According to Chronicle Live, Newcastle United have been tracking Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina in the last few months as Steve Bruce looks to add midfielders to his squad. Lemina has just one year left on his contract and is surplus to requirements at St. Mary’s as they gear up for the new season.
Earlier this year, a report by The Guardian mentioned that the Gabon international could be available for as little as £7million. With the Magpies aiming to finish in the top half of the Premier League after finishing 12th this past season, let us find out why signing Lemina would be a wise move from Bruce and co in the summer.
Newcastle are not short of central midfielders per se. With Jonjo Shelvey, Isaac Hayden, Matty Longstaff, Sean Longstaff, and Jeff Hendrick all vying for starts in the middle of the park, fans would think that there is no urgent need for midfielders. However, the current situation warrants Newcastle to get a man in the middle to secure their midfield’s future.
That is because Matty Longstaff is a wanted man this summer, and a number of clubs have taken an interest in him with regards to a loan spell (h/t Chronicle Live). The future of his older brother, Sean, is also up in the air as the club hierarchy is yet to make a decision on the 23-year-old, as per The Shields Gazette.
And one major exit this summer for Newcastle has been Joe Willock. The Englishman was never their player, to begin with, as he was loaned in from Arsenal in January. That move itself was a sign that Bruce wanted to add depth to his midfield. The 21-year-old featured heavily for the Magpies in the second half of the season.
But he is set to return to the Emirates, with Newcastle yet to meet his asking price, as per a report by Football.london. Lemina, in that regard, would be a useful addition and can add a good amount of depth and quality in the midfield for Bruce. Apart from that, his versatility can also come in handy.
The Gabonese midfielder can play as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, and has occasionally deputized in defence when his team required him to do so. Defensive midfielder Hayden was used by Bruce as a centre-back at times this season – and if it comes to that again, Lemina would be more than able to fill in for him in midfield.
The 27-year-old is also arguably in the prime age of his career and while he was surplus to requirements in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team, he still made 28 league appearances for Fulham during his loan spell. He is also in the last year of his contract at St. Mary’s.
So for all the reasons mentioned above, it is clear that the Magpies would be a stronger team with Lemina in their squad. If either (or both) of the Longstaff brothers ends up leaving, then Lemina’s addition almost seems necessary considering the injuries and fitness issues that teams encounter during the long and trying league season in England.
