How did Gordon perform at Newcastle?
Although his season has not been particularly impressive, despite what the numbers might suggest (17 goals, but nine of them from the penalty spot), the reality is that Anthony Gordon has been a key figure in Newcastle’s project since his arrival. After showing a great level at Everton, the English winger has taken a significant step forward under Eddie Howe, establishing himself as one of the team’s most influential players and playing a major role in both their Carabao Cup triumph and their two Champions League qualifications.
What type of player is Gordon?
(Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
(Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
If Barcelona have identified Anthony Gordon as a target, it is largely because of his work rate off the ball. The new Barcelona player is an extremely committed winger when it comes to pressing. In fact, this season, while playing as a centre-forward, he has frequently been seen leading Newcastle’s press. That said, he can sometimes be overaggressive. An example is the red card that he received against Liverpool in August. With the ball, Gordon is a very quick, vertical and dangerous winger, particularly when he can attack the space behind the opposition’s defence. However, when he beats his marker in a one versus one, he usually relies more on his pace than on technical ability. Furthermore, he is not especially good in tight spaces and his finishing needs to sharpen up. Nevertheless, he is a player with plenty of personality, always willing to take responsibility and attack defenders in one-v-one situations.
What role will Gordon play at Barcelona?
(Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images)
(Photo by Bradley Collyer/PA Images via Getty Images)
PA Images via Getty Images
Gordon is naturally a left winger, although this season the former Newcastle player has played in a surprisingly high number of matches as a centre-forward. His primary role, however, would be to strengthen the left flank, with the freedom to cut inside onto his stronger foot. Can he play as a number nine? Yes, but doing so would limit his strengths. It’s also worth saying that he is capable of playing on the right wing, although it has been quite some time since we’ve seen him in that position.
Although he has played a lot of minutes as a centre forward this season, Gordon will not play there unless it’s an emergency. As we have said, he doesn’t feel too comfortable in small spaces, a context he will have to face often as a Barça ‘9’. Initially, therefore, he will play a large part of the minutes as a left winger. What remains to be seen is what role he will have under Hansi Flick. Primarily, he comes to give rest to Raphinha, who has been very limited by injuries this season. It is also not ruled out that he could end up winning the position over the Brazilian. Another option could be to see Raphinha occupying the right wing, while Lamine Yamal, as he has done on occasion in this 25/26, could appear in more interior area
Why have Barca paid so much for Gordon?
(Photo by Adria Puig/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(Photo by Adria Puig/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Nobody doubts Gordon’s quality, but the transfer fee is what has generated the most debate about his signing. Modern football seasons are becoming increasingly demanding, with an ever more congested fixture schedule. Barcelona, for example, have played 57 matches during the 2025/26 season and, when international fixtures are included, some of their players could easily reach 75 appearances in a single campaign.
This workload helps explain a growing trend among Europe’s elite clubs: investing heavily not only in starting players but also in squad depth, ensuring the team remains competitive when injuries occur or rotation becomes necessary. The €75 million spent by Manchester City on Omar Marmoush and the €69 million paid by Arsenal for Eberechi Eze are clear examples of this. Nowadays, competing for every major trophy requires much more than just a strong starting XI; it demands a deep and high-quality squad.
That being said, this transfer also has to be viewed in the context of the inflated Premier League market, where almost any player, especially an English one, commands a significant fee. To put things into perspective, across both the summer and winter transfer windows, Premier League clubs signed 152 different players, per Transfermarkt. Of those, only 33 (nine of them goalkeepers) cost less than €10 million, just 22%. Another statistic is that, of the 14 most expensive transfers completed since the pandemic, when the Premier League truly began to dominate the market (2020/21–2025/26), 11 were made by Premier League clubs, while only two involved players leaving England (Harry Kane and Jhon Durán).
What impact is Gordon having at World Cup 2026?
(Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
(Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
PA Images via Getty Images
Many Barça fans likely used this World Cup as an opportunity to get a closer look at Anthony Gordon, but they have probably come away underwhelmed. The club’s new signing has yet to make the expected impact, struggling to influence games and often going unnoticed. In England’s third group-stage match against Panama, Thomas Tuchel even opted to start Marcus Rashford ahead of him.
It’s normal for the signing of Gordon to generate some controversy among Barça fans. €80 million was paid for a player who wasn’t on the radar of Barça fans and who has no La Liga experience. However, he has certain virtues that could make him a very important piece for Hansi Flick, such as verticality and commitment without the ball. It is a profile that in certain aspects is similar to Raphinha, although in others it is quite different.
The price? Only time will tell whether Barça got it right or not. It seems right now the club may have overpaid for his services, but, at the same time, we are reaching a point where the transfer market is so inflated that it is very difficult to sign a player for his real price or less.
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