Deprecated: str_replace(): Passing null to parameter #3 ($subject) of type array|string is deprecated in /home/zbyiujsu/public_html/wp-content/plugins/jnews-social-share/class.jnews-initial-counter.php on line 40
Deprecated: str_replace(): Passing null to parameter #3 ($subject) of type array|string is deprecated in /home/zbyiujsu/public_html/wp-content/plugins/jnews-social-share/class.jnews-initial-counter.php on line 40
Deprecated: str_replace(): Passing null to parameter #3 ($subject) of type array|string is deprecated in /home/zbyiujsu/public_html/wp-content/plugins/jnews-social-share/class.jnews-initial-counter.php on line 40
Deprecated: str_replace(): Passing null to parameter #3 ($subject) of type array|string is deprecated in /home/zbyiujsu/public_html/wp-content/plugins/jnews-social-share/class.jnews-initial-counter.php on line 40
Southampton, after finishing bottom of the Premier League last season in a disastrous campaign overall, have a real chance of an immediate return back to the top flight this season.
Although their chances at finishing in the top two look rather far-fetched now, with Leeds United pulling away from the Saints amidst a poor run of form for Southampton, Russell Martin won’t be fazed by his side potentially entering into the lottery of the playoffs with the immense quality at his disposal on the South Coast.
The likes of Adam Armstrong, Flynn Downes and many others for Martin’s men have stood out in the drop-down to the second tier, with the ex-Newcastle United striker in particular taking the Championship by storm with 18 goals fired in from 36 appearances.
Despite so many of the current Saints camp excelling and getting supporters at St. Mary’s out of their seats with enthralling displays, there is no doubt still some lingering regret from a Southampton perspective about how things ended up with this dud when he was sold on nearly three years ago in 2021.
Mario Lemina’s time at Southampton
Southampton would break the bank to land Mario Lemina in 2017, going above and beyond to sign the ex-Juventus central midfielder by forking out a club-record fee that rose to £18m.
The deal at the time was viewed as a coup from the Saints, with then Southampton vice-chairman Les Reed labelling their new Gabonese recruit as “outstanding.”
However, much like other bodies through the door in that summer transfer window and later in January – with Wesley Hoedt and Guido Carillo never really settling at St. Mary’s in other major flops – Lemina would struggle to ever really show why the Saints splashed significant amounts of money to land him.
Lineup for Lemina’s debut |
|
---|---|
Southampton 3-2 West Ham (Aug 2017) |
|
1. GK – Fraser Forster |
|
2. RB – Cedric Soares |
|
3. CB – Maya Yoshida |
|
4. CB – Jack Stephens |
|
5. LB – Ryan Bertrand |
|
6. CM – Mario Lemina |
|
7. CM – Oriol Romeu |
|
8. RW – Dusan Tadic |
|
9. CAM – Steven Davis |
|
10. LW – Nathan Redmond |
|
11. ST – Manolo Gabbiadini |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
Even on his Premier League debut, Lemina would last just 65 minutes before James Ward-Prowse would come on in his place – the ex-Southampton midfield icon coincidentally joining the Hammers last year after stealing Lemina’s thunder against them.
The former Juventus man would go on to make 52 appearances for Southampton over two forgettable seasons, before leaving the South Coast outfit behind for the luxuries of France in OGC Nice.
Southampton would make a disastrous loss on their one-time record-breaking signing but would have probably been thankful just to have him off their books after two loan spells out at Galatasaray and Fulham illustrated Lemina’s lack of desire to stay put with the Saints and fight it out for his spot.
According to Football Transfers, the Ligue 1 side would manage to swoop in and sign the Saints dud for a reduced fee of €5.5m (£4.7m) which was a far cry away from the extortionate £18m once needed to acquire the Gabonese midfielder from a Southampton point of view.
To the 6-foot holding midfielder’s credit, he has managed to turn around his stuttering career since which started when relocating to France after waving goodbye to St. Mary’s.
Mario Lemina’s redemption after Southampton
Lemina would slot straight into the Nice set-up seamlessly after a stop-start time in England, making 32 appearances in his first season in Ligue 1 and bagging two goals along the way.
One of those efforts would be a sweetly struck first-time shot finding the back of the net against RC Lens to help his new employers win 2-1, Lemina loving his football again in an eclectic Nice set-up that saw him line up alongside faces such as Kasper Dolberg and Justin Kluivert to name but a few.
That would catch the eye of Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers, who would be successful in their approach for the ex-Saints flop in January last year with a bid of €11m (£9.4m) enough to tempt Nice into parting ways with their redeemed star-man.
Lemina would join the Wolves ranks mid-way through the 2022/23 campaign, with his importance to the cause at Molineux only elevated at the end of this season when the likes of Ruben Neves in holding midfield exited amidst widespread change at the club.
Now, Lemina is a true midfield machine in the West Midlands under Gary O’Neil with any demons from his Southampton move not working out very much now just an after-thought.
Mario Lemina’s time at Wolves
Described as being an “unbelievable” footballer by football scout Umir early into his Wolves career, Lemina is arguably one of the first names on O’Neil’s teamsheet now when he ponders his Old Gold starting lineups.
The former Saints midfielder has made an appearance in 25 of Wolves’ 28 games this campaign in the league, with Lemina’s team punching above their weight in the Premier League sitting pretty in ninth spot.
The imposing presence of Lemina in the middle of the park has enabled Wolves to dream big, the Old Gold number five maturing into a resilient defensive option for his West Midlands employers on top of being a reliable source of goals.
This campaign alone, in all competitions, Lemina has more than doubled his paltry Southampton goal tally of two with five next to his name.
The midfielder ended up netting in back-to-back games last December as Wolves picked up two wins in a row against Chelsea and Brentford, heading home against the Blues to make it 1-0 on Christmas Eve during that mini purple patch.
Lemina will just be grateful that he has managed to find his stride in English football with Wolves, after a rocky time of it on the South Coast had left many doubting his star quality.
The vital cog in the Wolves machine could well be reminded of his past Southampton connections head on next season though, if Martin’s men end up jumping back up into the promised land of the Premier League at the first try.