Sam Allardyce believes Tunisian centre back Radhi Jaidi will become a major hit in the Barclays Premiership.

The Bolton boss, famous for picking up big-name veterans to bolster a team that no longer figures among anybody's list of potential relegation candidates, gave Jaidi, 28, his debut in the 2-1 win at Southampton on Wednesday night.

He said: "He has better skills for this position than Ivan Campo who won two European Cup medals as central defender with Real Madrid."

Jaidi, snapped up on a free transfer from his country's leading club Esperance de Tunis, kept Saints striker James Beattie quiet, and almost scored with a header from a corner in the second half.

But Allardyce admitted: "At this stage of the season it is a huge gamble putting him in. Coping with the Premiership when you've only played in Tunisian football all your life is extremely difficult.

"Our plan as always with newcomers was to put him in and take him out but if he keeps playing like he did at Southampton he won't get taken out.

"He will get tired, though. He has the talent and the ability - all the attributes he needs to be a top-class centre half here if he wants to learn. It was a very good debut but he has no experience of the Premiership.

"We are a fourth year into it as a club and most of the other players have played in it a long time now. You can see the talent with Radhi but the question is always whether players have got the understanding to be able to play in a defensive unit in the Premiership.

"That is completely different to playing in Italy, Spain, Tunisia or wherever you play in the world.

"Ivan Campo was a central defender with Real Madrid and won two European Cup medals, but he cannot be a central defender with us. His skills are not the sort you need to do that job."

Neither, it seems, are those of Brazilian Julio Cesar from Spanish club Real Valladolid. He has been dropped after just two games against Charlton and Fulham, following a disastrous away debut at Craven Cottage last Saturday where former England marksman Andy Cole ran him ragged.

Allardyce may now also have finally given up on signing ex-Arsenal and Chelsea veteran Emmanuel Petit who was released at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season and may even decide on retirement following knee surgery.

On loan Liverpool and Senegal striker El Hadji Diouf is still waiting for passport complications to be ironed out before starting his season-long stint at the Reebok Stadium.

But Allardyce was delighted to see Bolton return to their opening day of the season form at Southampton and said: "We can still con other teams a little bit.

"We had eight away wins last year and finished top eight but when we arrive some clubs still say it ain't Arsenal, it ain't Manchester United, it ain't Liverpool, it ain't Tottenham or Newcastle. It's only Bolton Wanderers.

"But there is some pretty good skill inside Bolton Wanderers now and I think we still carry the element of surprise on some teams.

"Hopefully that will continue to work for us."