Saints completed their first major signing of the summer today when they announced that Juventus's Mario Lemina has put pen to paper on a five year deal.
The press release from the club read.
Southampton Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of midfielder Mario Lemina from Juventus.
The 23-year-old today completed his switch from the Italian side and has joined the club on a five-year contract.
A senior international with Gabon, Lemina started his career in France, with Lorient, before joining Marseille in 2013 and then moving to Juventus in 2015, initially on loan, before completing a permanent transfer last summer.
In his time with the Bianconeri, he won both the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia twice, and featured in last season’s Champions League final, against Real Madrid.
Vice Chairman (Football) Les Reed said: "Mario is an outstanding talent who has already achieved a great deal in his career, winning a number of titles and gaining experience of playing on some of the biggest stages in world football.
"Investing in a player of Mario’s quality and buying from a club like Juventus is a significant statement of intent from the club, and this is a purchase that has set another club-record fee.
"Mario still has his best years ahead of him, and we believe that he will not only be an excellent acquisition for us in the immediate future, but that he will also be able to realise even more of his potential here in the years to come.
"In a volatile market with some extraordinary and inexplicable transfers taking place, we are determined to go about our work in a diligent and correct way. This is a player who has won trophies and played in the Champions League final less than three months ago and he has signed for Saints amid a host of suitors.
"Mario will complement what is already an extremely strong group of midfield players in our squad, and we are excited about what he will bring to the group.”
Commenting on his move, Mario Lemina said:
"I am really happy to have signed for Southampton. I think that it was the project that attracted me the most and the one my family was really behind. I am really happy to be here.”
A good signing for Saints and for Mauricio Pellegrino, Lemina is a strong box to box player known for breaking up opposition attacks and starting up counters for his own side.
The new Saints manager is nown to like to build his side on two strong holding players in the centre and Lemina should compliment Oriol Romeu and offer Saints a good strong platform to utilise their speed going forward on the counter, something they did all too rarely under Claude Puel.
This does leave th squad a bit top heavy in the centre of the park with five options available to Pellegrino including his new man he also has Oriol Romeu, Steven Davis, James Ward Prowse, Pierre Emile Hojbjerg for the three positions.
The Saints squad looks strong now in all departments bar one and that is the centre of defence, sort that out quickly and we have a lot to look forward to.