Southampton FC praised for "brilliant" transfer decision - Oriol Romeu is a "warrior" | OneFootball

FLW’s Southampton fan pundit has discussed the club’s decision to bring Oriol Romeu back to the South Coast.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton have had an unforeseen start to their 2025-26 Championship campaign, but will be hopeful a midweek win away at Queens Park Rangers can be a turning point.

After parting ways with Will Still last weekend, under-21’s boss and interim first-team coach Tonda Eckert took charge of the side for their trip to Loftus Road, and helped the Saints end a winless run of five league matches with victory in West London.

The South Coast outfit triumphed 2-1 for a much-needed three points, as goals from Jay Robinson and Leo Scienza lifted the club up to 19th in the table and six points clear of the relegation zone.

It’s a weight off the club’s shoulders as the hierarchy still seeks to appoint Still’s successor, with victory allowing the interim team to take charge of their final game before the international break against relegation-bound Sheffield Wednesday.

While some slight optimism is being built on the pitch, Saints supporters are now also buoyed by some transfer business, as the club are close to reuniting with Spanish midfielder Oriol Romeu on a free transfer.

As per the Daily Echo, a short-term deal has been agreed for the Spaniard's return, with the transfer now pending a medical and other transfer formalities.

Romeu is set to link back up at St Mary’s three years on since departing for Girona, and in that time he has featured for giants Barcelona, before returning to Girona on loan last term and playing both La Liga and Champions League football.

Still managing to play at the very top level despite entering the twilight period of his career, it appears to be a real piece of shrewd business by the club to recruit a player of such quality at Championship level, with his impact on the side potentially paramount for a promotion push forming.

With this in mind, FLW’s Southampton fan pundit discussed Romeu’s imminent arrival, and whether it's a smart addition by the Saints.

Southampton, Oriol Romeu imminent signing hailed as a “fantastic piece of business”

Speaking to Football League World, Southampton fan pundit Martin Sanders believes the Saints’ imminent signing of Oriol Romeu is a “fantastic piece of business”, and has outlined the qualities he can offer to the Southampton squad that can help dig themselves out of the hole they are currently in.

Martin said: “It’s a brilliant bit of business. We should have done it a long time ago.

“It's late in the day to be doing this, but he is a brilliant player. He rocked up to the training in Girona when the team were there in summer pre-season, and I was thinking ‘the guy is without a club, get him in, he’s everything we need’.

“He’s a warrior, sets examples and I think it’s a fantastic bit of business, just gutted we didn’t get him in before, but I think he’ll be absolutely fine. There’s plenty of players playing that are older than him that are doing the business and I think he’s going to be absolutely brilliant.

“The fanbase are so excited about it, and it has made things feel a little bit better following the sacking of Will (Still), so yeah, I think it’s a great bit of business.”

Southampton, Oriol Romeu signing adds crucial depth to midfield department

When looking at the Southampton squad, midfield depth is crucial for the relentless barrage of games that are heading the Saints’ way, and currently, options are stretched in the middle of the park.

Shea Charles remains out with a hamstring problem, while an injury to Caspar Jander or Flynn Downes could crop up as the games come thick and fast.

In addition, the Spaniard will also offer much-needed leadership into a youthful Saints squad, while his fan favourite status can help inject some life into the Southampton crowd and hopefully bring about a run of consistently positive results.

His visit to Southampton's squad during their pre-season training camp in Girona over the summer shows how highly he is valued by the playing squad, and you do get the feeling this signing could be key to seeing the club rise from their slumber and get fighting towards the top end of the table as the weeks and months go on.