By David Williams
Bersant Celina will be a perfect fit for French football, according to the former Paris Saint-Germain star who has taken him to Dijon.
The Swansea City midfielder has completed a move to the French top flight for an undisclosed fee, thought to be slightly less than the £3m the Swans paid Manchester City for him two years ago.
Many Swans supporters will be disappointed that head coach Steve Cooper was unable to get the best out of Celina, a player who could look Premier League quality when the mood seemed to strike him.
But Dijon’s recruitment advisor Peguy Luyindula believes French football will bring out the best of Celina and make other Ligue 1 clubs jealous of his talent.
“Bersant will create a lot of envy and will be ready to give it his all,” said Luyindula.
🚨 #MercatoDFCO / OFFICIEL
🖊️Recruté en provenance de @SwansOfficial, le milieu offensif 🇽🇰 Bersant #Celina s’est engagé pour 4 ans au @DFCO_Officiel !
Communiqué #DFCO ➡️ https://t.co/iB3aKEVB23
#BienvenueBersant pic.twitter.com/XpGNdhFTMD
— Dijon FCO (@DFCO_Officiel) September 9, 2020
“What he loves above all is playing in the heart of the game. In the Championship he was used to a very tough league where he had to fight.
“But he is a very technical ball player, quite explosive and good in the opponent’s box.”
The Kosovo international made 79 appearances and scored 10 goals during his time at Swansea.
The 24-year-old joined the Swans from Manchester City in August 2018, and featured prominently under Graham Potter as he scored eight goals in 43 appearances in all competitions.
The most memorable of those goals came in Swansea’s thrilling FA Cup quarter-final tie against his old club in March 2019.
Celina found game time harder to come by over the latter stages of the 2019-20 season, but still ended the campaign with 37 appearances to his name.
He leaves as Cooper continues to grapple with financial restrictions at the club as they prepare for their Championship opener at Preston this weekend.
Celina, who can operate as a No.10 or out wide, played for Kosovo in their Nations League defeat against Greece on Sunday before negotiating a four-year deal with Dijon who have lost both their league games so far this season.
