Will Juventus Take Mario Lemina to the Next Level

On Monday evening, with the transfer window coming to a close in both France and Italy, Juventus and Marseille were doing business on both sides. Paolo De Ceglie and Mauricio Isla joined the Ligue 1 side and the former France under-21 international Mario Lemina joined the Italian champions.

Lemina joins Italy’s “Old Lady” on an initial loan deal, but Juventus have the option to buy the midfielder for €9.5 million next summer.

Last season, under Marcelo Bielsa, Lemina started just 13 out of 23 appearances in Ligue 1 – scoring twice. Regarded as a talented prospect when he played at FC Lorient, his career has somewhat stalled, especially under the guidance of the Argentine coach.

In April 2015, we named Lemina as one of the top 50 prospects in France – here is his profile from #Le50

Many eyebrows were raised when Marseille bought Mario Lemina from Lorient at the back end of the 2013 summer transfer window. In total, OM forked out roughly £3.5m for his services, a fee which many said was too high and too much of a risk given what he had previously shown. However, although Lemina had only started 10 games for the Brittany club, he had shown enough in that short time to suggest that he was one of French football’s next crop of stars.

Lemina has now completed nearly two seasons with OM, and many would argue that he has justified the price tag and has really developed during his time at the Mediterranean giants. During his short time at the club, he has been forced to undergo a number of changes around him, both on and off the field. Most notably he has been under the guidance of three different managers.

Under Marcelo Bielsa, Lemina had played a huge role in the club’s pre-season matches, but an injury ruled him out from the start of the season and he didn’t make an appearance until the fifth week. Once the Argentine boss had decided on his line-up, Lemina didn’t start a match until the beginning of November, against Lens in Week 12.

Just like Lyon’s Corentin Tolisso, the debate over Lemina’s best position only exists because of his excellent ability to adapt and show a high level of versatility. First and foremost, he is probably more at home playing in the ‘box-to-box’ midfielder role, but he is equally adept as a playmaker or deep-lying grinder. It’s not completely unknown for him to fill in at right-back, or on the right side of midfield, too.

His forays forward have led to two goals this season, playing a huge part in Marseille’s title challenge. Down against Bordeaux, it was Lemina’s header that sparked their 3-1 comeback. Then before his red card against Rennes, the midfielder finished from close range after Guingamp goalkeeper Jonas Lossl failed to clear his lines.

It is perhaps the lack of a really strong physical build that prevents Lemina from being an out-and-out defensive holding player. However he has all the other attributes to succeed in that role: great intelligence and work rate, a strong engine, and the ability to really time a tackle well.

Many would see Lemina as a street fighter. He chases a lot of balls down, harries and pressurises opponents into mistakes, and seems to possess a strong determined attitude. Until recently, it seemed he was a pretty fair player too, not known for having a nasty streak. However, in an incident against Rennes recently, he punched Ola Toivonen in the groin, leading to a much-deserved ban.

To succeed at a club like Marseille and run the midfield, one perhaps needs something of a nasty streak. The punch was cheap and nasty, but it showed he had fire in his belly, something that will prove useful when better-channelled.

The future for Lemina generally looks bright. It’s never easy being at a club like Marseille where there are historically plenty of issues both on and off the field. Unwanted distractions can affect young players, but at the same time it’s also one of the best footballing environments in France to showcase one’s talents. It certainly looks like he will be back playing European football next season, maybe even with a Ligue 1 title under his belt.

The next few years should bring both mental and physical maturity to his game. He has a lot of qualities, but it’s fair to say he’s still quite raw, certainly in terms of his ultimate potential. Definitely one to follow and with the right guidance and a bit of luck, he could become extremely good.