Xavi ready to permanently promote breakthrough Barcelona midfielder to first team

According to a report from Javi Miguel of AS, Barcelona youngster Fermin Lopez is a first-team player for all intents and purposes and will no longer be involved with the Barça Atletic setup.

Indeed, as per the report, reserve team manager Rafa Marquez can forget about Fermin because Xavi has decided that the young midfielder will stay in the dynamic of the first team permanently.

The midfielder took advantage of his absence from the first-team squad to help Barça Atletic whenever possible.

However, his excellent performance under Xavi’s orders has made him a first-team player, which was confirmed this past week with his contract renewal until 2027 being formally signed.

A breakthrough season for Fermin

It all started with a strong pre-season for Fermin under Xavi’s guidance, with the 20-year-old even scoring a spectacular goal in the friendly against Real Madrid in the USA.

Since then, the La Masia graduate has remained in the first-team dynamics, while also going down to play for the subsidiary team whenever time and opportunity arose.

However, recent weeks have seen Fermin’s stock rise within the senior setup, especially with his performances against Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid last weekend.

And now, Fermin is a first-team player for all intents and purposes. The imminent return from injuries of both Pedri and Frenkie de Jong is unlikely to impact his position in the manager’s plans.

Xavi has already met with him to explain that he will no longer be playing for the reserve team and that the staff considers him to be a first-team player, with the same status fellow as breakout prospect Lamine Yamal.

Fermin knocking on the national team doors

In fact, Fermin’s performances with the Barcelona first team have not gone unnoticed by the Spanish national team manager, Luis de la Fuente, who could call him up in the next international break.

The La Roja boss was in attendance during Saturday’s Clasico and is understood to have taken note of the 20-year-old’s performance on the afternoon.

In all, Fermin has played nine times for Barcelona this season, scoring two goals and setting up one more. And, he will only continue to grow in stature from hereon.