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Hey, remember Oriol Romeu? Nearly every time we talk about Oriol Romeu, we have to go "hey, remember Oriol Romeu?" And that's on a normal day. And today's anything but a normal day. Today's a bit of an abnormal day.
On a day like today - or even a day like yesterday - maybe I should say "hey, remember that guy with whom Juan Mata used to play ping pong?" Yeah, that guy. The bald one. Yeah, the one who even when he had hair, we pictured as bald because that's the only way we could picture him. With the bad knee injury and subsequent rehab assignment on Spain's Mediterranean coast. What's his name again? Something with cookies right? Damn you inadequate mnemonic devices!
At the time of the loan, Romeu's temporary transfer to Valencia seemed to be as much of a permanent move as a permanent move can be a permanent move without anybody calling it a permanent move. Despite a slow start, those early indications have now manifested into full-blown desires:
My position is as I've always said, I want to be here, I want to give everything to Valencia, have a great year and finish the season well. When the season is over, we'll sit down and talk. I've always said that I want to be comfortable where I am and happy. I will fight to stay for another year, or however many more.
-Oriol Romeu; source: Inside Spanish Football
Safe in his heart; Romeu's heart will go on. For Valencia. We should let it.
With Nemanja Matic back in the fold and the most sensible reinvestment of any transfer fee received for Oriol Romeu's ex-ping pong partner also being a Vidal- or Pogba- or Barkley-shaped object of as-yet-unfulfilled midfield desires, the 22-year-old Romeu would probably struggle to get back into the Chelsea side. He faced similar struggles earlier in the season at Valencia, but has started all four matches since Miroslav Djukic was fired last month.
