Southampton’s 2016-17 Naughty or Nice list

NICE – Oriol Romeu

Southampton’s defence has rightly got a lot of plaudits this season for their solidarity, but a fair bit of that comes down to the job Oriol Romeu does just in front of them.

The Spaniard moved back to England in 2015 after time on loan at Valencia and Stuttgart, having been on the books at Chelsea, and he seems to have come back a different player, and one more suited to the demands of the Premier League.

Romeu is strong, excellent in the tackle, and reads the game very well, allowing the forward players to do their bit in the final third, as well as help out with defensive duties.

The 25-year-old is the sort of player every team wants, but very few actually have.