Oriol Romeu has had to bide his time for much of his career, but the former Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder is finally shining under Claude Puel at Southampton. Nick Wright charts his rise with the help of the man who brought him through the youth ranks at La Masia. Even the most optimistic Southampton supporters could have been forgiven for feeling nervous when the transfer window shut without the arrival of a Victor Wanyama replacement. His departure to Tottenham had left a huge hole at the base of their midfield, and a winless start to the Premier League season only added to the anxiety.As it turns out, they need not have worried. Southampton have made a habit of reinvention, and this year Oriol Romeu has been the biggest success story. The 25-year-old Spaniard started fewer than half of the Saints Premier League games in his first campaign on the south coast, but he has stepped into Wanyamas shoes and made an impressive impact this season. Southampton are looking up again. Romeu has played every minute of their five-game unbeaten run, and on Sunday in front of Pep Guardiola, the manager who gave him his debut at Barcelona back in 2010, he produced a man-of-the-match performance as Southampton claimed a 1-1 draw at Manchester City. Romeu successfully screened Southamptons back four against Man City Romeu might have lined up for the other side had things worked out differently, but this weekend he will be eager to impress more familiar faces when Southampton face his old club Chelsea. Its another stern test for Claude Puels side, and for Romeu its another reminder of a long, frustrating journey that began on the training pitches of La Masia.He came to us from Espanyols academy when he was 13, former Barcelona youth coach Pedro Abraham tells Sky Sports. The first year was difficult for him. He found it difficult to be an important player, but gradually he became indispensable. He was very intelligent and very serious. That was important for his development. He improved every year.In a youth team that included attacking talents such as Thiago Alcantara and Cristian Tello, Romeu was the no-frills midfielder who held it all together. He did the dirty work, as Abraham calls it. El trabajo sucio. It was a very good generation, says Abraham. Oriol played as the pivote in front of Marc Bartra and Martin Montoya, with Thiago further forwards. Romeu (37) made his Barcelona debut in the Spanish Super Cup in 2010 Thiago was the rising star - He had it all, recalls Abraham - but Romeu quietly carved out a reputation of his own. He was quite slow and didnt have an explosive turn of pace, but he knew how to use his body very well, says Abraham. He knew how to anticipate the play so you didnt see his lack of pace. By the time he was 15 or 16, you could see he was going to make it at the top level.Romeu spent two years with Abraham before becoming a key player in Luis Enriques Barcelona B, and it looked like he was destined for the first-team when Guardiola thrust him into the starting lineup for a Spanish Super Cup clash with Sevilla. Romeu acquitted himself well, but Barcelona had signed Javier Mascherano that summer. The youngster slipped down the pecking order before accepting an offer from Chelsea in 2011.Andre Villas-Boas said Romeu had a brilliant future when he was unveiled at Stamford Bridge alongside Romelu Lukaku. He soon broke into the team, but Chelsea were in the midst of a tumultuous period. Villas-Boas was sacked in March 2012, and Romeu only made two further appearances under Roberto Di Matteo that season. Romeu made 24 appearances in his first season at Chelsea Romeus prospects looked brighter when Rafa Benitez took over from Di Matteo, but a cruciate knee ligament injury in December 2012 was the next roadblock. The midfielder was ruled out for the rest of the season, and when he returned to fitness, Benitez had been replaced by Jose Mourinho and Romeu was sent on loan to Valencia.His progress was hampered by more injuries on his return to Spain, and there was further misfortune when he moved to Stuttgart for the 2014/15 campaign. The Bundesliga side sacked their manager Armin Veh after just three months, and Romeu spent the season battling against relegation in an unfamiliar environment. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. It was not easy. Between signing for Chelsea in 2011 and returning from his loan spell in Germany in 2015, Romeu had played under eight different managers in three different countries. It is only now, a year after making his permanent £5m switch to St Marys, that he has finally found stability. It is only now that he is finally fulfilling his potential.He needed that, says Abraham, who is now a coach for Marbella FC in the Spanish third tier. Its like when he came to Barcelona. He needed continuity and he needed to feel important. It was difficult for him at Chelsea after Villas-Boas left, but hes an intelligent boy and hes humble. He kept working and working and working and he has made the most of his opportunity. Romeu in action for Southampton in their goalless draw with Leicester Romeu has been one of the Premier Leagues best ball-winning midfielders this season. Danny Drinkwater, NGolo Kante and Jordan Henderson are the only outfield players to have recovered possession more times (76), and the Spaniard made more tackles against Manchester City (eight) than any other Southampton player has managed in a single game all season.Other areas of his game still need work, but Romeu is getting better with the ball, too. His passing accuracy has improved in each of the last three seasons, and Puel insisted he should be in contention for his first senior Spain call-up after he was named Southamptons player of the month for September. His work in every game is very important to the team, he said. Oriol Romeus passing stats Season Team Passing accuracy 2014/15 Stuttgart 83% 2015/16 Southampton 85% 2016/17 Southampton 89% Abraham has been similarly impressed. Romeu was seen as a possible heir to Sergio Busquets as a teenager, and