#4 Romeu will be a man in demand this summer
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Romeu was an unlikely scorer against his former club, having scored only once in his previous 79 Premier League appearances. The defensive midfielder is not in the side to provide goals, though, and Romeu has certainly contributed in other areas this campaign.
Not many teams employing three men in midfield have been able to take advantage of their numerical superiority in the engine room against Chelsea, largely because of Kante’s extraordinary work rate. Yet Southampton succeeded in moving the ball around well in the centre of the park, with Romeu often the man given time and space to dictate the play.
The Barcelona academy product made more passes than anyone on the pitch (76), with 50 of those coming in the Chelsea half. He also broke up opposition moves well, making four interceptions in front of the Southampton backline.
Puel compared Romeu to Kante in the build-up to this match, and while he is not quite at the Frenchman’s level, the 25-year-old is probably just as important to the Saints as the PFA Player of the Year is to Chelsea.
