Oriol Romeu
From TheChels.info - The Chelsea Football Club Wiki
| Oriol Romeu | |
| |
| Full Name | Oriol Romeu Vidal |
| Date of Birth | 24 September 1991 |
| Place of Birth | Ulldecona, Spain |
| Position | Midfielder |
| Chelsea career | 2011-2015 |
| Debut | 10 September 2011 |
| Games (goals) | 33 (1) |
| Other clubs | Barcelona Valencia (loan) Stuttgart (loan) Southampton |
Oriol Romeu Vidal (born 24 September 1991 in Ulldecona, Tarragona, Catalonia) is a Spanish Under-21 international who formerly played for Chelsea, having signed from Barcelona in August 2011. Principally a defensive midfielder, he can also play in central defence.
Contents |
Before Chelsea
Romeu spent his pre-teens at RCD Espanyol's academy, before moving across the city to FC Barcelona in 1994. Having worked his way up through the youth ranks, the young Catalan impressed in the Barcelona B side before making his first team debut on 13 August 2010, in the first leg of the Spanish Supercup against Sevilla. Romeu established himself for Barcelona B over the course of the season, and made his La Liga debut on 15 May 2011, playing the last 10 minutes of a 0-0 home draw against Deportivo de La Coruña.
Following speculation in July 2011 that Romeu was poised to join Chelsea, manager André Villas-Boas confirmed on 23 July that a fee had been agreed with Barcelona for the youngster, describing him as "a player with a bright future".[1]
Chelsea career
On 4 August 2011 Chelsea announced that Romeu had signed for the club, for a reported £4.35m (€5m). The deal also included buy-back options for the Catalan club; for a fee of €10m after one season, or €15m in 2013. [2]
2011-12
Romeu made his debut in a 2-1 away win against Sunderland, replacing Nicolas Anelka towards the end of the match. The young midfielder's first start for the Blues followed 11 days later, in a 3rd round League Cup tie against Fulham that would eventually be settled in Chelsea's favour following extra time and a penalty shoot-out. Romeu put in a commanding perfomance in midfield over the 120 minutes, and was praised by André Villas-Boas for his composed play, the Portuguese commenting "His ability to receive the ball is something out of this world, his comfort with it is extraordinary." [3] Romeu made occasional appearances following the impressive beginning to his Chelsea career, and started a run of games from late November, including 12 consecutive appearances over the Christmas and New Year period. From February onwards however the Catalan featured rarely, suffering from a succession of niggling injuries. [4] With John Obi Mikel seemingly rejuvenated in defensive midfield under interim manager Roberto Di Matteo, Romeu made just two further appearances as Chelsea turned the season around in spectacular fashion, winning the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League. The young Catalan earned a winners' medal in the latter as a member of the squad.
2012-13
Romeu had to wait until late September of the 2012-13 season before making his first appearance, but made it count by scoring his first ever Chelsea goal; converting a penalty in a 6-0 League Cup victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. He would make another eight appearances before Christmas but in December he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in an away fixture versus Sunderland, one which would sideline him for eight months.
2013-14
Having successfully recovered from his injury, playing time was paramount for Romeu's career, but it could not be guaranteed at Stamford Bridge under new manager José Mourinho. Therefore, an agreement was reached with Spanish club Valencia to take his services for the season. With match fitness lacking, he initially struggled to earn a place in the team and when he did get an opportunity - at home to Barcelona - he flattered to deceive. He was limited thereafter to the Europa League until December, when he was restored to the first team on a regular basis, and this time impressed in the run up to the winter break. Another injury and a change of manager meant that he did however struggle to assert himself in the second half of the season.
2014-15
The 2014-15 season promised much, beginning with a pre-season spent under Jose Mourinho's first team tutelage and the signing of a contract extension. He joined Bundesliga outfit VfB Stuttgart on a season-long deal and began his stay as a regular in midfield but, as the team struggled to avoid relegation, he lost his place. Towards the end of the campaign Stuttgart hauled themselves above the drop zone with Romeu firmly consigned to a backup role.
In August 2015 he joined Southampton for a fee of £5m.
International
Romeu has represented Spain at U17, U19, U20 and U21 level.
Statistics
| Season | Club | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| 2011-12 | Chelsea | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 2012-13 | Chelsea | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| 2013-14 | Valencia (loan) | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 2014-15 | Stuttgart (loan) | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Total | 62 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 1 | |
Statistics correct as of the end of the 2014-15 season
Goals
| # | Season | Date | Year | Competition | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue |
| 1 | 2012-13 | 25 September | 2012 | League Cup | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 4-0 | 6-0 | Stamford Bridge |
Career honours
- Supercopa de España: 2010
- Chelsea
