Watford are reported to be interested in Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina. The Hornets have already tabled an offer for the Gabon international but it is believed to be below what The Old Lady has set as the valuation of the player. The Turin club has put a price of £17m on the player. Lemina is said to be also attracting the interest of Real Betis.
The 22-year old midfielder started his career in France with Ligue 1 side Lorient in 2012 after getting promoted to their first team. Marseille took him to the Velodrome next season and under Marcelo Bielsa in 2014/15 season, the midfielder caught the eye with his performances. Juventus made the move to take the player to Italy on loan on the deadline day of the 2015 summer transfer window in a clause that had an option of buying the player at the end of the season. Juve’s title winning side is well stocked in midfield but Lemina still made 10 appearances last season which included 7 starts and impressed with his performances scoring two goals in the process. On April 2016, the Italian champions made the deal permanent for a fee of €9.5 m for the next four years.
Watford’s new manager Walter Mazzarri will be trying to impose his fast, counter-attacking approach on his team in the upcoming season and there would be much emphasis on the deep midfield positions. Mazzarri thinks that Lemina would be able to do that job. The defensive midfielder is strong in retaining possession and tackling which are much needed attributes of a holding midfielder while his efficiency in playing long passes and switching the play would facilitate his manager’s tactics very well. The Hornets are building the team for the future and their Italian manager is also perfectly aware of the fact that he will get his time to mould the squad to his liking. Going for Lemina would thus be a sensible move without a doubt. The only problem that remains, however, is the asking price.
Just after signing him for around £7m, Juventus are demanding a fee of £17m for the Gabon international. While the valuation is without a doubt very high and unrealistic, the Serie A champions, have given their justification over the matter saying that they are aware of the inflated prices in the transfer window and can command the fee they have set for the player.
While paying that sort of amount on a single player would be a bit too much for Watford, there are also certain things which the club would consider about the deal and some of those things are the tactical intelligence, experience in two different leagues and the young age of the player. If Watford agrees to pay £17m for Lemina then it would be a bit too much certainly but at the same time, they would be having a player who has all the attributes to be a vital player for the squad and one of the assets at Vicarage Road in the near future. As for now, it’s Mazzarri’s call.
