The writing was on the wall in pre season for Oriol Romeu and it is with great sadness to hear that Oriol Romeu has now left Saints and joined Girona, it is good to see that the club website has paid tribute rather than a three line announcement.
Oriol Romeu could lay claim to be one of the best Southampton signings of the past 10 years, he was certainly a bargain at only £5 million when he arrived from Chelsea in August 2015.
He went on to start 186 Premier League games for the club plus another 31 off the bench, scoring 7 goals in the process, when you add on appearances in cup competitions he played 256 games in all competitions, scoring 8 goals.
These are stats that should rightly lead him to be considered a club legend, he was one of those players who didn't make many headlines, but just got on quietly with the job.
He did however get the plaudits he deserved in 2016/17 a season in which we reached the League Cup final and finished 8th in the Premier League with his performances earning him both the Fans’ and Players’ Player of the Season awards.
Turning 31 in a few weeks and entering the last year of his contract, it was becoming clear that with the likes of Romeo Lavia arriving and other options in the centre of the park, that his days were becoming numbered, nothing to do with a drop in his standards, just that as part of the process now being fine tuned after the arrival of Sport Republic, it is about moving players on at the right time.
This was probably the case with Oriol, a chance to trim the wage bill and also to perhaps get a small fee from his new club in Spain, Girona.
So thanks Oriol Romeu for 7 great solid seasons for the club, his contributions will be missed, he can truly deserve to be called a club legend and his departure should be acknowledged as such.
Perhaps the final paragraph on the Club's official announcement sums it up perfectly.
"Oriol departs with the very best wishes of everyone at Southampton Football Club, and we would like to express our gratitude to him for his dedication and magnificent efforts both on and off the pitch during his time here. We wish him every success in the future."
I echo that and i am sure that I speak for all Saints supporters in sending him on his way with their thanks and best wishes ringing in his ears.