NEW recruit Romain Perraud revealed conversations with fellow Frenchman Ibrahima Diallo helped convince him to make the move to Saints this summer.

Left-back Perraud completed his move to Saints last week, penning a four-year contract after arriving for an undisclosed fee from Ligue 1 side Stade Brest.

Saints' Premier League rivals West Ham, Newcastle and Leeds were all reportedly interested in signing the 23-year-old, who played 36 times in the French top flight last season.

However, a familiar face among the Saints squad helped swing the deal.

Perraud and Diallo were teammates at Brest during the 2019-20 campaign, before the latter made the move to Saints himself in October of last year.

“Yes, before my signature I sent many messages on WhatsApp with Ibra Diallo,” Perraud told the Saints website.

“He (Diallo) spoke with me about the club, the environment of the club and he told me good news.

"Ibra is a very good person, so I can have confidence in him."

Diallo featured 26 times in his debut season for Saints.

But it was not only conversations with Diallo which saw Perraud plump for Saints.

“For me, it’s the best league in the world, the Premier League. I’m very excited to try to challenge myself in this championship," he said.

“When I was young, I would watch the games on the TV."

He added: "The discussion with the manager was very important. I spoke with Ralph Hasenhuttl many times.

"He spoke with me about tactics and the way to play. It was very good for me and I think there are similarities in his play and also mine."

And Perraud was pleased to get the deal completed ahead of pre-season, which begins for Saints this week ahead of the 2021-22 campaign getting underway at Everton on August 14.

"It's very important for me to meet the players before the season, because during the preparation you can integrate into the group," he said.

"It's good for me and I want to start quickly, to meet the manager, players and medical staff."

Asked how much he knew about Saints' history, Perraud added: "From the past I know many players, like Kevin Keegan and Peter Shilton, and I know this club has won one FA Cup in 1976.

"I know this club. There were many good players here, like Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott, who is here now.

"I'm excited to begin."