The signing of Oriol Romeu by FC Barcelona is practically a done deal. According to Nil Solà, journalist of SER in Catalonia specialised in Girona, the Catalan midfielder will sign for Barça in a deal that will be sealed in exchange for five million euros plus variables and the loan of Pablo Torre.
Although he is not Kimmich, Zubimendi or Amrabat as was talked about at the beginning of the market, Barça manage to sign a quality pivot: he knows the Spanish league, he knows Barça and its style, he adapts to the economic situation and he has been outstanding in the last season.
Oriol Romeu is a pivot who stands out physically and defensively. Last season he averaged 5.91 recoveries per game and 1.12 passes cut out. He also won 50.94% of the duels, a similar figure to Sergio Busquets, but the recent signing from Inter Miami outperforms him (56.25%). He typically commits 1.79 fouls per game, a figure that is likely to go down considering Barça are a team that tends to control possession to a greater extent than Girona.
Romeu’s physical strength and ability to recover the ball make him a great signing for the position, but destroying moves is not the only thing needed to be Barça’s ‘5’. However, the former youth international works very well in the build-up. Last season he averaged 48.61 passes per game compared to 64.43 for ‘Busi’.
Despite being less involved in the game, the passing success rate is quite similar, as the still Girona player averaged 87.28% compared to Sergio’s 88.67%. Oriol wins in dribbles, averaging 0.61 per game, but also loses 8.45 balls per game.
The attacking aspect is not particularly important for Barça’s ‘5’, but it’s good to have a player with resources. Oriol Romeu scored two goals last season, one with his head and one with his bad leg, and averaged 0.48 shots per game. He picked up 33 fouls for the season, one per game.
As you can see, Barça is right to sign the Girona player. Defence is his strong point, but he is perfectly capable of building up play. In addition, the operation is very feasible, as they sign one of the best players of the previous season at a low price and they ensure the development of Pablo Torre, who will play a leading role under Míchel’s orders.
Translated by Marcos Rodríguez.
Main image: @GironaFC.
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