Fermín López Welcomes Central Role in Barcelona’s Attack

Fermín López has told Ara that he is willing to play as a false nine for Barcelona. He said he had already played the position in the club’s lower categories and sees it as similar to his preferred role as an attacking midfielder.

The question of goals

Barcelona’s forward options were a subject of discussion after the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. Asked who would score the goals, Fermín said he did not know for certain, but pointed to Anthony Gordon’s ability to play through the middle and named himself, Dani Olmo and Raphinha among players who can contribute goals.

Fermín said he understood Ferran Torres’ move to Paris Saint-Germain as a personal decision, while describing his former teammate’s departure as a shame. He said he had sent Torres a message to say goodbye rather than trying to persuade him to stay.

Fermín’s false-nine option

Fermín said he can adapt to the false-nine role because of his experience in Barça’s academy. While he also said he can play on the left wing, he identified attacking midfield as the position in which he feels he can show his best version.

Views on Barcelona’s options

On Julián Álvarez, Fermín praised the Atlético Madrid forward and said he would fit Barcelona’s style of play, while noting that Álvarez is an Atlético player and that he could not offer further detail.

He also welcomed the arrivals of Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, describing them as profiles Barcelona did not previously have. Fermín praised Rodri as a great player and said the midfielder would bring a lot to the team.

Working with Flick

Fermín credited Hansi Flick with helping his development both personally and on the pitch over the past two years. He said Flick has encouraged him to break into space, get into the box, shoot, make the final pass and move on quickly from mistakes during matches.

His willingness to operate centrally gives Barcelona another option in attack, while he continues to regard attacking midfield as his strongest position.