THE opportunity to play football in England was too good to miss for Oxford United’s newest signing.

Xemi, whose full name is Josep Miquel Fernández Codina, signed a three-year contract yesterday after helping Barcelona B win promotion to Spain’s second division.

Having been released, the 22-year-old midfielder was looking for a move to another club at the same level.

But new U’s boss Pep Clotet, who has strong contacts in Catalonia, acted quickly.

And while the deal was arranged in a matter of days, Xemi has been a fan of English football since he was a child.

He said: “My favourite players were always (Steven) Gerrard and (Frank) Lampard.

“I always liked English football, so it’s a dream come true to be here.

“It has happened so fast and I’m really happy to be here.

“I didn’t need to think about it because I had good references from Pep.

“He told me about the project and what he wants to do here. I was really interested and I always wanted to come to England and live here.”

It is a big change for a player who has spent his career close to home.

Leaving Barcelona, where he has trained alongside the likes of Lionel Messi at times, is also a challenge, but Xemi believes he will fit into the way Clotet wants to play.

He said: “I’m expecting something different. In Barcelona we played with really short passes and here I think it will be more intense and more going from one side to the other.

“I like this game, I think I will fit in better than at Barcelona.

“Since I was a kid I enjoyed this type of game more.”

It is unclear whether Xemi will make his debut tonight, when Brentford visit the Kassam Stadium.

United require international clearance to be confirmed, while Clotet may want to allow the new signing more than one training session before giving him some game time.

The arrival of a central midfielder – an area of the squad where there are already lots of options – is likely to only increase the speculation around John Lundstram.

Oxford have not commented amid reported interest from Sheffield United in the skipper, who trained as normal yesterday.