Rewind through the last decade and Celtic supporters will recall triumphant joy. The Hoops were the dominant side in Scottish football and won countless honours.
Nine times in a row they won the SPFL title but it didn’t come without blood, sweat and tears.
Whenever the transfer window came along they seemed to be dealt some colossal setbacks. The likes of Virgil van Dijk and Moussa Dembele both departed while Kieran Tierney was another to leave Glasgow for pastures new.
Having come through the Hoops academy, his loss was arguably the most difficult to take. He left in a record-breaking £25m move to Arsenal and has since thrived. He has been a pillar of consistency at left-back for the Gunners, registering 1.3 key passes a game.
For context, no Arsenal player with over one start to his name has more this season.
He has been a roaring success and you can’t deny that the Bhoys haven’t missed him. Boli Bolingoli is now out on loan while Diego Laxalt has defined inconsistency down the left.
Laxalt is set to head back to Milan at the conclusion of his loan spell in a few months time which means Celtic may well need a new full-back. In recent weeks, it’s been reported that they are still interested in French defender Romain Perraud.
The 23-year-old nearly joined the Glaswegian outfit in 2019 before his team at the time, Nice, pulled the plug. He is now with Brest, where he’s very quickly becoming one of the most fearsome left-backs in Ligue 1.
He has been linked with Premier League side Leeds United and thus, it will not be a straightforward chase for his services. That’s because he is a modern-day full-back possessing all of the traits that Tierney lovingly brought to Paradise.
Leeds reporter Phil Hay commented last month: “It’s very clear from the performance data that he’s a very attacking left-back, who is good at creating chances, taking shots himself, a threat going forward, but also really good at employing the press, good as part of a team that likes to press aggressively. On those basic pointers, you can see why Leeds are interested.”
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Add words from French football expert Adrien Dryll into the equation and the idea of signing Perraud becomes all the more appealing. “Indeed, Romain Perraud rapidly became a fan-favourite at the Stade Charlety, thanks to some Roberto Carlos-esque rockets from outside the box,” he began.
“Keeping everything in perspective, Perraud’s style is, on some points, quite similar to the former Real Madrid full-back’s. He has a fighting mentality, an incredible shot power and a left-foot that has proven throughout the season to be a deadly weapon for set-pieces,” Dryll concluded.
It’s hard to disagree with those claims. After all, the full-back has been involved in eight goals this term, providing five assists for his teammates.
He is rampant down the left flank, very much like a certain Tierney. Possessing a wand of a left foot, Perraud loves to get forward, something we can understand using Smarterscout’s video-game-like ratings where they rate abilities out of 99.
Adjusted to Premier League standard – via The Athletic – Perraud’s carry and dribble volume ranks at 89 out of 99. On top of that, expected goals from his chance creation are rated at 75 while his shot volume is a staggering 99 for someone in his position.
It’s not known how much the Frenchman would cost but he comes with glowing reviews and eye-catching stats. It’s hard not to be appealed and if Celtic can sign him, thwy may finally get a replacement for Tierney.
AND in other news, Celtic could find their Brown heir in £50k-p/w gem, he’d be a “really good signing”…