Breaking Down What Mario Lemina Will Bring to Juventus

While the likes of Paulo Dybala, Alex Sandro and Mario Mandzukic grab the headlines, Juventus have made a number of less notable signing this past summer. The Bianconeri invested a staggering €77 million in that aforementioned trio, with a further €18 million sent to Sassuolo in exchange for Simone Zaza, per TransferMarkt.co.uk.

Yet behind them, a free transfer for Sami Khedira represents fantastic value, as does the loan deal that saw Juan Cuadrado arrive after an unsuccessful six-month stint at Chelsea. While those players need little introduction, the same cannot be said of the capture of French midfielder Mario Lemina.

Brought to Turin on the final day of the Serie A transfer window, he initially joins the reigning Italian champions on a season-long loan from Olympique Marseille. According to the club’s official website, however, "a fee of €0.5 million paid on or before 30 September 2015 would provide Juventus with the right to purchase the player outright" for €9.5 million next year.

The club's official website also shared Lemina's thoughts on his "Juve idols":

The 22-year-old seemed very happy with the move, discussing his opinion of the Bianconeri with reporters at his inaugural press conference in Turin last week and revealing he was “delighted” to be part of “a massive club with a tradition of winning.”

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With illustrious names such as Paul Pogba, Claudio Marchisio and Khedira already at the club, it remains to be seen how much impact Lemina will have.

Yet he appears to already have moved up the pecking order, coach Massimiliano Allegri including him in his Champions League squad at the expense of Simone Padoin, per the official Juventus website.

That was an impressive decision from the former Milan and Cagliari boss and was discussed at length in this previous column. Having made just 50 appearances for Marseille, seeing what he brings to the Bianconeri is difficult to understand, but Andrew Gibney of French Football Weekly believes Lemina’s battling approach is arguably his biggest asset as he wrote recently:

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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.

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That is supported by WhoScored.com statistics, with their figures showing the former Lorient youngster has averaged 2.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game over the course of his fledgling career. Lemina is also a hugely versatile player, something the man himself discussed at his unveiling at Juventus Stadium.

Credit: Squawka.com

“I’m as comfortable going forward as I am tracking back,” he told reporters, per the club’s official website. “I played in a back three for Marseille on occasions, so for the benefit of the team, I can slot in anywhere.”

“My preferred position is in the centre of the field where I can dictate play and influence the game, but I know that it’s up to me to force my way into contention,” Lemina continued. “My ambition is to play and develop my game as much as I can.”

He is likely to be a reserve behind Juve’s first-choice midfield, a matter analysed in detail here, and he joins a group of promising young players that gives the Old Lady an extremely bright future.