Save for a frustrating spell in November, Barcelona have been going all guns this season, but there have been exceptions to the rule with Hansi Flick’s free-scoring side. Frenkie de Jong and Ansu Fati have struggled, both with injury issues in the background, and Fermin Lopez has not kicked on as had been hoped either.
Lopez was named the Player of the Tournament at the Paris Olympics, but suffered a hamstring injury in early September which kept him out for a month. Since, he has played 13 games, but scoring once and assisting twice in the Champions League. Albeit in just 308 minutes, he is yet to make his mark on the scoresheet in La Liga.
During an MD column, Xavier Bosch has advised Fermin not to let the pressure get to him, seeing his frustration during recent missed chances. Equally, Bosch notes that despite the return of Gavi, and the signing of Dani Olmo, he will have sufficient opportunities. Perhaps the most notable part of the article though is that he asks manager Hansi Flick ‘stop Fermin leaving in the winter so that Barcelona can make money’, just as Xavi Hernandez prevented his exit two summers ago.
Ronald Araújo most likely won't feature until after the Borussia Dortmund game. @tjuanmarti
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 5, 2024
It should be noted there has been no other talk of Barcelona selling Lopez any time soon, and he has recently extended his contract until 2029, but it is an eyebrow-raising sentence from an experienced Barcelona-based journalist. Particularly in light of Barcelona’s ongoing financial issues, as they struggle to find a way to register Olmo.
This domestic season, FBRef say that his shots per game stats are down by 0.52, and his shots on target per game are down by 0.9. In addition, his shot-creating actions have reduced from 2.61 per game to 0.88. Equally, it is worth noting that his lack of goals come from an expected goals figure of just 0.21.