Gary O’Neil should land an ‘incredible’ player on a free transfer if Mario Lemina leaves Wolves this summer.
Mario Lemina has just completed a fantastic campaign at Molineux as he was voted the Supporters Player of the Season.
Gary O’Neil played his midfield talent at every possible opportunity, with the 30-year-old featuring across 39 games in all competitions and largely impressing next to midfield destroyer, Joao Gomes.
Lemina is a pivotal player for Wolves, both on and off the pitch, as his leadership expertise reverberates through the entire squad.
Whilst the Gabon international is hugely important to O’Neil, this hasn’t stopped Turkish giants Galatasaray from showing interest, with one outlet stating they’re set to make a bid.
That report was rubbished by the midfielder himself, who said he hopes to be at Wolves for a very long time. While that is most likely the case, there is one player O’Neil should consider signing in his place.
Wolves should be tempted by Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi
Wilfred Ndidi was previously known as one of the best ball-winning midfielders in the Premier League as the Nigerian drew comparisons to N’Golo Kante.
In the Championship last term however, manager Enzo Maresca unearthed another side to his game, deploying Ndidi in a number eight role with the license to bomb forward as opposed to shielding the defence.
This saw the 27-year-old score four goals and supply five assists from midfield as Ndidi ranked in the top 4% of Championship midfielders for touches (att pen), the top 12% for progressive passes received and the top 13% for assists.
Previously dubbed “incredible” by manager Brendan Rodgers, the midfield powerhouse proved to be the complete player, with the Nigerian even averaging 1.57 tackles and 1.14 interceptions per game.
Now Leicester have returned to the Premier League, many would expect him to play a pivotal role in their survival fight but with Maresca departing and his contract expiring, Ndidi could leave on a free transfer this summer.
How Wilfred Ndidi compares to Mario Lemina
Leicester have revealed they are negotiating a new contract for Ndidi, who could be an upgrade on Lemina in terms of his output in the opposition half.
Here’s how the midfield duo compare against each other when looking at their metrics, as per FBref.
At times under O’Neil, Lemina was used as an energetic, ball-winning midfielder so it’s no surprise to see him average more tackles per game, whereas Ndidi was deployed more advanced, posting more shots, progressive carries and touches in the opposition box.
Ndidi has shown in the past that he can play the role of a midfield destroyer, rising to prominence as a defensive midfield demon at Leicester however, he’s now shown his technical qualities for the Foxes.
Lemina is almost certainly going to stay at Molineux, though if Wolves did need a midfield replacement for him – or someone else – signing Ndidi on a free transfer would be a bargain.