As Rangers are linked with a €4m (£3.5m) move for Amiens’ South African international midfielder Bongani Zungu [Scotsman], it’s left a few bears scratching their heads.
For many fans, this is a substantial amount to be shelling out on a player there is not much footage of and who they don’t know too much about.
Given Amiens’ lowly ranking in the French league – their 19th place finish has resulted in relegation – Zungu by all accounts was also turning out for one of the worst teams in the league.
But can the example of Celtic’s Christopher Jullien prove a good yardstick for Zungu’s potential arrival at Ibrox?
Classy centre-half Jullien took to the Scottish Premiership very quickly and looked every ounce the £7m player they’d secured from Toulouse last summer.
The 27-year-old defender has been a constant thorn in the side of defences from set-pieces and has become Celtic’s new defensive marshal, their first-choice and leading centre-half.
Jullien played 46 games for Celtic last season, scoring seven goals [Transfermarket], and settling in as a commanding, powerful presence for our Old Firm rivals.
One of those was even the offside winner in the Betfred Cup final against Rangers.
Celtic signed Jullien from Toulouse – the other side who’ve been relegated in France this season – after the Occitanie club finished 16th in the French top-flight last season.
Similarly to what is happening with Zungu now, there were doubts over Jullien’s high transfer fee and his suitability for Scottish football.
His signing and success for Celtic proves that you can be a good player in a poor team, particularly across the top five leagues.
You have to trust that the Rangers scouting team have done their homework on Zungu, who saw a potential €5m move to La Liga side Mallorca collapse in January.
