Wolverhampton Wanderers were reportedly close to signing Mario Lemina from Premier League rivals Southampton in the summer transfer window.
Wolverhampton Wanderers really is the place to be right now.
Two years ago, Wolves finished 15th in the Championship with Joe Mason, Nouha Dicko and Jed Wallace in their ranks. Now, they are two games away from qualifying for the Europa League with a squad full of Portuguese internationals, Spain’s U21 captain and a former AC Milan striker.
So Mario Lemina must have been disappointed to discover that a deadline-day move to Molineux was doomed from the start. According to Foot Mercato, the £18 million Southampton midfielder was set to join Wolves on loan – but the deal fell through when both clubs failed to agree a deal at the eleventh hour.
The former Juventus and Marseille midfielder is now heading to Monaco, according to The Mail. But when you consider that Leonardo Jardim’s team have lost both of their Ligue 1 games this season by three goals to nil, it’s fair to say this isn’t the same Monaco side that blitzed their way to Champions League semi-finals two years ago.
But at least Lemina should be a regular fixture at the heart of Monaco’s midfield. With Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Leander Dendoncker and even Morgan Gibbs-White at the disposal of Nuno Espirito Santo, what role would the Gabon international have had at Wolves?
A back up perhaps? Fourth or even fifth in the pecking order? A place in the starting XI for Neves and Moutinho are pretty much guaranteed these days while Nuno is a huge fan of the combative Dendoncker and the elusive Gibbs-White.
Lemina, however, felt like a signing purely intended to add quality in reserve ahead of what already feels like a gruelling campaign.
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