Barcelona sporting director Deco reveals why LaLiga giants chose to sign Anthony Gordon after overlooking Marcus Rashford – and explains what the team were missing last season
Deco has explained why Anthony Gordon was deemed the ‘best fit’ for Barcelona following his £70million move from Newcastle United this summer.
Gordon, who arrived joined Barcelona just weeks after representing England at the World Cup, has already made a positive start to life in Spain, chalking up five assists from four LaLiga appearances so far.
Barcelona had the option to sign Marcus Rashford for £26m following his loan spell at the Nou Camp last season, but the Catalan giants ultimately opted to sign Gordon instead, forcing the Manchester United star to return to Old Trafford ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Opening up on Barcelona’s transfer strategy during the summer transfer window, sporting director Deco explained how Gordon was signed to bring ‘energy’ to Hansi Flick’s squad after the club noticed a weakness in the side last season.
‘One of the things we saw that was difficult last year was the fact that, when we were without Raphinha, the team’s energy seemed to drop,’ Deco told Marca on Thursday.
‘We looked at many wingers, but signing players in the Premier League is almost impossible, you see the figures involved. He was the profile that best fit. The great advantage is that the players are excited to come to our project.’
Anthony Gordon was viewed as the ‘best fit’ for Barcelona this summer, according to Deco
Barcelona chief Deco signed Gordon for his ‘energy’ after spotting what the team was missing
After winning LaLiga last season, Barcelona bolstered Flick’s squad handsomely in the summer by attracting a string of high profile stars including Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Karim Adeyemi to the Nou Camp, as well as Gordon.
The £150m summer spending spree appears to have paid dividends, with Barcelona currently top of LaLiga after winning all four of their matches so far.
The Catalans also triumphed 5-1 over Feyenoord in their first Champions League outing of the campaign on Wednesday.
Despite strengthening Flick’s ranks ahead of the new campaign, Barcelona were also keen to sign Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez, but their pursuit of the Argentine ultimately proved unsuccessful.
When asked for his verdict on the Alvarez transfer saga, Deco added: ‘I don’t want to talk about it anymore. We did things right. We sent them an offer, but there was no response. There’s been more talk in the press than reality.
‘(Barcelona president Joan) Laporta has already explained that he spoke with them respectfully and clearly. And that’s it. We can’t keep going on about the same thing. It’s more about social pressure than reality.
‘Barca didn’t tell him to publicly express his desire to leave Atletico. The president of Porto wouldn’t let me go to Barca. He told me to stay for a year and then he’d let me go. I stayed, and my obsession was to play well. Luckily, in my case, I was able to go where I wanted.’
Marcus Rashford returned to Man United after Barcelona opted not to sign him permanently
Meanwhile, Rashford has quickly earned the trust of Manchester United boss Michael Carrick and reclaimed his place in the starting XI at Old Trafford.
Rashford, who left the Red Devils under acrimonious circumstances when he joined Barcelona on loan last year, started both United’s 5-2 win over Ipswich and 2-2 draw against Everton after beginning the campaign on the substitutes’ bench at Hull City.
Manchester United face off against Azerbaijan outfit Sabah in the Champions League on Thursday night, while Gordon and Barcelona take on Levante away from home in their next LaLiga test on Sunday.