Fermin Lopez: The unlikely hero in Xavi's ranks

Fermin Lopez is a name not many were touting to become Barcelona's next big thing. The now 20-year-old midfielder joined the Catalans' Infantil A side aged 13 after playing in Real Betis' academy before that. However, last season, he spent time on loan at Linares and everything indicated his future at Barcelona was somewhat... complicated. But fortunately, Xavi's eyes are better than most.

The coach had seen something in the youngster, prompting him to invite Fermin to the US Tour and subsequently had him train and play with the senior team in 2023/24. Now, Lopez no longer looks like a kid out of place; instead, he is a valued squad member.

But what do we know about him and how exactly can he help Xavi this season? Let's find out.

Player profile

Fermin Lopez is a 20-year-old player with a versatile profile; he can play out wide on the left side, as a central midfielder but also as a free-roaming 10 behind the frontline. Standing at 176cm (5'9'') and weighing 68kg (149lbs), Fermin is well built and is quite athletic although his upper body still needs to and likely will develop further.

In terms of his player profile, the 20-year-old has a wide array of tools in his arsenal. Looking at his statistical profile from 2022/23, we can see he's fairly complete across the board with a sharp edge to his attacking play.

Granted, he spent most of that season at Linares playing as the left-winger and a left-midfielder/number 10 hybrid so his involvement in attack reflects that role. However, even when deployed in more traditional midfield roles, Fermin commands an attacking presence, often pushing up and using his instincts, movement and ball-striking to provide the team with an output.

That can be seen in his goal contributions, shots and touches in the opposition's penalty area as the youngster not only rivals but also eclipses his peers who play in the forward line. In possession, his technical quality means he's great in tight spaces and can provide the final pass as well as progress or retain the ball. Paired with a good work rate out of possession, Fermin boasts a fairly complete profile Xavi himself could not resist.

Looking at the graphs above, we can see that the start of Fermin's career in the senior team has been different from what we were used to seeing last season. Barcelona periodically still play with a midfielder occupying the left-wing spot but the arrival of Joao Felix has changed that. Of course, Fermin is still a viable option for Xavi in that role but so far, he's been played as a right centre-midfielder with some freedom to his movement.

In 2022/23, he was mainly deployed on the left but had a great presence in the box and even in the deep areas. Now, even with a substantially smaller sample, he's already registering touches across the park, which is impressive for a player who's so new to the system and the players around him. But that freedom is a direct result of his versatility.

Let's explore it further.

Technical quality of a midfielder

Fermin is a midfielder first and foremost despite spending most of his stint on loan at Linares as part of the forward line, one way or the other. And being a La Masia midfielder before that, it does not surprise the now 20-year-old plays with a certain technical elegance in his step. However, with that being said, he is largely a final third asset whose deeper elements are yet to be fully explored; they exist and are valuable but it's the weapons he wields higher up that make him a true asset for Xavi's team.

With the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Gavi and Pedri upon his return, Barcelona are a team which shouldn't lack technical quality and progression in the first and second phases of play. What they do need, however, is the profile of an opportunistic killer higher up, akin to what Ilkay Gundogan can provide. In that sense, Fermin is the exact profile Xavi cherishes; the offensive half-space threat from the second line that can attack the box and be a threat in and around it.

Above are Fermin's passes and progressive passes from all games in 2023/24. The sample is quite small but that makes the graphs much easier to read. Playing as the right centre-midfielder, we can see that most of his passes originate in the right half-space and are either tools for recycling/retention or delivery. Fermin isn't necessarily a big volume passer and most of his balls will either be simple one-twos with his back turned to the goal or longer switches and/or dinks into the space or the box itself. This is very important because Xavi himself values this trait immensely.

“He is a talented footballer — he knows how to leak the last pass, which is what he really lacked last season,” Xavi said in the press conference following the win over Real Madrid in pre-season.

In 2022/23, Fermin recorded five assists across all competitions, which in a vacuum is not that impressive. However, there is potential for more. Much more. We can surmise as much from his shot assist and progressive passes graphs from 2022/23 down below.

Fermin isn't a volume progressor either, at least not through passing. Of course, volume is also dependent on the team's ability to hold possession and register a lot of passes in the first place but when it comes to progressing play, Fermin will rather run with the ball, as we'll see further down the line of this analysis. When passing the ball, however, he will largely progress with switches and mid-to-long-range deliveries.

These often originate in the half-spaces, as we can see above, but will also arise from the middle section of the pitch, meaning he deploys them from a slightly deeper area in general. Another interesting detail here is the angle of the delivery; Fermin can use both feet when shooting and passing but prefers the right foot in both cases. Starting on the left and cutting onto his right means he can open his body for a right-footed delivery more optimally.

The glimpses of what Fermin can do with the ball have already been sprinkled all over the 2023/24, albeit in small but noticeable doses. And the best thing about them is that they're not one-offs; we've seen them executed before and we're likely to see them executed again.

Take this dink against Real Madrid as an example; in the first picture we see Fermin do the exact same move in one of last season's games for Linares and then, in the second picture, he does it against Barcelona's biggest rivals. The right-footed technique is almost identical and suggests a pattern, which, in turn, suggests repeatability. And that's great news for Xavi.

Part of that repertoire, however, is the way Fermin moves and interprets space. We'll dive deeper into that in the second section of our scout report but in general, he times his runs well and is able to recognise where and how to move to best receive the pass and continue the attack. His role as the right centre-midfielder in Xavi's system can be a more expansive one but with the introduction of the double pivot, the RCM is more often pushed closer to the frontline than to the backline.

With that in mind, it doesn't surprise we're actually seeing Fermin penetrating the half-space with his runs and using his passing to link up with the forwards.

