ROMEU - "When I arrived, I didn't think I'd play as much as I have."

Football at the moment is about money isn't it. All we are reading and hearing about at the moment is either player salaries or the size of transfer fee's. Chelsea are now a club that is constantly linked with big money moves in EVERY transfer window as AVB looks to rejuvenate our club out of the shadows of the Mourinho era.

However, with reports that the transfer fee was around a mere £4.35m, the bargain of the season as far as Chelsea is concerned and maybe the Premier League is the signing of Oriol Romeu. OK he's 20 years old, had hardly featured in Barcelona's first team and took the opportunity to come and play here and my god has he made an impact!.

The more I see him play and especially in the flesh at games, it's becoming more and more apparent that this could be the best £4m that AVB will EVER spend here. Some people may scoff at the statement I am making but true Chelsea fans know that we have seen someone who has it all in his locker and can really make the holding "Makelele Role" his own for years to come.

You ask Chelsea fans about Mikel and the way he plays in the role and you have a divided opinion. Some people are pro-Mikel and some are the opposite. Some argue he slows the game down and others will say defensively he is solid. We all have an opinion and there is no right or wrong answer here but with Romeu it's a different story. Everyone is in agreement that this guy is the player we have been looking for.

Featured in The Guardian, Romeu has taken time to give his first in depth interview about moving here and it's a fantastic interview focusing on what he says about being here and his game.

He said:

"I needed to play more regularly and, if you are in Barcelona B and have the chance to come to Chelsea, it's better to be playing at Chelsea, It was hard to leave but it was the best option for me.

I came to Chelsea to be a part of a big team, with big players, and to learn from them all. Players who have been at the top for five or six years can teach you so much. I have learned so much already: the mentality you need to bring to training every day, even the way you carry yourself in the dressing room.

At Chelsea, the players are more physically imposing. At Barcelona, they are more technical. That's a clear difference but it's one that distinguishes Spanish from English football. Over here, football is about strength where Spanish football is slower, more precise. But I like hard football. Maybe I'm more of an English player rather than what people consider a typical "Barça player" ... That was one of the attractions coming here: that contact, the longer passes, the tackling. In Spain, they don't do that.

In Spain, when you are winning 1-0 the game feels under control. In England, that's never the case. In our last match, against Sunderland, they had a big chance to score an equaliser in the last minute. You can lose a game in the blink of an eye, with a little mistake, so you have to learn quickly.

But I'm still very young and can learn so much more. I still make a lot of errors and I can improve. So far I've looked at players in my position and tried to pick out the best aspects of their game: Busquets's short passing, or Makelele as a strong defensive shield. I've looked to bring all that to my own game but I'm adapting to a new league, a new culture. When I arrived, I didn't think I'd play as much as I have.

Having Juan and Fernando [Torres] here has helped. It can be hard if there is no one around to speak to if you're having problems adapting, so I have enjoyed that. But we are all loving London.

I am ambitious and the only way to ensure big things happen in the future is to work hard and learn now. At a club like this you are never guaranteed to be picked, so you have to impress in every training session.

It'd be a mistake to think you're always going to play because you'd relax and would lose concentration and intensity. It's the same with the team. We still believe we can achieve a lot this season. The league is long and unpredictable. Manchester United lost two games in the last few weeks, so you never know what can happen. We can close the gap to the top. You can never give up."

So added the undoubted ability he is, he also seems to have a good head on his shoulders too. I cannot underestimate just how much of a revelation he has been in the short time he has been here.

Two footed, calm and composed with the ball at his feet, loving a tackle and most importantly of all, having the natural instincts to sit in the position Makelele made his own.

Forgive me for making any kinds of bold predictions at this early stage in AVB's management at Chelsea but if we are to win silverware and become successful once again, Oriol Romeu will play a big big part that's for sure!.

KTBFFH

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