Has Mario Lemina Done Enough to Earn a Permanent Move to Juventus?

In a midfield already littered with international stars and some hugely talented prospects, the decision to sign Mario Lemina last summer appeared to be a somewhat superfluous one from Juventus.

It was clear that Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba and Sami Khedira would be coach Massimiliano Allegri's first-choice trio, while the likes of Kwadwo Asamoah, Hernanes and Simone Padoin provided veteran alternatives from the bench.

In addition, last season saw both Roberto Pereyra and Stefano Sturaro prove their value to the Bianconeri. Those eight players appeared to leave few opportunities for Lemina. Yet a raft of injuries saw him given a chance in the early months of the 2015/16 campaign, but even a goal against Napoli did little to advance opinion of the 22-year-old.

A poor showing in Juve's defeat at Sassuolo in late October would be his last start before suffering fitness problems of his own.

Speaking at a press conference back in December, Allegri revealed that a recurring patella tendon issue had prompted the club to send Lemina to Barcelona for treatment. 

He would miss almost three months of action, leading to questions over his long-term future in Turin, particularly given the complex nature of his initial move from Marseille. The official Juventus website revealed that his season-long loan had cost them nothing, but it came with two clauses to make the switch permanent.

The statement noted that a fee of €500,000 paid on or before 30 September 2015 would then allow Juve to purchase the player outright for €9.5 million later this year, and Lemina’s recent form makes that look like excellent value for money.

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What a goal, Lemina. pic.twitter.com/YF0RTTiHjD

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) March 6, 2016"

Indeed, the Gabon international has slotted into midfield superbly this month and netted again after coming on as a substitute against Atalanta two weeks ago, jinking between defenders before firing beyond goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.

With Marchisio absent once more on Sunday, Lemina was handed something of a surprise start in the Turin derby, repaying Allegri’s faith with what was undoubtedly his best performance to date for Italian football’s grand Old Lady.

As the graphic in the tweet above—courtesy of FourFourTwo StatsZone—highlights, he protected the defence admirably in a fiery clash against cross-town rivals Torino, winning two tackles, four interceptions and making two clearances while recovering the ball on four occasions.

He also kept the attack ticking over when Juventus were in possession, connecting with 49 of his 55 pass attempts (89.1 percent) and creating one scoring opportunity from a well-struck set piece in the second half.

MARCO BERTORELLO/Getty Images

Lemina showed good skill to complete his one take-on attempt in a match that saw Gigi Buffon set a new Serie A record for minutes without conceding a goal, and the Italy captain thanked his fellow players individually shortly after the match.

Describing Lemina as “simply Juve worthy,” (h/t Tom Sheen of the Independent) the midfielder’s performance earlier in the day proved just that, and it seems he would like to extend his stay with the Italian champions.

“He has overcome all his knee problems and is finally 100 percent fit, so is eager to give his contribution,” his agent Yvan Le Mee told the Calciomercato website earlier this month (h/t Football Italia), going on to express Lemina’s opinion of life with the Bianconeri:

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Juve are a great side who always fight to be champions. Mario never won the title with Lorient and Marseille, but he wants to achieve this in Turin. It’s early to discuss his future, as that will be decided in May. Of course he wants to stay at Juventus, as he loves Italy and Turin, while Juve are Juve.

It might seem like a cliché, but I can assure you it’s true – Juventus is like a family and they made Mario feel at home from the first day.

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Having shown the attitude needed to play for such a prestigious club and the tactical versatility Allegri requires of his players, statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com show that Lemina's quality is beginning to shine through.

squawka.com

Their figures indicate he has averaged 2.3 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 0.9 clearances per game while completing an impressive 91.3 percent of 44.1 pass attempts per game. Meanwhile, the graphic above highlights his excellent dribbling, successfully making all 11 of the take-ons he has tried while at Juventus.

Those numbers reinforce the belief that Lemina deserves to remain in the club's famous striped shirts, and Juve should pay Marseille the necessary fee at the earliest opportunity.