Fermin Lopez Supports Deco's No. 9 Decision After Elche Win

Fermin Lopez walked off the pitch exhausted, but satisfied. Barcelona had just torn Elche apart 5-0 in the second round of the 2026/27 La Liga season, and the scoreline matched the mood in the dressing room.

“We finished the match feeling good,” he reflected, pleased with how the team converted dominance into goals. The attacks flowed, the execution clicked, and the performance looked every bit like a side intent on setting the tone early in the campaign. For Lopez, the message now is simple: keep going exactly like this.

The No. 9 debate, though, refuses to go away.

As questions swirl around whether Barcelona need to bring in a new centre-forward, Lopez chose not to step into the role of amateur sporting director. Asked about the possibility of signing a new No. 9, he pushed the responsibility firmly where it belongs — upstairs.

Deco, Barcelona’s sporting director, will “do what is best for the club,” Lopez insisted, making it clear the squad trusts the decision-makers. He highlighted the options already inside the dressing room and underlined that transfer calls are not for the players to make.

His stance drew a clear line: the footballers focus on the pitch, the hierarchy handles the market. Any potential move for a striker, Lopez suggested, will be judged by those “responsible at the club,” while he stressed that Barcelona already have solutions within the current group.

Behind the confident words, there is also a personal battle.

Lopez admitted he ended the Elche game exhausted and still needs to build up his match rhythm. A gruelling summer has taken its toll, and he did not hide that it has been “very tough” for him physically. That honesty, though, came with a familiar refrain from inside the Barcelona camp: the only answer is work.

The scoreline against Elche showed what this team can produce when it clicks. Whether Deco adds a new No. 9 or not, Lopez’s message stayed anchored in the same place — keep pushing, keep improving, and let the rest be decided in the offices, not on the microphones.