Having arrived in England from Barcelona, a huge amount was expected of Oriol Romeu. And despite never really making a meaningful impression at Chelsea, the Spaniard has slowly but surely grown into a key performer for Southampton over the years. Though high un-Spanish in the way he plays, Romeu has long offered a new kind of play that simply is not seen very common in the La Liga game.

For England, though? He has been a perfect addition to a league that needs players who can make up the miles.

What makes Oriol Romeu worth watching?

At 29, Romeu has developed into a mature and intelligent midfielder who can take control of the game with relative ease. He’s become well rated for his accurate passing, often completing in excess of 80% of his passes. On top of that, his crisp passing is improved with the smart use of the ball – he often moves the ball forward quickly, helping to keep pace in the Saints attack.

On top of that, he often wins the ball in the air with ease and tends to be a strong competitor at set plays defensively, offering another useful part to the midfield.

Things to improve for Oriol Romeu

There are many things that could be improved upon for Romeu, mainly his offensive contribution. Though a strong passer of the ball and good at keeping possession progressive enough, he takes less than one shot per game and tends to struggle with making goals or creating attacks.

He also has a habit of giving away dangerous fouls. Though this is likely part of the agreement given how well he plays defensively, it is something that could be improved – and probably plays a role in why Romeu has never moved on beyond the South Coast outfit since he first started to impress.