Oriol Romeu has become the latest Saints star to commit himself to a new long-term contract at the club after penning a deal that keeps him at St Mary’s until 2021.

Central midfielder Romeu has become a lynchpin of the side this season, having grown in stature since his arrival from Chelsea in 2015.

He has now agreed a new four-and-a-half-year contract to underline his commitment to the club.

Romeu said: “I couldn’t be any happier to have this new contract with the club.

“Ever since I came here I have felt very, very good. Everything has been positive for me. I have developed myself and been getting better every day.

“Looking forward, it’s a good thing for me, but hopefully there will be more to come and nice experiences to go through.”

Executive Director of Football Les Reed added: “We’re delighted that Oriol has extended his commitment to Southampton Football Club.

“We’re confident he will continue to build on what has been an impressive 18 months since he joined us from Chelsea.

“Since arriving at the club, Oriol has worked extremely hard to establish himself as an integral part of the team and we firmly believe he will continue to be a key pillar in our squad for many years to come.

“At the age of 25, Oriol still has the capacity to develop and progress as an individual, and we’re very pleased that he sees Southampton as the perfect environment for him to do just that.”