fielded in a central two whilst Ward-Prowse was utilised successfully as an attacking-midfielder.

Because of these options and fitness issues, Lemina made just 23 appearances in 2018/19. However, he was often a lively presence when given a start or substituted in.

His ability to move forward with the ball and drive into space is perhaps unrivalled by other players currently at Saints, but the defensive qualities of Romeu, the energy of Hojbjerg and the newly-found scoring capabilities of Ward-Prowse combine well overall.

It is clear that Hasenhuttl has seen parts of Lemina’s game that he isn’t fond of with so little opportunity for him to have an impact in the latter stages of the last campaign.

There are also other players who could fill the additional roles that the Saints squad needs.

Youngster Callum Slattery is a talent, whilst Harrison Reed may return from loan to play a part. Jordy Clasie looks likely to move on this summer so may not be around to provide competition.

Pushing youth products on to improved roles is probable under the current Saints boss and it seems he has a way of getting the best out of them as they step into first-team level.

In the end, it will come down to both the wants and needs of Lemina and Hasenhuttl together.

The player himself may want consistent football at an important stage of his career, but funds could be freed up to sign other players should Lemina be sold on.