Anthony Gordon has finalised his switch from Newcastle United to Barcelona, with the England international having made his first appearance for the Catalan club at the weekend.
Gordon came on in Hansi Flick’s first eleven during Saturday’s 5-2 pre-season victory over FC Basel, before making way for Hamza Abdelkarim at halftime.
The 25-year-old ended the previous campaign as Newcastle’s leading scorer with 17 goals, and the club received a substantial return on the £45m they invested when signing him from Everton in January 2023. While Barcelona declined to make the transfer fee public, the £69.3m outlay means the Magpies profited considerably on their original expenditure. Bayern Munich had also pursued Gordon among other interested parties, yet the Spanish champions secured his signature.
Despite taking to the field for his new employers, questions remain over which squad number Gordon will officially carry this term. He sported the number 17 on Saturday, though that designation is anticipated to be assigned to Xavi Espart. At St James’ Park, Gordon wore the number 10 shirt, but that particular number presently belongs to Lamine Yamal, while incoming signing Rodri has put in a request for the number 16.
Rodri arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday to seal his £65.4m transfer from Manchester City. Gordon’s camp have been given guarantees that he will be registered with La Liga in time for the campaign’s commencement. The club has been processing individual registrations rather than completing the full squad registration at once, with Gordon anticipated to be among those processed.
Gordon had previously expressed strong enthusiasm about joining Barcelona, stating at his presentation that once he knew the Spanish club were a genuine possibility, the decision was straightforward, and he had always harboured ambitions of playing there, considering it the world’s biggest institution. He remarked that representing Barcelona represented the realisation of childhood dreams, acknowledging the significant responsibility that comes with the territory while maintaining readiness for such an endeavour. He noted awareness of previous players to have carried the famous shirt and the considerable significance it holds. He also voiced excitement about featuring alongside Yamal and the rest of the squad, suggesting that surrounding oneself with high-calibre individuals raises performance levels, and that these players operate at the elite level for good reason, being among the world’s finest. He recalled the difficulty Newcastle experienced when attempting to retain possession against Barcelona during their previous encounter at St James’ Park.