In a recent report, The Daily Mail revealed that Newcastle United have been offered a chance to land Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina this summer. It is believed that the Magpies will have to give up Isaac Hayden if they want to land the Saints midfield ace during this summer transfer period (via The Daily Mail).
Lemina’s Solid Season At Craven Cottage Recently
Lemina had a long and grueling season while on loan at Fulham as he struggled to help them avoid relegation to the EFL Championship. The Gabon international scored one goal and provided one assist in 30 matches for the London outfit in the previous campaign in various competitions.
The 27-year-old caught the eye by averaging 2.2 tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 0.7 clearances, 0.7 shots and 0.9 dribbles per game in the 2020-21 Premier League season. He even distributed possession with a lot of conviction after completing 83.5% of his attempted passes in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
At 27, Lemina is at the peak of his playing career and could prove to be a shrewd signing for the Magpies during this summer transfer window. He has shown some signs of maturity during his loan spell at Craven Cottage, so Steve Bruce would be wise to get him on board in this off-season.
Will Lemina Be A Good Fit For The Magpies?
Lemina is a tough-tackling midfielder who can time his tackles well to make a few important interceptions at the back. He doesn’t take too many chances with his clearances and is usually a tidy passer of the ball in midfield. Lemina is primarily a defensive midfielder but can even fill in as a right-back if needed.
Hence, the 19-time Gabon international could prove to be a clever acquisition for the Magpies as he will add plenty of bite and steel to their midfield. He will offer some serious competition for Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff for the right to start in Bruce’s first XI next season.
Lemina could even serve as a good utility player at St. James’ Park if the Tyneside giants can find a way to bring him to the northeast of England ahead of the new campaign. With all things considered, the Saints midfield ace will be a decent fit for Newcastle even if Bruce has to give up Isaac Hayden to land him this summer.
