EPL Transfer Spotlight: Southampton’s Romain Perraud

Southampton has wasted no time in replacing Ryan Bertrand, their former left-back now bound for Leicester. The Saints have filled the hole in their lineup by signing the £10M + Romain Perraud.

Who is Romain Perraud?

Perraud is a 23 year-old Frenchman who joins from Ligue 1 side Brest. He has also represented the French national team at the U21 level. Brest was in a relegation battle last season, and Perraud was pivotal to survival. Despite playing in a poor side, Perraud registered an impressive three goals plus seven assists to earn himself a deserved place in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season. Here’s a sample of what he’ll bring to St. Mary’s.

Fantasy Prospects

In FPL, Perraud is priced at £5.0M, which is probably fair considering that he’s likely to make the left-back position his own now that Bertrand is gone. In Fantrax, Perraud will enter at the default new-boy price and then probably crash to minimum after the first recalc, making him even more of a wait-and-see prospect.

To a large extent, much of Perraud’s success will be down to the fitness of Saints’ talisman Danny Ings, who (if he doesn’t move to Tottenham) will look to profit from the Frenchman’s crosses. But although Perraud is famed for his deliveries and assists, it seems unlikely that he will knock set-piece maestro James Ward-Prowse off his perch.

Of course, the main cause for fantasy manager hesitation on Perraud will be that he is new to the Premier League, so it may take some time for him to adjust to its unique demands. At this moment, he looks like a punt, and fantasy managers may wait to invest until some of the Saints’ tough early games are out of the way.

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Have you seen Perraud play? What do you think of him? Do you expect him to succeed in EPL, or will he be another of those transfers who remains invisible and then quietly moves away? Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

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