* By Football Reporter
* 12 minutes ago
* 2 min read
By Alessandro Schiavone in Prague
Slavia Praha 2-4 Barcelona
Ferociously convinced he could hold his own at Barcelona, Fermin Lopez snubbed Chelsea in the summer.
And _how_ that wise decision is proving prophetic as Lopez spearheaded Hansi Flick's Barcelona machine to a 4-2 win over Slavia Prague yesterday night.
Operating as a modern no.10 just off Robert Lewandowski in the Catalans' 4-2-3-1 system, Lopez was a really thorn in the Czech giants' side. The kind of thorn Cole Palmer, who plays in his position, hasn't been for a while now. Injured or not. And the type of player who can take a game by the scruff of the neck when the opposition sits deep. Because he sees positions and spaces few of his peers see. And has a belter of a right foot to go with it.
The Eden Arena saw an irrepressible version of Lopez yesterday night. He fired in the equalizer at the near-post before scoring a goal from range Lionel Messi will have surely have been proud.
According to reports, sacked Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca tried his utmost to convince the 22-year old Spaniard to join in late August. And there was a €15million salary to go with it.
But even that wasn't enough to convince him west London was better than the new Camp Nou. And in the end regrets are surely a one-way street.
With 10 goals in 22 games across all competitions, Lopez is heading for his best-ever season in terms of numbers.
He only needs one to match his highest-ever tally from 2023/2024.
Whatever price tag he'd have commanded, it would have been worth it.
Maybe the Blues can try to secure his signature again when he's a bit older like they did with Pedro in 2016.