‘He Was Happy’—Lamine Yamal Weighs in on Failed Barcelona Transfers

Lamine Yamal denied accusations that he had an influence over Barcelona’s pursuit of Nico Williams and stressed that Fermín López was always “happy” to remain in Catalonia despite reported interest from Chelsea.

Barcelona have been deliberately frugal this summer. The reigning La Liga champions only spent money on one senior player, bringing in goalkeeper Joan García from Espanyol for €25 million ($29.1 million). Roony Bardghji arrived for a nominal fee and had to be registered as a reserve team player to avoid breaching the division’s financial regulations.

Marcus Rashford notably also arrived on loan, but only after a move for Nico Williams collapsed. Yamal formed a strong on-pitch relationship with his Spain international teammate and had been billed as firmly in favor of a pursuit for his compatriot. It has also been alleged that the team’s attacking lynchpin already had a say in the club’s transfer strategy, a claim which Yamal was keen to quash.

“I’m too young to tell anyone what to do,” the 18-year-old laughed off to TVE.

Nico Williams (left) and Lamine Yamal. — Nico Williams (left) reportedly came close to signing for Lamine Yamal’s Barcelona. | ANP via Getty Images

There were conflicting reports regarding Yamal’s opinion on Fermín’s decision to snub a move to Chelsea on Deadline Day. The teenager sought to set the record straight with a blunt appraisal: “We’re a young and united team. I don’t think anyone wants to leave. He wanted to stay. He was happy.”

Yamal’s Barcelona teammate Dani Olmo was even more enthused by Fermín’s stay. “We celebrate it,” he told Catalan radio show Tot Costa. “He’s a very important player for the group, who gives and has given us a lot, and I’m sure he’ll do so this year as well.”

Broadening his scope beyond the Spanish playmaker, Olmo struck a positive tone when assessing the strength of Barcelona’s finalized roster this season despite the blow of Iñigo Martínez’s unexpected sale to Al Nassr. “It’s a competitive squad,” he noted.

“We’ve had a significant loss like Iñigo’s, but some good signings have arrived. It’s a world-class squad capable of competing for everything. The Champions League? We have to take it slow; it hasn’t even started yet. We had a good campaign last season, but we can’t live off it. These are new challenges, new teams, but we have the squad to go all out.”