ORIOL Romeu has sparkled for Saints this campaign.

The Spaniard is one of the finest screening midfielders in the Premier League right now and may well be favourite for the Daily Echo’s Southampton FC Player of the Season award, after an outstanding breakthrough season.

In his first campaign, following his £5m move from Chelsea, Romeu had to be patient with Victor Wanyama very much undisputed number one defensive midfielder under Ronald Koeman.

But with Wanyama heading for Tottenham last summer, it was time for the 25-year-old to step up.

The Kenyan left huge boots to fill, but Romeu has shown he's more than up to the job of shielding Saints’ back four.

During an up and down season under Claude Puel, Romeu has been nothing short of brilliant and consistent, which cannot be said for many of the squad.

The former Barcelona man is strong in the tackle and is a commanding presence, but he's also highly composed on the ball, has good vision and a range of passing to match.

He's a class act on and off the field and seems to be very settled at Saints.

Both at Barcelona and Chelsea he found regular playing time hard to come by and, while at Stamford Bridge, was shipped out on loan to Valencia and Stuttgart to find regular football.

But, at St Mary’s, Romeu has found home.

"I’m feeling very happy here and I won’t give this away," he said to the Daily Echo in March.

"The club has given me a massive welcome since the beginning, signing a new contract in January, and this support and confidence they have given me is something that no one has done before.

"I feel very pleased for that and I wouldn’t say I’ve just stopped here, I’m very pleased with what they’ve done for me and I just want to give this love back."

There is no doubt this guy is a complete superstar and that the £5m outlay for him was a total bargain price.

During a season in which scarcely any Saints men have shone, Romeu has sparkled.

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