Fermín López backs himself as false nine to fill Barcelona's goalscoring void

Fermín López has declared himself ready to operate as a false nine for Barcelona, offering Hansi Flick a central attacking option after the club lost Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres ahead of the new season. The 22-year-old told Catalan outlet Ara that he had already played the role in Barça’s academy and considers it close enough to his preferred attacking-midfield position to make the transition natural.

Filling the goalscoring void

Asked directly who would replace the goals lost with Lewandowski and Torres, Fermín admitted he could not say for certain but pointed to several candidates. He named himself, Dani Olmo and Raphinha as players capable of contributing from deeper positions, and highlighted Anthony Gordon’s ability to play through the middle as another potential source.

On Torres’ departure to Paris Saint-Germain, Fermín said he understood it as a personal decision and described losing his former teammate as a shame. Rather than trying to talk Torres out of leaving, he said he simply sent him a message to say goodbye.

New arrivals and Julián Álvarez

Fermín welcomed the signings of Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, arguing they bring profiles Barcelona did not previously have in their squad. He also praised Rodri, saying the midfielder would add a great deal to the team.

On the subject of Julián Álvarez, Fermín was careful with his words. He praised the Atlético Madrid forward and said he would suit Barcelona’s style of play, but stressed that Álvarez is an Atlético player and that he was not in a position to say more.

Flick’s influence

Fermín credited Flick with driving his development over the past two seasons, both as a player and personally. He said the German coach has pushed him to make runs in behind, get into the penalty area, shoot, deliver the final pass and move on quickly from errors during matches — habits that have sharpened his output in the final third.

Despite his openness to playing centrally, Fermín was clear that attacking midfield remains the position where he believes he can perform at his highest level.