Oriol Romeu Vidal (born 24 September 1991) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Valencia, on loan from Chelsea F.C. He is known for his good tackling ability and assured passing.
Chelsea career[]
After progressing through the famous Barcelona youth academy, Romeu moved to Chelsea on 4 August 2011 for a reported fee of €5,000,000. Barcelona were given first refusal on Romeu if Chelsea decided to sell him in either 2012 or 2013, when Barca would be able to sign him for €10,000,000 or €15,000,000 respectively. Romeu was given the number 6 shirt for the 2011-12 season.
Romeu made his competitive debut for Chelsea on 10 September 2011, coming on as a 79th minute substitute away to Sunderland. 11 days later, Romeu earned his first competitive Chelsea start against Fulham in the League Cup. As Chelsea's form dipped in the early part of the season, Romeu began to see more game time and impressed with his calm, competent performances. During the winter of 2011, he began to establish himself in the heart of the Chelsea midfield in the absence of the injured Michael Essien, and has also displaced the more experienced John Obi Mikel to the bench.
However when Roberto Di Matteo was appointed boss, Romeu saw very little game time, seeing himself used as a squad player.
On 26 September 2012, Romeu scored his first goal for Chelsea, netting a penalty in a 6-0 win over Wolves, with Di Matteo stating that due to the departures of senior midfielders, Romeu would be getting more game time. However, on 11 December 2012, Romeu picked up a knee injury against Sunderland, which resulted in the spaniard being sidelined for the rest of the 2012-13 season.
On 12 July 2013, Romeu returned to Spain, signing for Valencia on a loan deal.
Stats[]
| Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| 2011-12 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| 2012-13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Total | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 |
| Chelsea F.C. – current squad |
|---|
| 1. Caballero • 2. Rudiger • 3. Alonso • 4. Fabregas • 5. Zouma • 6. Rudiger • 7. Kante • 8. Barkley • 9. Morata • 10. Hazard • 11. Pedro • 13. Courtois • 14. Loftus-Cheek • 15. Moses • 16. Kenedy • 17. Musonda • 21. Zappacosta • 22. Willian • 23. Batshuayi • 24. Cahill (C) • 27. Christensen • 28. Azpilicueta • 30. Luiz • 37. Eduardo Manager: Conte |