Many expected Mario Lemina to leave St. Mary’s Stadium permanently before the start of the campaign.
The Gabon international was heavily linked with a move to either Manchester United or Arsenal, but in the end, both failed to materialise. The 26-year-old explicitly told the club he wanted to leave, though, meaning that he could not realistically stay beyond the previous transfer window.
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As such, he moved on loan to Galatasaray. He has not done too badly in the Super Lig so far this campaign, picking up a WhoScored rating of 7.03 across those games, but he struggled along with the rest of his teammates in the Champions League. The Lions finished bottom of their group, picking up an astonishingly low two points, and Lemina managed a rating of just 6.19. That means that they did not even make it to the Europa League either.
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Not only that, the former Juventus man has struggled with injuries as well. He has already been on the sidelines with thigh and hamstring strains, and he was forced off the pitch against Ankaragucu after suffering with another issue last Saturday.
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All of this is rather bad news for the Saints, and they should be worrying about his loan spell in Turkey. His future at the club seems all but over – it is clear he doesn’t want to be there, after all – and at this point, the south-coast side should be looking to make as much money as possible from his future sale.
He is currently valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, but some strong showings in European competition would have put him in the shop window, or at the very least would have meant that Galatasaray would be convinced to sign him on a permanent deal. Failing to even qualify for the next round, though, throws a spanner into the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit’s plans.
Gao Jisheng and Southampton’s hierarchy must be hoping that his performances improve in the coming months. Otherwise, they may be left with an unhappy player that they just can’t shift, at least not for a deal that is worth it.
In other news, this man could sort out Southampton’s defence.
