23 year old Romain Perraud, who has visited England to watch Premier League matches from the stands before, got his first taste of the action on the pitch, named in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s starting line-up for the season opener. But the trip to Merseyside was still one to remember for the former Nice and Brest man.
Romain Perraud said: “For me, it was my first game here. I feel good. I think it was a very emotional moment for me, for everybody because the fans returned in the stadium. It was very amazing. The game, we lost, but for a first game I think it was good. I’ve been here for six or seven weeks. I feel good. Here is the best championship in the world. I need to improve, I need to progress, but I feel good because the club is good. Everybody helped me to integrate collectively.”
As for settling into English life, Toulouse-born
Romain Perraud added: “When I arrived I was with my father, so I did my quarantine with my father. After, my girlfriend came. But she is working in France, so sometimes she comes, sometimes she goes back to France. But it’s okay. For example for one or two weeks I am alone, then after my girlfriend comes, also my father and my mother. It’s good. I was in England three years ago and four years ago. Every time during Christmas. I like the culture. I like the country. I like the football here. When I came I was in London and I watched many games, like Crystal Palace v Arsenal I remember, Tottenham v Chelsea. So it was very good. I like the passion here.”
Having come up through the youth ranks at Nice, whilst former Saints boss Claude Puel was in charge of the first team, Perraud was handed his senior debut by the man who replaced Puel at the helm, renowned coach Lucien Favre. He played in a Europa League dead rubber against Krasnodar in December 2016. Perraud played twice more in that competition the following season, alongside some familiar faces to English football fans in Mario Balotelli and Allan Saint-Maximin. A loan move to Paris FC in the second tier followed, before he left Nice altogether in 2019 after discussions with new boss Patrick Vieira. After two strong seasons at Brest, the first of which he played alongside Saints midfielder Ibrahima Diallo, Perraud made the big switch across the Channel.
Romain Perraud said: “I was in the academy in Nice so I know Allan Saint-Maximin and I know Mario Balotelli. For me it was good, because I was young and Nice was a great team with great players. But after you can’t compare the French league and the Premier League, for me. Because it is not the same players, it is not the same intensity. Ligue 1 was a good championship, but here I think the difference is every team is competitive. It’s not the same level.”
Signing early in the transfer window allowed Perraud a full pre-season with his new team-mates. That included a week in Wales, where the Frenchman showed off his other sporting skills, specifically table tennis.
Romain Perraud said: “Here I know that people love golf or cricket. But I have never played golf. I like rugby, because my father was a coach in a rugby league, in France’s first division. I like tennis, I like NBA. (In Wales) I think the manager was not there when I played (table tennis). I played against Oriol (Romeu), against Che Adams, Mikey (Obafemi) and Moi Elyounoussi. It was a good tournament and good moment for us.”
