ORIOL ROMEU

Chelsea swooped to sign the Barcelona B star in the summer of 2011 when it was confirmed that midfielder Michael Essien would miss some of the season with a recurrent knee injury.

Oriol had risen up through the ranks of the famous La Masia academy and, having been included in the 2009 FIFA World Club Cup squad, he made his debut in August 2010 in a 3-1 defeat to Sevilla.

Unable to make the breakthrough with Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano ahead of him, the youngster opted to move on and new Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas snapped him up for a fee of around £4.35 million in July 2011.

He impressed Villas-Boas during the early part of the season but, partly through injury, he found opportunities increasingly hard to come by as the campaign wore on.

Strengths: Strong and powerful, his passing is simple and short and he can slot easily between defence and midfield.

Weaknesses: Inexperienced and has had problems adapting to the English game.

Career high: His one appearance for the Barcelona first-team was a high point, and it did enough to earn him a move away.

Career low: His debut was a 3-1 loss to Sevilla and he failed to get back into the side afterwards.

Style: Strong, languid, a midfielder in the Sergio Busquets mould.

Quotes: “”His ability to receive the ball is something out of this world. Oriol was extraordinarily composed with the ball” - Andre Villas-Boas, September 2011

Trivia: His contract contains a €10 million buyback-clause after the first season, and a €15 million buyback-clause after the second, though Chelsea have disputed that claim.