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Oriol Romeu is set to join Barcelona from Girona and here are 5 things to know about the Spanish midfielder including his style of play and career so far.
Spanish midfielder Oriol Romeu has joined Barcelona from Girona on a permanent deal which sees youngster Pablo Torre the other way on a season-long loan.
The transfer is reportedly worth €5 million plus add-ons and is still pending official confirmation from both clubs but Fabrizio Romano already gave his trademark seal of approval “here we go” which pretty much rubberstamps it.
The 31-year-old had an impressive 2022/23 season with Girona which caught the attention of Barcelona who are in a quest to replace legendary defensive midfielder, Sergio Busquets who left the club this summer to join Inter Miami.
Here are 5 facts to learn about Barcelona’s new anchor man, Oriol Romeu who joins as the latest signing from Girona.
5 facts about Oriol Romeu
1. Oriol Romeu’s Barcelona homecoming
Oriol Romeu joining Barcelona this summer is something of a poetic storyline as he started his career at the Catalan club.
Romeu is a product of the famed La Masia academy having first joined in 2004 from Barcelona rivals Espanyol.
He started playing for the B team in 2008 as a 16-year-old and made his first team debut for Barcelona in August 2010, playing the full game in a 3-1 defeat to Sevilla in the first leg of the Spanish Supercopa.
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In that same season, he came off the bench in a goalless draw against Deportivo La Coruna, playing nine minutes at Camp Nou in what was his La Liga debut; his second and final appearance for the club.
Now he returns as a 31-year-old to the same club he left as a teenager, the stuff of fairytales.
2. Oriol Romeu’s time at Chelsea
Romeu’s performances for Barcelona B in the 2010/11 season and a decent showing for Spain at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia attracted interest from Chelsea.
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Chelsea manager at the time, Andre Villas-Boas brought him in to replace the departed Michael Essien and to help the team play a more possession-based style of football.
Chelsea paid Barcelona €5 million (£ 4.35 million) up front with the Spanish club inserting a buy-back clause into the deal which they never exercised.
The teenager enjoyed a decent first season in England which was also his debut professional season in which he played 24 games en route to winning both the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in 2011/12.
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A knee injury significantly affected his game time the following season as he played nine games in what would be his last season at the club in which he won the 2012/13 Europa League title.
He remained a Chelsea player for the next two years which he spent on loan at Valencia and Stuttgart respectively but injuries limited him once again.
3. Oriol Romeu found stability at Southampton
On 13 August 2015, Romeu joined Southampton for £5 million on a three-year deal with Chelsea recouping the money they paid for him four years prior.
His time at Southampton provided Romeu with a long stretch of regular football uninterrupted by injuries and he excelled, settling into his role as a regular starter for the next seven seasons.
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Romeu played 256 games in seven years for the Saints before leaving for Girona last summer and now Southampton are relegated from the Premier League.
In his time at Southampton, Romeu earned high praise from Pep Guardiola who described him as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League” in the 2020/21 season, a year in which he ranked second in the entire league for tackles made.
4. Oriol Romeu’s success at Girona
Romeu’s time at Girona was short yet effective as the 31-year-old reinvented himself from a classic defensive midfield destroyer to one of the best anchor men in Europe.
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He operated as the all-important pivot in Girona’s high-possession style, a slick-passing system which required Romeu to be a conductor with Aleix Garcia by his side.
Romeu helped newly-promoted Girona finish 10th in La Liga last season, playing 33 games in the 2022/23 league season.
His singular season at Girona has significantly improved his standing in the world game, earning him a high-profile move that the player himself did not see coming.
"Do I have the level to play for Barca? No, if I had the level I would be playing there already," Romeu himself said in 2021.
5. Oriol Romeu’s international career
Romeu has never played for the Spanish senior national team which may be surprising until an important context is introduced.
He was considered an average player for the majority of his career and La Roja are famed for their strength in midfield over the last two decades especially.
However, the 31-year-old has played for every other Spanish national team across every possible level.
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Romeu played six games for the under-17s, 12 times for the under-19s, and eight times for the under-20 team, six of which were at two FIFA U-20 World Cups in 2009 and 2011.
He also played 10 times for the under-21s, five times for the Spanish under-23 team and two matches for the Olympics team at the London 2012 football tournament.
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