Anthony Gordon to Barcelona: What the English winger will bring to Hansi Flick’s side
Barcelona have splashed the cash to sign England international Anthony Gordon to bolster their attacking options for 2026/27
It was a deal that took many by surprise for many reasons, but Anthony Gordon to Barcelona had been on the cards for a while. The Catalan club have acted swiftly and look to have secured their target before the World Cup.
On Wednesday, Barcelona agreed a deal worth up to €80 million, with about €70m of that up front, for Newcastle United winger Gordon. The 25-year-old is expected in Catalonia to undergo a medical, having already agreed personal terms.
That potential fee, which equates to around £69.3m, is under the £78m that Newcastle originally wanted, but very similar to the amounts that were reported earlier this month as being sufficient to get the deal done. Barcelona sporting director Deco would likely have been aware of these figures when he met with Gordon’s agent at the beginning of May.
Barcelona moved quickly to avoid missing out again
Time was of the essence in this deal as Gordon had a number of admirers, including Liverpool and Arsenal in England. There was also serious interest from Bayern Munich and all of these clubs were initially seen as likelier destinations than Barcelona given their financial difficulties in recent years.
However, Barcelona have improved their position this year and believe they will be able to operate on a 1:1 basis, meaning that any salaries offloaded can be allocated to new registrations rather than balancing the books. That and the fact that Gordon’s salary demands are relatively low and can be amortised over a long-term deal make him an attractive option despite the fee that many have questioned the value of.
Barcelona have previously missed out on targets such as Luis Diaz and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to fellow European powerhouses Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, and so Deco was keen to avoid history repeating itself. A matter of weeks after initial discussions with the agent, the deal has been wrapped up before the competition could make any serious advances.
With the World Cup looming, that also made it even more important for the club to get their business done early and avoid waiting until after the tournament to carry out all of their squad planning. Hansi Flick knows he will have Gordon for next season before pre-season begins and he can plan accordingly.
How does Gordon fit in at Barcelona?
While some have questioned whether Gordon is a Barça calibre player, especially at this kind of fee, there are various factors that have drawn the club to him. His versatility is one: Barcelona like forwards who can drift along the forward line and fill in at any of the three positions.
Gordon’s ability to play as a no.9 is especially appealing as Barcelona expect to lose Robert Lewandowski and, while signing a striker is a priority, the ability to use Gordon or Ferran Torres there gives them some flexibility. Gordon scored 9 goals in 16 games at centre forward this season for the Magpies and, although he is seen as predominantly a left winger, that eye for goal and capacity to play centrally is a big positive on his CV.
Flick and Barcelona also highly value the Englishman’s work rate and ability to press, which is essential to how they like to play and also eases pressure on Lamine Yamal who is given a little more freedom playing off the right. Gordon’s tireless pressing is admired by the club and his physical attributes more generally make him the profile they believe could add strength and power to the forward line.
Gordon may not be a guaranteed starter at Barcelona next season but he will be expected to compete with Raphinha and perhaps Ferran Torres for minutes and if he can find some consistency that the former has lacked this season, he could well make the left wing position his own. There will certainly be minutes up for grabs given the departure of Marcus Rashford, who many had expected the club to try to retain.
Gordon himself was also keen to get this deal done ahead of the World Cup – his first – and now he can concentrate on helping his country at the tournament, with a new life in Barcelona to look forward to afterwards. Meanwhile, Blaugrana fans might just tune into England games with particular interest this summer.
