Oriol Romeu was one of the surprise signings from Barcelona during the summer transfer window.
After missing out on a host of top targets, Romeu was sort of a last-resort option for the Catalans, in their bid to find a replacement for the departing Sergio Busquets.
Formerly of La Masia, Barcelona paid around €3.5 million for Romeu, who joined on the back of an excellent spell at Girona.
Girona sporting director on potential return of Romeu
Even though it has only been a few months since he signed, murmurs about a possible return to Girona have already started doing the rounds.
In a recent interview, Girona’s sporting director Quique Carcel left the door open for Oriol Romeu to return to the club in the near future.
“Personally, I want that 100%. Romeu gave us magical things. A lot of players told me that he taught them how to compete,” Carcel said (h/t Diario SPORT).
Romeu had played for Girona for only a year, between 2022 to 2023. But during that period, he racked up 34 competitive appearances, becoming a midfield general for the Catalans.
Talking about Romeu’s potential return, Carcel said, “It’s not easy because he has a contract with Barcelona, but I don’t see it as unlikely.”
Romeu’s future at Barcelona
Given Carcel’s recent comments, it is perhaps fair to evaluate Oriol Romeu’s performances after returning to Barcelona this summer.
With 821 minutes of action, Romeu is the 10th most-used Barcelona player by Xavi Hernandez this season.
However, that is largely due to the club’s lack of options in the defensive midfield position, coupled with Frenkie de Jong’s unfortunate injury.
Romeu has performed decently at times while helping Barça fill out a crucial spot in the starting eleven. His experience, in particular, has been a key factor. The Spaniard, though, is the slowest player in the Barça squad.
Nevertheless, Romeu is here to stay, at least for now, with Barcelona not in a position to go after another defensive midfielder in the market.
