The missing number nine, Isaac Romero - Sevilla’s quick fix who will stay for good

If you were to line all of Sevilla’s players up in order of when they played their first game in 2023-24, you’d have to go all the way down to the 34 ^th person to find Isaac Romero. If you were to line those same players up in order of their importance this season, well, that’d be a much shorter trip to find him.

It might have taken a while for Sevilla to call on Romero – they very nearly didn’t – but his arrival in the team back in January will be remembered as one of the big reasons for them avoiding disaster this season. Of course, nobody associated with the club will plan on remembering too much about 2023-24, but one of the positive spins on it will be that a player who emerged from within was one of those who most helped to steady the ship.

When the 23-year-old first appeared in January, it was tempting to think Sevilla were in their final throes of a worsening situation, and looking to a youth team player in the hope of merely sparking something . After four goals in his first five games, it was clear they’d found more than something; and by his next five, that they’d found a player who can be more than merely a temporary solution.

Romero initially came into the side in a front two, partnered by Lucas Ocampos. As the lead striker in that partnership – whether Sevilla played a clear 4-4-2 or their now habitual 5-3-2 – the brunt of the youngster’s goals came in those first five appearances with Ocampos as his closest support. That’s to say, with Romero as the lead striker, Quique Sanchez Flores immediately landed upon a box presence who could finish. It’d be tough to argue against four goals from his first 10 shots for Sevilla, and especially his finish away at Girona in just his third game.