Fermin Lopez knocks on the door of Barcelona's starting line-up

Fermin Lopez has made 91 appearances for Barcelona, but only 40 from the start. After a summer of speculation, with offers from elsewhere, including a tempting one from Chelsea that could have jeopardised his future at the Camp Nou, the man from Huelva committed to staying with the 'Blaugrana'. His sensational performance against Valencia has put him in pole position for a starting berth. With Lamine Yamal injured and Dani Olmo not at his best, he looks like Hansi Flick's best option in the starting XI.

Days earlier, against Levante, Fermin didn't play a single minute. In matchday three, he played just over half an hour against Rayo Vallecano. Against Valencia, he was in the starting line-up for the 'Cules' rout, thanks in part to the No.16's contribution. He scored two goals, the first and third, in the 6-0 thrashing of 'Los Che', providing the energy and drive that Flick always demands. He is in great form despite his quiet role in the last two campaigns at the Camp Nou.

Although not a regular starter, he has become a relevant and influential player for Barcelona under Hansi Flick. In the two seasons with the German at the helm, he is the sixth-highest goalscorer (10) and third-highest in assists (9), behind only Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, both with 23. Combining both records, he has 19 direct contributions, the same as Dani Olmo. Ferran (29), Lamine (43), Lewandowski (47) and Raphinha (60) are ahead of him.

If we filter by average per 90 minutes among players who have played at least 2,000 minutes between this season and the previous one - since Flick arrived - Fermin's record becomes even more impressive. He averages 0.41 goals every 90 minutes, even surpassing Lamine Yamal (0.37), placing him fifth in the Barcelona squad. In assists, he is third (0.37) behind the Mataro native (0.43) and Raphinha (0.42).

His attacking threat does not preclude defensive work rate. Between 2024-25 and 2025-26, he is the third-ranked player for defensive duels per match (6.38) on average per 90 minutes, behind Kounde (6.66) and Marc Casado (8.38), and sixth in average recoveries in the opponent's half (3.04), behind De Jong (4.74), Pedri (4.51), Casado (4.45), Eric Garcia (3.63) and Gerard Martin (3.11).

Highest offensive contribution (goals+assists) per 90' in the Flick era

1.17 | Ferran Torres
1.09 | Raphinha
1.06 | Lewandowski
0.81 | Dani Olmo
0.80 | Lamine Yamal
0.78 | Fermin Lopez
0.29 | Eric Garcia

*Players who have played at least 2,000 minutes under the German coach.