Considering that Southampton supporters have already been given a glimpse into life without Oriol Romeu, you can see why reports linking him with a move to Aston Villa have gone down like a lead balloon.
In the 17 games Romeu missed during 2020/21, the Saints conceded 37 times – including that 9-0 shellacking at the hands of Manchester United.
And that’s not including February’s 3-0 collapse at Leeds. The game was still in the balance when Romeu limped off with 20 minutes remaining and, in his absence, Raphinha and co ran riot as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s defence buckled under the pressure.
Ibrahima Diallo may have enjoyed a promising debut season on the South Coast but 29-year-old Romeu, a player with Chelsea and Barcelona on his CV, remains their most reliable defensive midfielder.
Southampton fans don’t want Aston Villa to swoop for Romeu
No-one in Hasenhuttl’s squad averaged more than his 3.3 tackles per game last season. Romeu is also Saints’ most prolific interceptor too, with 1.4 per 90 minutes, according to WhoScored.
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That should give you an indication as to why reports linking the long-serving Spaniard with a move to Aston Villa, via The Telegraph, have been met by Saints fans with fear and frustration.
Villa have already snapped up Matt Targett and expressed an interest in James Ward-Prowse earlier in the summer too, via The Guardian.
If they want Romeu, however, they’ll have to go through an army of hell-bent Saints supporters first.
Here’s what some Southampton fans on Twitter had to say about the situation:
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