Fermin Lopez Supports Deco on Barcelona's No. 9 Decision

The scoreline said 5-0. The mood around Barcelona said something more: early-season authority, and a squad that insists it already has weapons to hurt anyone.

Fermin Lopez stepped off the pitch against Elche exhausted, but clear in his message. The performance, he felt, matched the result.

“We finished feeling good,” he reflected, satisfied with how Barcelona sliced through Elche in the second round of the 2026/27 La Liga season. The attacks flowed, the finishing was ruthless, and the rhythm looked closer to mid-season than late August. For Lopez, the takeaway was simple: keep going exactly like this. No easing off, no early complacency.

Deco’s call on the No. 9

The questions after full time quickly shifted from the five goals to one shirt number.

Will Barcelona bring in a new No. 9?

Lopez didn’t bite on any transfer drama. Instead, he pushed the responsibility straight to the club’s decision-makers and, in particular, sporting director Deco.

Asked directly about the possibility of signing a striker, Lopez backed Deco to choose the right path for Barcelona. He underlined that the squad already has options in attacking areas and made it clear this is not a debate for the dressing room to settle. The players play; Deco and the hierarchy decide.

His stance drew a line: whatever happens in the market, it will be because those in charge believe it improves the team, not because the current group feels incomplete.

Fighting for rhythm

Behind the polished team display, Lopez admitted his own body is still catching up.

He described the summer as “very tough” and confessed he ended the Elche game exhausted. Match sharpness, he knows, only comes one way: minutes, work, repetition. There was no self-congratulation in his assessment, just a recognition that he needs to keep building his rhythm as the season kicks into gear.

Barcelona, five goals to the good and two games into the league campaign, now move forward with a familiar tension hanging over them: trust the squad as it is, or add a new focal point up front.

Deco holds that answer.