Chelsea FC Transfer News: Oriol Romeu Sold To Southampton
For the second year running Southampton Football Club have raided Chelsea FC’s loan army for a young and versatile player. Last season it was fullback and winger Ryan Bertrand and this season in a surprise move it is central midfielder Oriol Romeu.
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In a move that came seemingly out of nowhere, the Spanish midfielder was sold to Southampton for a fee believed to be £3m and he has signed a 3-year deal with the club. There were rumors that Leicester City had come sniffing around for the youngster but they were only interested in a loan deal.
Romeu had reportedly had enough of being loaned out and was only willing to accept two outcomes, either being sold to another club on a permanent transfer or kept around at Chelsea FC as a first team player. His frustrations in his career path are justified in that he was sent on loan for the past two seasons with varying results. While he had not suffered the same indignity of Ryan Bertrand playing for seven clubs in nine years, it was still not how he had expected his career to have gone.
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He arrived at Chelsea from Barcelona for a fee of around £3.5m and was an afterthought in the same summer that saw the club sign Raul Meireles, Juan Mata, and Romelu Lukaku. The club had also signed virtually unknown goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois that summer but that is a story for another time.
After making 24 appearances in his first season, Romeu was all set to feature in his second season with the club but injuries kept him out for most of the season. This happened again the next year as he suffered another knee injury in his loan spell at Valencia but has been virtually injury free since his time at VfB Stuttgart last season.
CONFIRMED: #SaintsFC completes the signing of @OriolRomeu from @chelseafc on a three-year contract.https://t.co/qYZcDP064y
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 12, 2015
After the two loan spells it appeared that the young Spaniard’s career had come to a crossroads and his future had to be decided soon. Some Chelsea fans wanted to see him be given a chance ahead of the passing metronome known as John Obi Mikel but Jose Mourinho seems to have full trust in Mikel, something he had never developed for Romeu. Instead of being given a chance at Chelsea, Romeu will now get his chance to impress at Southampton under an excellent manager in Ronald Koeman.
He may yet prove to us and to all of his doubters that he is good enough to play regularly in the Premier League. He may not be an instant starter for the Saints but after the club sold Morgan Schneiderlin to Manchester United they may be thin at central midfield. With a Europa League campaign on the horizon they need all the depth they can get as they look to build on their incredible 7th place finish in the table last season.
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