Oriol Romeu Extends Chelsea Stay by Signing Contract Extension

Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu has signed a new three-year contract that ties him down to the Blues till the summer of 2017.

The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at Valencia and his previous contract with the west London club was due to expire next year. The Spanish club were reportedly keen on acquiring the Spaniard's services, for which he featured 13 times in La Liga last season.

The statement on Chelsea's official website read, "Oriol Romeu has today (Thursday) signed a new three-year contract, keeping him at Stamford Bridge until 2017."

Romeu first arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2011 from Barcelona and went on to make 33 appearances in all competitions in the subsequent seasons at Chelsea. In December 2012, he suffered a knee injury which ruled him out for the rest of the 2012-13 campaign.

The Barcelona academy product returned to England this summer and played in the pre-season friendly match against Wycombe Wanderers, helping Jose Mourinho's side win 5-0 last Wednesday.

"The manager told me I was going to play for that long. He asked me if I was ready so I knew I was going to play 70 minutes. I felt good, I was tired at the end of the game but that's normal after a long summer and a big rest," Romeu said after the match.

"When you come back to play it's difficult but we played well, it was a good victory. We scored five goals and didn't concede any so that's the main thing and we have to carry on. Even if it's a friendly game you have to take it seriously, as if it's for real, and that's what we did."

It remains to be seen how the Portuguese tactician manages to give Romeu some regular playing time next season, given the availability or Ramires, Marco van Ginkel, Nemanja Matic and John Obi Mikel on his roster.

Nevertheless, Romeu was happy to don the Chelsea colours once again and will undoubtedly be hoping to become a first-team regular in Mourinho's lineup.

"It's good to be back, to see my team-mates and spend some time with them. I just want to train as hard as I can, play as much as I can and do my best. That's my philosophy and that's how I want to do it," the Barcelona academy product added.

"I learned a lot, I played 16 or 17 games so it was good in the end. I'm here now to look to the future, the past is gone, I have to fight and we'll see what happens. The staff are happy with me, I'm training well and doing what I have to do, I have to keep going like this."