FC Barcelona's plan to take advantage of the great moment of one of its 'jewels'

Fermín López's stellar performance at the Paris Olympic Games with Spain has confirmed him as one of the players with the best projection of the Barça squad. The one from El Campillo has played 43 games (1,948 minutes) last season under the orders of Xavi Hernández, adding 11 goals and 1 assist, being one of the team's best performers throughout the season. This year must be the year of his establishment in the elite, for which he needs to take a step forward as soon as he returns from his brief vacation.

Along with Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal, the 21-year-old player was the big surprise of the 23-24, exhibiting character and talent every time he took the field. Luis de la Fuente rewarded his good moment by taking him to the Euro Cup, where he was able to play a match and lift the trophy in Berlin. Later, he stood out with Santi Denia's team in Paris (he scored 6 goals in the tournament), leading La Roja towards obtaining its second Olympic gold. In that sense, Hansi Flick hopes to make the most of the youth squad's great moment, although the signing of Dani Olmo and the return of Gavi increase competition in the culé midfield.

Gündogan's departure, a key factor for Fermín's evolution

And, while Fermín was shining at the Olympics, Barça did not hesitate to go after Olmo, in addition to contemplating the signing of another pivot before the market closed. Although promoting the enormous talent of the '16' is an obligation for the 24/25, the departure of Ílkay Gündogan will be decisive for this. Without the experienced German player, Barça loses a key player in the development of the game and López, with excellent punching and scoring ability, has something to cover for the loss of the '22', even if he starts again from the bench. At least that is how it is understood from the logic of betting on the talent of La Masia instead of a footballer like Gündo, with a lot of hierarchy, but in the final stretch of his career.

For now, Flick has Pedri as the brain of the team, waiting to see where the former RB Leipzig player fits best. The return of Frenkie de Jong is also pending, another of those who will be in the eleven when he fully recovers. In any case, Fermín must be important, especially in games where punching and scoring ability are relied on to hurt the opponent, two attributes that the one from El Campillo knows how to exploit perfectly.