THERE is nothing like the threat of a new signing in your position to get a player fired up.
Oriol Romeu will be well aware that Southampton have been looking for an upgrade at holding midfield all summer long since selling Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
A stunning volley from Oriol Romeu wrapped up the points for SouthamptonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And last night their search finally ended with the £12.7million signing of French whizkid Ibrahima Diallo.
But model pro Romeu is not just going to let the 21-year-old waltz in and take his starting spot just like that.
Not if his performance here was anything to go by.
The Spaniard was a rock in front of his defence – and then scored his first goal since February 2019 with a stunning volley Danny Ings would have been proud of.
It followed an excellent opener from another player with something to prove in Moussa Djenepo.
Saints are still in the market for two signings on deadline day – most likely loans.
But boss Ralph Hasenhuttl was very pleased with the work of his two goal-scorers, particularly Romeu – even if they both are unlikely to figure in his ideal first-choice XI.
The Austrian said: “I’ve never seen a professional like Romeu before in my entire managing career.
Moussa Djenepo stayed cool under pressure to find the bottom cornerCredit: Simon Dael NMC Pool
Romeu flew to meet a Stuart Armstrong cross on the volleyCredit: Jamie McPhilimey /NMC Pool
“He’s one of the most professional guys I’ve ever seen, always the first on the pitch, always hard working. For this, they love him here.
“He sometimes is under the radar because he makes the work that nobody wants to do.
“He’s had a moment where he can score and scores like today, it’s unbelievable for him.”
The score was two but it could have been far more as West Brom again looked short of Premier League quality.
Matheus Pereira showed decent technique from set-pieces but his team-mates failed to capitalise on them and after that, there was little other threat from the visitors.
Sam Johnstone held back the tide for most of the first half.
His first intervention came when he repelled Ryan Bertrand’s blast inside four minutes.
The ex-Manchester United stopper then pulled off a fine double-stop to spare Semi Ajayi’s blushes before denying Che Adams on the rebound.
The best of the lot came when he brilliantly turned Ings’ header from James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick round the post.
But there was nothing he could do to prevent Djenepo’s strike from finding the net with three minutes to go to the break.
The Malian pulled off a delightful Cruyff turn to fool both Jake Livermore and Dara O’Shea before burying a left-footed shot into the corner.
Djenepo made an electric start to his Saints’ career after signing for £14million last summer, scoring twice in his first four games.
But he had not netted again since then until today, with a mixture of injury and a red card just before lockdown hindering his progress.
West Brom continue their winless start to life back in the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty Images – Getty
He came off shortly after the break here too after picking up a yellow card but will have been delighted with his contribution.
Now Hasenhuttl will be expecting the 22-year-old to kick on having had just over a year to get up to speed with the Premier League.
Then came the moment of the match, supplied by the most unlikely of sources in Romeu.
Stuart Armstrong clipped a high ball across from the left and the Spaniard connected with it perfectly to crash the ball past Johnstone from just inside the box.
It was only the ex-Chelsea ace’s eighth ever goal in a career spanning 290 appearances.
But the quality of the pure strike made it worth waiting for – and perfect timing too with Diallo’s arrival.
As for Slaven Bilic’s side, it is looking like a long season ahead after four straight defeats.
Funds are tight too meaning the Croat cannot rely on a silver bullet in the transfer market.
Though a pursuit of Huddersfield’s Karlan Grant can continue beyond Monday’s deadline as it would be a domestic signing.
Bilic said: “The way we approached the game, the way we were lacking aggression and the proper mentality in the first half was really disappointing.
“It’s obvious that we need some quality to boost our squad and I expect that to happen.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
