“A difficult year” – Player glad to have left Southampton, was looking for a club where he felt ‘wanted’

Among the many players who have left Southampton over the course of the summer after last season’s relegation, Romain Perraud returned to his childhood club.

The left-back arrived at OGC Nice on a loan with an option to buy, which he will fully want to be triggered come the end of the year.

Following his return from Southampton, the player sat down with Nice-Matin for Friday’s print edition, where he discussed what happened behind the scenes for the transfer to take place.

Revealing that it was quite a long process, the 25-year-old feels a certain amount of ‘pride’ about the move, being able to impact a beloved club at a higher level.

He had only represented them five times before his loan to Paris FC and subsequent transfer to Stade de Brest despite being there five years after his move from Colomiers’ U19s in 2014.

Now, he gets a chance to play regular football in France’s top-tier and put last season’s problems at Southampton behind him.

Talks started ‘a few months’ ago, according to Perraud, who then went onto to discuss the past year with the Saints.

He said: “I’m coming out of a difficult year, with relegation, three different managers and a metatarsal injury. It was complicated. I was looking for a club where I felt wanted, which is what I felt [with Nice]. The talks were frank and honest, the feeling was good.”