OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL: Mario Lemina signs for Southampton

Mario Lemina is no longer a Juventino. After two years in a black and white jersey, the Gabon international will be taking his talents to England, to suit up for Southampton.

More details, courtesy of Juventus’ official website:

Turin, 8 August 2017 - Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announces that an agreement has been reached with Southampton Football Club Limited for the definitive disposal of the registration rights of the player Mario Rene Junior Lemina for a consideration of € 17 million to be paid in three football seasons. The consideration may increase of maximum € 3 million on achieving given sport conditions in the course of the duration of the contract. The economic effect is positive for about € 9,4 million.

So the haul for the midfielder is €17 million, but could go up by an additional €3 million. For a clear bench player, that’s a pretty nice return. Maybe we should try offloading to the Premier League more often.

Lemina joined on a summer deadline day loan deal in 2015, and had his option picked up by the club the following summer. Through a combination of injuries, and underperformance, he was never really able to truly shine in a Juventus jersey, or tap into the potential that many saw in him after his brief stints in his first year.

He actually only played 2,126 minutes for the club over two years. At 23, he certainly has time to grow and contribute to a midfield of a lesser quality club, and Southampton will surely be betting on his potential at this price. All things considered, Beppe got a lot more money than most would have probably given him up for, hopefully this helps his case of selling players for too low of a price.

From Lemina’s side of things, it’s probably a good move for him. He will certainly be able to get more playing time at Southampton. I’m sure he’ll be getting a nice pay raise, which is always nice, and a new five-year contract which is huge financial stability for a young footballer. All the best, Mario.