Fermin Lopez’s Barcelona glow up, and how the club almost lost him – twice

It seems a crazy thing to say now, but not so long ago, Fermin Lopez had no future at Barcelona.

Back in August 2022, when Fermin was 19, he was deemed not good enough for the Catalan club’s reserve side. With no space for him, he was sent on loan to third-tier Linares Deportivo.

Linares is in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, in the province of Jaen, which is famous for its olive production. In a way, that is what helped bring him back into the fold at Barcelona.

Xavi was the Barca manager at that time. Fermin had trained with the first team on occasion, but he was not a particularly highly-rated prospect at that point. He had only featured for the club’s youth sides, having joined La Masia as a 13-year-old in 2016.

But Xavi had a friend from Linares — a friend who sent him olive oil. When they spoke that autumn, a couple of months into the 2022-23 campaign, this friend of Xavi’s waxed lyrical about the young kid Linares Deportivo had on loan from Barca.

Xavi then began to follow Fermin’s progress more closely. The youngster ended up making 40 appearances for Linares that season, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists as the team finished sixth — just outside the play-off spots. Barcelona, meanwhile, were crowned La Liga champions — their first league title in four years.

Before the start of 2023-24, Xavi called up Fermin for training with the first team. Now 20, having celebrated his birthday in May, he left an impression.

He had just a year left on his contract and was attracting offers from Spanish second division teams. But Xavi said no: the club wouldn’t be selling him. Instead, he was given a spot on the pre-season tour of the United States.

In the third match of that trip came a defining moment. Fermin came off the bench against Real Madrid and scored a brilliant goal to put Barca 2-0 up, before playing in Ferran Torres for a third. Xavi — and his friend — had clearly been onto something.

Fermin made his senior competitive debut a month later, on August 27, in a 4-3 La Liga win at Villarreal. Two days later, he signed new terms on a deal that included a €400million (£348m; $476m) release clause.

By the end of that season — a disappointing one that ended with Xavi being fired — Fermin had firmly established himself as part of the rotation in Barca’s squad. He made 43 appearances, the vast majority from the bench, scoring 11 goals and making one assist. In June 2024 came his first senior international cap, and later that summer he starred for the Spain team that won Olympic Gold in Paris.

With Hansi Flick now in charge at Barcelona, Fermin’s role stayed pretty much the same over 2024-25. He was mostly used as an impact player. He provided a lot more assists than in previous years: a total of 10 in 46 matches, while also scoring eight goals.

Dani Olmo, who had just arrived from RB Leipzig, always felt like Flick’s first choice to partner Pedri in attacking midfield — even when Gavi returned from his serious knee injury. But like almost every player during the German manager’s debut campaign, Fermin still made great strides forward, improving a great deal.

This season has been his definitive glow-up. He exudes much more confidence and has star-player statistics. He already has 10 goals and 12 assists from his 29 appearances. He has started all seven of the Champions League games he was fit to play. In La Liga, he’s started more games (10) than he has played from the bench (seven).

Injuries have played some part in his getting more opportunities. Olmo, Raphinha and Pedri have all spent time on the sidelines, but so has Fermin. Another factor is Flick’s experimentation.

Fermin and Olmo celebrate a late winner at Espanyol in January (Pedro Salado/Getty Images)

Fermin generally plays as an attacking midfielder, sometimes operating as something like a false left-winger who drifts inside into central spaces. He and Olmo share a similar skill set, but bring different things to the table. Fermin brings more mobility, aggression and versatility. He is a very energetic player capable of turning a match around. Olmo brings composure, link-up play in tight spaces and a good reading of the game.

Previously, only one or the other played, but this season, Flick has fielded them together in several matches. Against Real Sociedad on January 18, Olmo started in a more advanced role on the left, with Fermin in a central attacking midfield spot.

Barcelona ended up losing 2-1, but many in the dressing room saw it as one of their best games of the season, in terms of the performance and quality of chances created (they finished with an xG of 3.68).

Fermin now has the most impressive goal contribution stats of the entire squad, averaging a goal or assist every 82 minutes. Lamine Yamal, by comparison, averages a goal contribution every 99.6 minutes. His form has led many in Barcelona to believe that he should now be the starter ahead of Olmo.

All of this for a player who might easily have left by now — and we’re not just talking about Linares. Back in August, Chelsea came in for Fermin with a €40million offer for Fermin, before ultimately deciding against pursuing a move. It would have been a steal.

Fermin and Flick, pictured in January (Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images)

On January 21, Fermin scored two goals to help Barca to a 4-2 Champions League victory over Slavia Prague, in sub-zero temperatures. A few days later, the club and the player reached an agreement to renew his contract (which was due to expire in 2029) until 2031, doubling his salary.

After that game, Flick praised the midfielder in his post-match press conference. “Lately, we’ve been talking about Fermin all the time,” he said. “Today, he’s the MVP of the match. And Chelsea wanted to sign him. It’s a good thing he didn’t leave, right?

“It was important for us that he stayed, but also for him. He lives for Barca.”