Anthony Gordon is perhaps the most traditional type of English winger. He’s strong, fast, with an ability to whip a cross into the box and a work rate that goes toe-to-toe with Raphinha. He comes to Camp Nou with a hefty price tag, something that has made some fans skeptical, but there is a method to the madness. Firstly, Gordon is a younger, fitter and more intense variant of the profile Barca experimented with last season with Marcus Rashford.
Secondly, sheer pace in the final third is a trait Barcelona
have lacked. While technically breaking down an opponent is the Barcelona way, the brute force of a fast winger will solve situations when tactically things get slow. Gordon has been clocked as one of the fastest players at World Cup 2026, hitting a top speed of 37.9 km/h.
What Gordon lacks in final product compared to Rashford, he brings in energy off the ball, a trait that fits the Flick system perfectly. This signing will need time to pay off. We might see Gordon struggling with fewer touches, and the more technical nature of La Liga compared to the Premier League, but that’s what was said about Raphinha when he signed from Leeds. The good thing is that Gordon can be a real handful due to his physical nature in attack, an area where experienced Premier League forwards always stand out, especially when compared to La Liga’s more technical forwards.
Last season, Raphinha missed many important games due to injury and one thing that could not be replaced in his absence is work rate. Barca without Raphinha looked toothless without the ball, with no leader in pressing. Gordon certainly brings that profile over Rashford. Any team that wants to compete for all titles needs the ability to replicate similar profiles when squad rotation is necessary. Gordon’s work rate will be even more important when the calendar becomes dense as we move deeper into the season. This will also allow other forwards to be fresh and ready to go when the Champions League knockouts come around.
Another thing that is noticeable is that there were moments last season where, in Pedri’s absence, Barca could not progress the ball forward with conviction. Having a ball-playing goalkeeper in Joan Garcia and a forward as pacy as Gordon can help in such situations.
As seen at the World Cup, Gordon’s runs on goal kicks and other set pieces, along with a desire to put the ball in dangerous areas, have been important to England’s success. From an analysis standpoint, we will never be able to truly appreciate his quality if we simply look at goals and assists, but his ability to win the ball back and his intensity in pressing is what convinced Deco and Flick to move so swiftly to sign him.
Gordon can also play both left wing and striker, which makes rotations in the final third smoother. Raphinha has a knack of dropping into the CAM or ST position and Gordon’s versatility to cover him on the left flank will reduce the Brazilian’s responsibility and allow him more freedom in attack. This is because Raphinha will not have to think about dropping deep to cover for his full-back, and transitions won’t have to be slowed down, creating more clear cut chances on the counter.
The concern will always be the numbers and the end product. Quality without a great end product is often detrimental, as seen with a number of Barca forwards in the recent past. Gordon is a signing who will be judged harshly due to his high price tag, and he has his work cut out in proving that he is a forward worth €80 million.
Another major concern is that technically, he is not elite. Often times we see him take one touch too many, or take a heavy touch when there is no space. This could be a frustrating aspect of seeing him play, but it certainly isn’t something that should be a deal breaker. In fact, Luis Diaz for Bayern could have faced similar problems but he has had a strong season at Bayern. Hopefully we see the same thing from Gordon in the coming years.
So while it remains to be seen how exactly Gordon will fit in, it can be safely said that his signing was made with the system in mind. For Gordon, this is a new chapter in a new league, and he could be a treat to watch in Blaugrana