The ability to receive under pressure, control the ball and lay it off quickly is instrumental for this role and Fermin does it all. We're still waiting for his output to truly explode but with sufficient game time and more opportunities to do so, this should be just a matter of time.

However, output is not only shown in assists and chance creation...

Box presence & threat of a forward

While technical quality is the norm at La Masia and Barcelona, it's the presence Fermin provides in the higher zones that could very well define his career in Xavi's squad. This part of his profile is what makes him unique and thus, valuable. Last season, the 20-year-old scored a total of 12 goals across all competitions, signalling to his future coach in Catalonia there is much more to his profile than just technical quality.

Not only that but inspecting his shot map below, we can see Fermin has incredible instincts in the box and those instincts are best combined with movement and ball-striking.

Scoring 12 goals from 8.88 xG and 84 shots is an excellent return, yielding a slight overperformance and 0.11 xG per shot, enough to slot him in the proficient category. For comparison's sake, De Jong scored two goals from 3.35 xG and 19 shots, good enough for 0.18 xG per shot, Pedri accumulated six goals from 3.55 xG and 21 shots, good enough for 0.17 xG per shot and Gavi tallied two goals from 3.07 xG and 26 shots, good enough for 0.12 xG per shot.

Naturally, the former two had a higher xG per shot value simply because of their low attempt volume and of course, due to Pedri's overperformance by practically double. Someone like Gundogan had 0.12 xG per shot in 2022/23 with Manchester City and with a still lower volume of 48 shots so Fermin compares quite well. Generally, however, the more shots you take the lower your xG per shot value becomes. Anomalies exist but in an average situation that's how the two categories relate to one another.

But looking at Fermin's shot locations, we can see his goals generally come from high xG value attempts; this tells us he knows how to position himself to be in the right spot at the right time. Timing and movement are key here.

This is an excellent sequence from the Sevilla game in which Fermin gets into a good position but ultimately fails to score a goal. But starting with the first image, notice how he scans the positioning and movement of Sevilla's defenders; this is crucial as it's at that moment he decides where the space will be. To give the defenders a false sense of security, he also slows down his run before suddenly speeding up in the second image as soon as the rest of the defenders start focusing on Lamine Yamal to the right.

Fermin takes a position between the defenders, receives and controls the ball perfectly before turning with the first touch and attempting a finish with the second one. Sadly, the shot lacked any real power and was saved but the sequence still gives a glimpse of how his mind works in these situations. Interestingly enough, part of the reason why it failed is also the use of his left foot. In that same interview we discussed earlier in the analysis, Xavi mentioned Fermin's ambipedal nature.

"He scored a worldie with his left foot and then assisted Ferran with the right foot, so he can use both feet. He also can play in multiple roles from a winger to a central midfielder. This whole package is not easy to find. I like him a lot. He is full of personality."

While this may be true, Fermin still favours his right foot. At Linares, he played as an inverted left-winger for that very same reason; it would allow him better angles to receive and cut inside for a right-footed shot.

Take this sequence for instance; Fermin receives the ball on the left side of the pitch, proceeds to carry it until the edge of the penalty area and then cuts inside to open up his body for a right-footed attempt at goal. The angles simply suit him much better in this scenario and enable better execution. This is also where the comparisons with someone like Felix, Olmo or Grealish come from; Fermin is a left-winger who can retain possession with his technical quality but also has the output once he cuts in onto his right foot.

Interestingly, however, it's here we have to address the dribbles and carries as well. We discussed how Fermin isn't a volume pass progressor but prefers to run with the ball at his feet instead. These progressive carries and penetrating carries are essential tools in his offensive arsenal. We can see that in the graph below.

Naturally, having played on the left for so long, most of these carries originate on that side, specifically in the half-space. And it's from there Fermin will penetrate the box with one of those trademark mazy runs. Interestingly, however, he's been quite successful at playing out of pressure with progressive carries too, something akin to someone like De Jong or Gavi. But seeing Barcelona have those two to handle the deep progression, Fermin's skill set may better be utilised higher up where he can attack the penalty area.

One big point to consider here is how he operates when tightly marked. During his stay with the first team, he would occasionally struggle with players constantly on his back and that would result in a loose touch upon receiving the ball. However, he generally navigates such scenarios well; dribbling out of pressure, even against multiple opponents, is something Fermin is used to.

Naturally, as the level rises, his ability will have to improve as well. Performing these dribbles at Linares as opposed to having to do it in La Liga are two very different beasts. A certain dose of struggle is therefore expected. That being said, Fermin's dribbles are best combined with a final pass or an attempt at goal; in fact, this was often the case at Linares and it will be interesting to see how he translates that ability to the big stage playing for Barcelona.

Again, being deployed on the left side of the pitch as the LCM or a LW helped quite a bit; Fermin would receive wide and then dribble towards the outside, creating an optimal angle for a right-footed delivery into a runner teammate who's ideally attacking space.

If the final ball efficiency can indeed be replicated for the senior team, it would be an incredible asset for Xavi's squad.

Final remarks

It's quite extraordinary to see La Masia producing these talents; Fermin is somewhat of a 'late bloomer' or perhaps it took someone of Xavi's ability to recognise his true potential.

“He is hungry and has a great character — that’s very important. When I saw that in training, I realised I had to give him minutes. I trusted him and he is delivering. That’s what football is about." Xavi said in pre-season after the Real Madrid clash.

Under his tutelage, there is no doubt Fermin can accomplish a LOT. But, even though 20 is already 'old' by today's standards and expectations, the kid should still be given a chance to be just that -- a kid.

His time will come and with Xavi as his coach, there is reason to be optimistic.