Oriol Romeu

Oriol Romeu Vidal (Spanish pronunciation: [oˈɾjol roˈmew]; born 24 September 1991) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for J1 League club Avispa Fukuoka. Romeu began his career at Barcelona, playing mainly in their reserves at Barcelona B. In 2011, he joined Chelsea for €5 million, spending time on loan at Valencia and VfB Stuttgart before moving to Southampton four years later. He played 256 times for Southampton during his first spell with the club. Romeu joined Girona in 2022 before returning to Barcelona in July 2023. He spent the 2024–25 season on loan at former club Girona. Romeu rejoined Southampton in November 2025. He joined Japanese club Avispa Fukuoka in July 2026. Romeu represented Spain up to under-21 level, and was part of their under-17 team which won the 2008 European Championship. He also played for the country at the 2012 Olympics.