In the quest to find the perfect replacement for Sergio Busquets – who, after 15 years of loyal serving, left the Catalan club – FC Barcelona set their sights on the La Masia graduate Oriol Romeu to strengthen the pivot position for the next campaign, especially knowing the financial struggles that hinder them in their pursuit for the perfect heir.
Raised at La Masia, Romeu could never fit in the first team of Barcelona, and after a long Premier League stint at Chelsea, respectively Southampton, seasoned with two loan spells to Stuttgart and Valencia, he returned to Spain last summer, signing for fellow Catalan side Girona from Southampton on a transfer of around €5 million.
Under Míchel’s orders, Romeu enjoyed a great season, establishing himself as a first-choice starter playing 33 games and scoring 2 goals for the Catalan outfit. One concern when he arrived at Girona was his adaptability to the current conditions in the league as it demands much more physicality than it used to when he last played there in 2014.
The Premier League football demands much more physical capacity from all of the players than in La Liga, where the game is more technical but is at a lower level in terms of physicality.
Romeu flawlessly adapted to the Premier League, developing into one of the most important players of Southampton during the years, and he wanted to keep up that level of physicality at Girona too.
One of the key points that explain why the Catalan player enjoyed such a good season at Míchel’s team is his physical prowess shown throughout the season.
Romeu prioritized keeping up his physical level, an essential factor that helped him a lot in developing his career, which now has made him a subject of Xavi’s preference to bolster the Blaugrana midfield as per a report from SPORT.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Spaniard is waiting for the operation to be resolved by the higher-ups of the two Catalan teams, which could take days or even a few weeks. Though, the player is calm as he is in no hurry, and the prospect of returning to his former team fills him with excitement about the future.
