Southampton signed Spanish midfielder Oriol Romeu from Chelsea in the summer of 2015 for a fee of £5m to much joy from the club’s fans.
Being a former Barcelona and Chelsea player, and product of the famed La Masia academy, fans on the south coast knew a good signing when they saw one.
However, his spells in Spain or at the London club had not been as successful as the player would have hoped. The two seasons prior to signing for The Saints saw him shipped on loan to La Liga outfit Valencia and Bundesliga’s VfB Stuttgart.
Nonetheless, Southampton fans were happy to sign the defensive midfielder, and knew that then-manager Ronald Koeman would be able to get the best out of the former Spain under-23 international.
This is what the fans had to say:
@SouthamptonFC @OriolRomeu @ChelseaFC well this was a shock. Romeu is an outstanding talent.
— Saint francis (@frannybiddz1) August 12, 2015
@southamptonfc @chelseafc @oriolromeu good luck romeu. What a sign! Great talent.
— Sigit MawarALkautsar (@sigitmawar) 12 August 2015
@SouthamptonFC @OriolRomeu Excellent news – more great business from Les Reed & his team. Welcome Oriol, good to have you on board!
— SaintCirce #FBGC (@SaintCirce) 12 August 2015
@SouthamptonFC @OriolRomeu @ChelseaFC looks like another great signing
— steve (@SkerrySteve) 12 August 2015
@SouthamptonFC @premierleague @OriolRomeu @ChelseaFC Great signing!
— Harry Chan (@HarryChan01) 12 August 2015
@SouthamptonFC @OriolRomeu @ChelseaFC good move champions league quality player
— Fraser (@FraserSmedley) 12 August 2015
@SouthamptonFC @OriolRomeu Welcome to the south coast
— Alun Hanford (@AlunHanford) 12 August 2015
It looks like the fans were right on this one. If anything, they under-appreciated how much the midfielder would mean to the club.
Romeu has gone on to make 126 appearances for The Saints to date, and has become a rock in the middle of the field for the club. His ability and solidity was recognised when he won the Southampton Fans’ Player of the Season for the 2016/17 campaign.
The Saints haven’t had the greatest time since the Spaniard arrived at St Mary’s, narrowly staving off relegation last year. However, through thick and thin, Romeu has been a dependable figure for the club.
