Sunday 30 October 2016 11:30, UK
Oriol Romeu has had to bide his time for much of his career, but the former Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder is finally shining under Claude Puel at Southampton. Nick Wright charts his rise with the help of the man who brought him through the youth ranks at La Masia.
Even the most optimistic Southampton supporters could have been forgiven for feeling nervous when the transfer window shut without the arrival of a Victor Wanyama replacement. His departure to Tottenham had left a huge hole at the base of their midfield, and a winless start to the Premier League season only added to the anxiety.
As it turns out, they need not have worried. Southampton have made a habit of reinvention, and this year Oriol Romeu has been the biggest success story. The 25-year-old Spaniard started fewer than half of the Saints' Premier League games in his first campaign on the south coast, but he has stepped into Wanyama's shoes and made an impressive impact this season.
Southampton are looking up again. Romeu has played every minute of their five-game unbeaten run, and on Sunday in front of Pep Guardiola, the manager who gave him his debut at Barcelona back in 2010, he produced a man-of-the-match performance as Southampton claimed a 1-1 draw at Manchester City.
Romeu might have lined up for the other side had things worked out differently, but this weekend he will be eager to impress more familiar faces when Southampton face his old club Chelsea. It's another stern test for Claude Puel's side, and for Romeu it's another reminder of a long, frustrating journey that began on the training pitches of La Masia.
"He came to us from Espanyol's academy when he was 13," former Barcelona youth coach Pedro Abraham tells Sky Sports. "The first year was difficult for him. He found it difficult to be an important player, but gradually he became indispensable. He was very intelligent and very serious. That was important for his development. He improved every year."
In a youth team that included attacking talents such as Thiago Alcantara and Cristian Tello, Romeu was the no-frills midfielder who held it all together. He did the dirty work, as Abraham calls it. El trabajo sucio. "It was a very good generation," says Abraham. "Oriol played as the pivote in front of Marc Bartra and Martin Montoya, with Thiago further forwards."
Thiago was the rising star - "He had it all," recalls Abraham - but Romeu quietly carved out a reputation of his own. "He was quite slow and didn't have an explosive turn of pace, but he knew how to use his body very well," says Abraham. "He knew how to anticipate the play so you didn't see his lack of pace. By the time he was 15 or 16, you could see he was going to make it at the top level."
Romeu spent two years with Abraham before becoming a key player in Luis Enrique's Barcelona B, and it looked like he was destined for the first-team when Guardiola thrust him into the starting lineup for a Spanish Super Cup clash with Sevilla. Romeu acquitted himself well, but Barcelona had signed Javier Mascherano that summer. The youngster slipped down the pecking order before accepting an offer from Chelsea in 2011.
Andre Villas-Boas said Romeu had a "brilliant future" when he was unveiled at Stamford Bridge alongside Romelu Lukaku. He soon broke into the team, but Chelsea were in the midst of a tumultuous period. Villas-Boas was sacked in March 2012, and Romeu only made two further appearances under Roberto Di Matteo that season.
Romeu's prospects looked brighter when Rafa Benitez took over from Di Matteo, but a cruciate knee ligament injury in December 2012 was the next roadblock. The midfielder was ruled out for the rest of the season, and when he returned to fitness, Benitez had been replaced by Jose Mourinho and Romeu was sent on loan to Valencia.
His progress was hampered by more injuries on his return to Spain, and there was further misfortune when he moved to Stuttgart for the 2014/15 campaign. The Bundesliga side sacked their manager Armin Veh after just three months, and Romeu spent the season battling against relegation in an unfamiliar environment.
It was not easy. Between signing for Chelsea in 2011 and returning from his loan spell in Germany in 2015, Romeu had played under eight different managers in three different countries. It is only now, a year after making his permanent £5m switch to St Mary's, that he has finally found stability. It is only now that he is finally fulfilling his potential.
"He needed that," says Abraham, who is now a coach for Marbella FC in the Spanish third tier. "It's like when he came to Barcelona. He needed continuity and he needed to feel important. It was difficult for him at Chelsea after Villas-Boas left, but he's an intelligent boy and he's humble. He kept working and working and working and he has made the most of his opportunity."
Romeu has been one of the Premier League's best ball-winning midfielders this season. Danny Drinkwater, N'Golo Kante and Jordan Henderson are the only outfield players to have recovered possession more times (76), and the Spaniard made more tackles against Manchester City (eight) than any other Southampton player has managed in a single game all season.
Other areas of his game still need work, but Romeu is getting better with the ball, too. His passing accuracy has improved in each of the last three seasons, and Puel insisted he should be in contention for his first senior Spain call-up after he was named Southampton's player of the month for September. "His work in every game is very important to the team," he said.
Abraham has been similarly impressed. Romeu was seen as a possible heir to Sergio Busquets as a teenager, and his former coach still sees the similarities. "Ok, he's not Iniesta or Xavi," he says. "He is more physical than your typical Barcelona player, but for me he has a similar profile to Busquets. He is a bit stronger and not as technical, but he would have fought for that position. He gives a lot of balance to the team."
He's certainly striking the right balance for Southampton this season. It's been a long road for Romeu, but he has offset Wanyama's departure and the Saints are feeling the benefits. "We are seeing that he can be a fundamental player for his team," says Abraham. "Now he has many years ahead of him to keep improving." Southampton will be hoping it continues against Chelsea on Sunday.
