Xavi absolutely delighted with Barcelona veteran summer signing’s contributions despite dip in form

Barcelona’s pursuit of Sergio Busquets’ replacement forced them to settle for a certain 32-year-old Oriol Romeu from Girona. While he seems to be pretty settled at the club, it would be fair to say that he was far from being the Blaugrana’s first choice.

Be that as it may, as things stand, there is absolutely no room for debate at Barça when it comes to the midfielder, despite his recent dip in form.

According to Xavi and his coaching team, the midfielder remains of utmost importance in Barça’s style of play, reports Mundo Deportivo. 

Now, it could be argued that the 32-year-old has not been utilized as much as he was during the beginning of the season. From the outset, it is indeed right as he started seven of Barcelona’s first eight games and the figure has come down to four in the last eight.

However, this decline in playing minutes largely is attributed to tactical considerations rather than any decline in his significance.

Romeu deserves more credit

Romeu, who played for Chelsea and Southampton early in his career, is highly esteemed for his tactical discipline, unwavering commitment to the team, his maturity, and professionalism.

Within the club, there is a prevailing belief that he was the optimal choice to replace Busquets in the summer transfer market, considering the troubling circumstances faced by the team.

As such, the team’s first choice was thought to be Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi and Bayer Munich’s Joshua Kimmich was approached too, but given the financial implications of these transfers, they decided to go for Romeu instead.

Girona would love to have him back

Romeu joined Barcelona for a small fee this summer, signing a three-year contract. Girona were obviously distraught over losing their asset and Quique Carcel, their Sporting Director, recently went public to say that they would love nothing but to have him back.

“Personally, I would like [having Romeu back], 100%. He has given us magical things,” said Carcel. 

“Many players have told me that he has taught them how to compete. Is there a chance of it happening? It’s not easy because there are contracts involved, but I don’t see it as inviable,” he added.