Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu has opened up regarding the speculation linking him with a move away from the club in January.
Spanish outlet Marca reported in January that Celta Vigo were ready to make an offer for Romeu and that he was interested in the switch, although a move ultimately failed to materialise.
The former Chelsea man, however, claims that there was little in the story and that Southampton made it clear that they wanted him to stay at St. Mary’s.
Speaking to the Daily Echo, Romeu said:
There were rumours but that was just talk.
The club always told me that they want me here and I am more than happy to be here.
I want to be competing for a spot in the team because I’m ready to go.
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Keeping Romeu at the club could prove to be a great decision from the Saints. He has already been called upon by Ralph Hasenhuttl since the window closed, playing the full 90 minutes against Liverpool last weekend.
With Yan Valery out and Kyle Walker-Peters having only just joined the club, James Ward-Prowse has been deployed at right-back – opening the door for Romeu to slot into the midfield. This means that Romeu could be in for some extended playing time until Hasenhuttl has sorted out the right-back situation, due to Ward-Prowse leaving the midfield to play in the back four.
Romeu is also an experienced head and has plenty of Premier League experience with Southampton and Chelsea, which could be key on and off the pitch.
He could use his knowledge of the league to help the newer players in the team adapt to life in the division, with the likes of Che Adams, Moussa Djenepo and Walker-Peters boasting very little in terms of game time at this level.
He anchors the midfield and helps to prevent gaps through the middle, leading to fewer counter-attacks against the Saints. This is because his positional play is very good, rarely getting dragged out of position and leaving his team open to the break. Keeping him could prove to be smart business from the Saints.