his former coach still sees the similarities. Ok, hes not Iniesta or Xavi, he says. He is more physical than your typical Barcelona player, but for me he has a similar profile to Busquets. He is a bit stronger and not as technical, but he would have fought for that position. He gives a lot of balance to the team.Hes certainly striking the right balance for Southampton this season. Its been a long road for Romeu, but he has offset Wanyamas departure and the Saints are feeling the benefits. We are seeing that he can be a fundamental player for his team, says Abraham. Now he has many years ahead of him to keep improving. Southampton will be hoping it continues against Chelsea on Sunday.You can watch Premier League and EFL Cup football, plus Englands tour of Bangladesh and the Mexican Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy six months at half price! Also See: Man City v Southampton highlights Shaqiri tops power rankings Cheap Sneakers Australia Free Shipping . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. 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The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. Davis responded to his selection earlier in the day as a Western Conference All-Star with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-91 on Friday night. INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- LeBron James respected Phil Jacksons unmatched coaching accomplishments. That affection has vanished.Ive got nothing for him, James said Tuesday.James fired back at the 11-time coaching champion and current New York Knicks president for using the word posse in a recent interview to describe the NBA megastars business associates. James said he lost all respect for Jackson and his comments underline a larger societal issue for young African-Americans trying to succeed in business.In the interview, Jackson, 71, said James has always demanded preferential treatment and called his departure from Miami as a free agent a slap in the face to the Heat organization. Jackson recalled a time when James asked for the team to stay over in Cleveland while on a road trip, a request that put coach Erik Spoelstra in a bind.You cant hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland, Jackson said in the ESPN interview .The word posse struck a chord with James, who has surrounded himself with childhood friends during his career.Jacksons language also touched a flash point at a time of heightened racial tension in the country.We see the success that we have, but then there is always someone that lets you know how far we still have to go as African-Americans, James said Tuesday following the Cavaliers morning shootaround. I dont believe that Phil Jackson would have used that term if he was doing business with someone else and working with another team or if he was working with anybody in sports that was owning a team that wasnt African-American and had a group of guys around them that didnt agree with what they did.I dont think he would have called them a posse. But it just shows how far we have to go. But it wont stop us from doing what we need to do as a group. Ive put together a great team, Ive empowered some guys since I was a kid and weve all grown together and become one of the people that try to model after, so were not going to let Phil Jacksons comments stop us from doing what we need to do. It just gives us extra motivation. But its still sad, though, to see that people at the top always want to try to put guys in power down.James was offended by Jacksons flippant use of a term many find degrading.If you go and read the definition of what the word `posse is, its not what Ive built over my career, James said. Its not what I stand for. Its not what myy family stands for.ddddddddddddCavs coach Tyronn Lue played for Jackson and said he doesnt recall him ever being racially insensitive. Lue also has no intention of brokering any communication between his former coach and star player, and said James has never asked for any special treatment.We treat everyone the same around here, Lue said.Along with close friends Maverick Carter, Rich Paul and Randy Mims, James has built a sports business empire. Among the groups most prominent successes are landing James a lifetime contract with Nike worth nearly $1 billion and launching a film and TV production company that has partnered with Warner Bros.Carter handles James business affairs while Paul serves as his agent -- and for several other top players -- and Mims works with the Cavs. They formed LRMR marketing shortly after James turned pro, and the 31-year-old three-time champion was criticized for surrounding himself with friends.Ive tried to put my guys in position to where they can walk in a meeting and go places and they dont need me because they got to a point where theyve done their homework, James said. Theyve studied on what they want to do and they can hold a meeting without me because of the respect that they have and the knowledge they have. Thats just 12 years of hard work and dedication that we put to each other. I know Phils in a position of power in our sport, but to criticize me and my guys over that is nonsense.The Cavs play the Knicks on Dec. 7 in Madison Square Garden, a game surely to be intensified by the Jackson-James drama. James seemed hurt someone of Jacksons stature would try to demean him.It seems like when my name is involved with other people thats helped build the game, its like, `How can we criticize what he does on and off the floor? instead of trying to help me, he said.James has been outspoken on social issues and doesnt intend to stop.My whole goal is while I have this platform and this muscle that I have right now is how can I better the youth that looks at me every single day and sees what I do and sees what I say and sees the way I walk and talk and what I wear and use it as a positive way to get out of the situation theyre in, he said. Im not going to be that guy that ever downplays somebody or tries to knock someone off just to feel better about myself. ' ' '