New £10 million Wolves signing Mario Lemina admits he wanted to join the Premier League outfit four years ago when he was contracted to Southampton, speaking to the Birmingham Mail.
During the summer of 2019, Wolverhampton Wanderers narrowly missed out on the chance to sign the experienced Gabon international on loan; failing to agree terms with a Saints side who splashed out a club-record fee to take him away from Juventus.
Lemina’s move to Molineux, then, is a deal four years in the making.
The all-action defensive midfielder is donning Old Gold at last, making his Wolves debut in Saturday’s vital 1-0 win over West Ham United after completing a £10 million move from Ligue 1 outfit Nice. And, with Julen Lopetegui’s resurgent side clawing their way out of the bottom three, Lemina appears to have joined a team on the up once again.
Former Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina finally seals Wolves move
“Four years ago, I was talking with them. I was really upset that (the move) didn’t happen. I love everything here – apart from the weather!” Lemina quips.
“Wolves have players with a lot of personality, and that’s what I like. I’ve seen them play a lot of times; good strikers, good midfielders, good defenders. I just really like it.
“When I came with Southampton, we lost (to Wolves). I really liked the attitude of the players and the crowd too. They are really behind the players. That’s why I wanted to be here. Now, they are on my side. We just want to give them joy every game.”
Lemina’s long-awaited switch to the West Midlands also sees him link up with a coach who tried to lure him to Spain in a previous transfer window.
“He’s a player we’ve admired for a while,” adds sporting director Matt Hobbs. “He isn’t someone who has come up since Julen came in.
“Our scouting team pushed him last summer and the transfer wasn’t possible. But we’re pleased Julen had the same belief in Mario that we had.
“(Lopetegui) enquired about the player when he was at Sevilla. He has had a long-term interest and the club have had a long-term interest. So, in some ways, it was fate that we were able to do it now.”
Lemina could have a new midfield partner at Molineux in the coming days. Joao Gomes will become Wolves’ third signing of a busy January; the 2022 Copa Libertadores winner arriving from Flamengo for a fee of around £15 million.
PSG’s silky Spain international Pablo Sarabia is on his way too.
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