The likes of Celtic and Rangers have been watching him – but Thomas Robert’s agent says it’s all part of the pathway the likes of Andy Robertson have walked before.
Ligue 1 Montpellier offered the 20-year-old a contract in the summer but he turned it down for regular football elsewhere. That place was League One Airdrie, where he has won multiple Player of the Month awards plus Rangers and Celtic interest, the latter scouting him on two occasions.
Lots of interest. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Players like Scotland captain Robertson have risen from lower league Scottish football to stardom and Robert’s agent, Paul Tait, expects similar for the French winger: “Montpellier wanted to keep him on but Thomas just wanted to play first-team football.
“He maybe wasn’t ready for their first-team so he wanted to drop down a level and get some games to prove himself. There is a big difference between playing under-23 games even at a top club like Montpellier and playing men’s football against experienced players. We wanted to get him to a club where we knew he would get first-team football and would make an impact, as he has done.
“It did take a bit of selling because he hadn’t heard of Airdrie before the move, but we just told him that there have been guys who have come through the club like Gary Mackay-Steven and went to Dundee United and then Celtic.
Celtic and Rangers are keen. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
“There are guys like for example Andy Robertson is at Queen’s Park and goes to Dundee United then goes south and ends up at Liverpool. I believe he can follow a similar route.
“Rangers and Celtic have been watching him because I believe they don’t want to miss out before the English clubs swoop in. Thomas is worth a gamble for a few hundred thousand, because when he goes to the next level we will be talking millions.”