Why Aston Villa should let Everton sign Barcelona wonderkid

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 26 Mar 2024 18:44 GMT
• 4 min read

Aston Villa and Everton are both interested in signing Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez, according to reports in Spain.

Fermin, 20, has emerged onto the senior stage at Barca this campaign, making 31 first-team appearances and netting six goals.

He remains a squad player under Xavi, with several midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order, and Fermin is now being chased by both Villa and Everton, as per Sport.

READ MORE: Who is Fermin Lopez? Barcelona's new midfield wonderkid

Sport’s report also states that Fermin is happy at Barcelona and will not push to leave the club, but with the Spanish giants in the midst of a financial crisis, it’s feasible to imagine he could be sold this summer.

With this in mind, Aston Villa and Everton are both reportedly pursuing a move for the young Spaniard.

READ MORE: Jack Grealish to Aston Villa - Why DREAM return is on the cards

Aston Villa don’t need Fermin Lopez

It may seem foolish to suggest that Villa should pass up the opportunity to sign Fermin given he has played a fairly significant role in Barcelona’s first-team this season and looks to be a future star, but they simply don’t need him.

Data analytics experts SciSports believe that Fermin shares a 95% similarity in his play style to Aston Villa’s Aaron Ramsey and there is little proof to suggest the Spaniard is a vastly superior player than the current Villa star right now.

Despite being a central midfielder at Barcelona, Fermin’s attacking tendencies mean he only naturally fits as a wide midfielder in Unai Emery’s 4-4-2 system and there is already significant depth in that area of the pitch.

Ramsey, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Nicolo Zaniolo (currently on loan), Morgan Rogers, Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey have all played as wide midfielders this season, while Emiliano Buendia hasn’t featured at all due to an ACL injury.

Villa’s main focus in the transfer market should be a defensive midfielder if Douglas Luiz departs and Fermin certainly isn’t a necessary signing.

On the other hand, the Spaniard could play a key role at Goodison Park. Everton have endured a poor return on investment from their recent Barcelona signings (Andre Gomes and Yerry Mina), but Abdoulaye Doucoure is now 31 years old and Fermin also possesses an eye for goal just like the Mali international.

A move to Everton is probably not something that Fermin would entertain given he is making regular appearances for Barcelona, but it certainly makes more sense than joining Aston Villa.