Celtic were in the mix (Daily Record) to sign France’s u-21 international Romain Perraud in the summer. The left-back was seen as a possible option as the Bhoys had lost two left-sided fullbacks in the form of Emilio Izaguirre and Kieran Tierney. The 22-year-old moved to Stade Brestois, a team that were newly promoted, for a fee of £1.8m from Nice.
Perraud talks about Celtic’s interest in the summer
The fullback was very much in Celtic’s budget, and the French defender recently went on to reveal that Celtic did show some interest in him. Perraud recently talked to and said (Goal via Daily Record), ”Celtic and Dijon made me concrete offers. With Celtic, the discussions started at the beginning of the transfer window, but Nice did not want to hear anything, so they did not come back. There remained Dijon and Brest. In the end, I chose Brest. I was seduced by the project and the speech I received.”
The Hoops went on to sign Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo for £3m who has become the first choice left-back this season. Scottish defender Greg Taylor was also brought in the summer, and he is a backup option right now. 22-year-old Perraud has represented France from u-17 to u-21 level, and he is seen as a top talent.
Did Lennon make the right call by going after Bolingoli?
Yes, obviously! The former Rapid Wien fullback struggled initially at Celtic, but he has put in some commendable performances off late. Bolingoli still needs to work on the defensive side of his game, but given the way Celtic dominate most of their games, the Belgian has looked impressive. His blistering pace, energy and physical attributes have made him a decent signing for the Hoops.
Perraud is also an attack-minded fullback, but he doesn’t have the electric pace of Bolingoli. The Frenchman’s passing and crossing are often accurate, and he too can play as a left midfielder like Bolingoli. Technically, Perraud might be a bit more sound, but Bolingoli has that explosiveness which can trouble any defence.
The Frenchman could have saved Celtic some millions, but we feel that the Hoops took the right call by going after Bolingoli. Perraud might have struggled to cope with the physical nature of the Premiership as well as he lacks a bit of strength.
Bolingoli though still needs to work on his game, and he can turn out to be a decent defender if he starts reading the game better. Hopefully, with more experience under his belt, he will continue to improve.
