Christopher Jullien has set his sights on helping Celtic win nine league titles in a row with the Frenchman admitting that he is looking to make up for lost time on the trophy-winning front.
The Scottish champions paraded their new £7million recruit from Toulouse at Celtic Park yesterday as Neil Lennon secured his first major signing of the close season following the David Turnbull saga.
Jullien, who has agreed a four-year deal to become Celtic’s second most expensive signing after his £9m compatriot Odsonne Edouard, was a rising star in the French Under-20s team which captured the World Cup back in 2013.
That medal, however, remains the only piece of silverware the 26-year-old has captured from a career which promised much but veered off course during a largely unfulfilling stint in Germany with Freiburg.
“When you start playing football, you are playing to win some trophies and have a legacy,” said Jullien. “When I won that trophy with France – it has been a long time now – it was an excitement and good vibes. I think every footballer needs to have that.
“Since that time, it’s true that I haven’t won trophies or been to finals. My experience in Germany was not good.
‘I achieved a promotion in France but didn’t win a trophy. To now be part of a team that wants to see the top of the league and not the low part is really good.
“For now, we want to equal the nine [domestic titles]. After that, we can see the next one. For now, I’ll just be focused on the nine. But I think it’s a good thing to have that focus of winning some trophies.”
With the Champions League qualifiers looming on the horizon, Jullien is eager to get cracking and help his new club make an impact on the European stage.
He added: “The Champions League is a good goal. Every footballer has to have it in mind when you join a club like this.
“Last year, Celtic came close to it. I really think we can do it this year. I want to bring something to the team and it would be the best if we could do it, because I hear so much about the Champions Leagues vibes around here. It would be really exciting.
“The first qualifier is close. I am going to join the team on Sunday and I will be be fit and ready to bring everything that I can.”
Jullien, who was a French under-20 team-mate of Manchester United £89m midfielder Paul Pogba, was on a family holiday in New York when he was made aware of Celtic’s interest and he wasted no time in swapping the Big Apple for the Dear Green Place.
He said: “I heard of Celtic’s interest over the last month. I was going on holiday at the beginning of the month and my agent talked to me about it. He told me there had been an interest for a long time but now they were really committed to doing something.
“Afterwards I was on holiday and he told me there was a chance to come and see the facilities and everything around it
“I was in New York at the time, so I came over to make the visit. I then went back with my wife and kid on holiday. I don’t regret it, because it was really nice to see everything.”
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