Oriol Romeu may end up being the consensus solution for what Barça decides to try to find a replacement for the eternal Sergio Busquets. Xavi Hernández was clear before the end of the season. He wanted a top-level international pivot. But one thing is desire and another is the reality of the Barcelona coffers. The names of lineage that were on the radar of the Barcelona coach are not currently within the reach of the Barcelona checkbook. Neither Zubimendi (Real Sociedad) nor Kimmich (Bayern) are possible in this situation. Brozovic’s option arose, for which Barça cannot yet make a formal offer due to its limitations in terms of financial fair play. Among all this mess, the name of Oriol Romeu was put on the table.
The Ulldecona midfielder (31 years old) has shone this last season with Girona. He became one of the keys to the vault of Míchel’s project and played a total of 33 games, with two goals. A true bulwark of a team that made good ball handling a hallmark. Romeu has a lot of experience, he knows Barça, where he spent seven years in the lower categories, he made his debut with the first team under Guardiola and his price would be one of the most affordable. His clause is less than 10 million. Logically Romeu would be delighted to return to Barça 12 years after being transferred to Chelsea. He began a journey there that also took him to Valencia, Stuttgart and Southampton, the club where he settled and where he became an idol for seven years.
Last summer he was tempted to try the Asian adventure in Japan, but he received the call from Girona and returned to the Spanish league. Now, with his good performance, he has possibilities to dress as a blaugrana. The incorporation of him would also serve Barça as a bridge option, as a way not to spend what they do not have and not to excessively close the door on players from the youth academy who in a couple of seasons could be prepared to take over from Busquets long haul. Xavi hopes to solve the issue of the pivot soon, since he considers it essential to have this incorporation soon. It is a structural position in his game system. The advantage for Oriol Romeu is that he already knows this style of football and he already knows Xavi. They coincided in the training sessions of the Barça first team and have subsequently maintained some contact.
A friend of literature, a hobby that Juan Mata encouraged when they shared a dressing room at Chelsea, Romeu wrote a book entitled The season of my life: The inner journey of a footballer. In it, about the 2020-2021 campaign, the footballer recounts how in a moment of doubt he sent a WhatsApp message to Xavi. “There are certain phases of the game in which I relax and make avoidable mistakes (…). I never saw you giving passes for giving them or with an excess of relaxation. How did you do it?” The current Blaugrana coach, then in charge of Qatari Al Sadd, responded extensively. What follows is a summary: “I have always been a responsible guy. I hate failing. Can’t. If I fail I whip myself. I am very perfectionist. Every ball that I received with Barça or with the national team was for me as if it were the last”. Now it is part of Xavi’s responsibility to give his opinion on the Barça signings. Meanwhile, Girona also logically has something to say and awaits events. At first it refers to the clause. But many ways for Barça lead to trying to activate the Romeu option.
