The more information that comes out about Bayern Munich’s failed pursuit of Anthony Gordon, the worse the Bavarians start to look.
Bayern Munich was in the lead for months on Gordon, but fell victim to a late rush from FC Barcelona, who secured a deal for the Newcastle United attacker. In a report from Bild (via Sport as captured by Barca Universal), it was revealed that Barca used president Joan Laporta and head coach Hansi Flick to convince Gordon to make the jump to Catalonia instead of Bayern Munich or Liverpool:
Barcelona have made the first major coup of the new season by reaching an agreement to sign Anthony Gordon. The highly-rated Newcastle United winger is set to join the Blaugrana camp in a five-year contract worth around €70 million, which could reach up to €80 million if add-ons are met.
Acquiring Gordon’s services was not easy, as Barcelona had to fend off competition from Bayern Munich and Liverpool. According to BILD (h/t SPORT), Joan Laporta played a crucial role in helping Barcelona beat the likes of Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the race to sign Gordon.
The president-elect at Barça spoke directly to Gordon, convincing him of the club’s plans and project, and how he fits into the scheme of things. This played a crucial role in convincing Gordon. Not to mention, the Englishman also spoke to Hansi Flick, who had a key impact in the deal as well. All of these factors favoured Barcelona as they were able to advance fast and beat Bayern Munich to the chase, even though the Bavarians had been pursuing Gordon for a longer period.
The hands-on approach appeared to have worked with Gordon and Flick’s ability to induce great production from the wing position likely did not hurt either. However, the most concerning part of the report was that Bayern Munich did not take Barca seriously as a contender for Gordon — and that dismissal probably cost the Bavarians in a big way:
The report adds that Bayern Munich thought Barcelona were ‘bluffing’ at first with their interest in Anthony Gordon. Bayern’s own deal with the Englishman was moving slowly. The German giants had offered a deal, which was far too low and the talks, therefore, moved extremely slowly. When Barcelona entered, neither Bayern nor Liverpool were all too bothered. But after the Catalans were able to move swiftly by holding direct talks, they soon realised the Spanish giants were not bluffing.
If true, this is a bad look for Bayern Munich.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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