How did Chelsea miss this?! Blues baulked at €50m for Fermin Lopez as Barcelona star emerges as a Lampard-like goalscoring midfielder

The comparisons between Lopez and Chelsea legend Lampard are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Much like the Blues’ all-time leading scorer, Lopez possesses a unique knack for timing his runs into the penalty area and finding the back of the net from midfield positions.

European journalist Andy Brassell highlighted this specific trait during his analysis of the player’s development. “He does that Lampard thing of getting into the box late. If you think of all those other players that can do that, and have been able to do that over the years, he’s got superior technical ability to any of them.”

“He’s just a phenomenal footballer and really underrated,” Hatchard said. “I think if you ask most people to name a load of Barcelona stars, he wouldn’t be that high on that list. But I think he’s getting better and better all the time, and he’s a player that I think… not Lamine levels, but I think he’s a top, top player.”