Could Anthony Gordon be a number nine for Hansi Flick’s Barcelona?
When Anthony Gordon turned up to his Barcelona unveiling, he made clear how he’d been preparing for a move to LaLiga by speaking fluent Spanish. “As a kid, I believed I would play for Barca,” said the England international who joined the Spanish champions from Newcastle United in a transfer worth an initial €70m that could rise to €80m.
One wonders, however, if Gordon prepared to operate in the number nine position Hansi Flick has experimented using the Englishman in over the course of pre-season. Signed as a winger, Gordon’s most valuable role could be through the middle, at least until Barcelona land a new centre forward.
Robert Lewandowski is gone, joining the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer, and so too is Ferran Torres who made the €50m move to Paris Saint-Germain last week. The pair contributed a combined 37 goals in all competitions last season and so Barcelona are under pressure to replace that firepower in their squad.
Julián Alvarez is believed to be their top target. Atlético Madrid, however, have dug in their heels over their valuation of the Argentinean forward with reports claiming the capital club aren’t prepared to sell for anything less than €150m. That would make Alvarez the most expensive signing in Barca’s history.
Barcelona might need Alvarez to hand in a transfer request to force through a move. For the time being, the 26-year-old is back in training with Atleti ahead of their first league fixture of the 2026/27 season this evening. There has been no meaningful movement despite months and months of speculation.
Links have been made to Victor Osimhen, although he too would be an expensive option considering Galatasaray paid €75m for him only last year. Sporting’s Luis Suárez has more recently been mentioned as a potential target. Barcelona fans are used to seeing a player with Suárez on his shirt find the back of the net.
As things stand, though, Flick has no choice but to make do with the players he already has, leading him to experiment with Gordon as a number nine in a recent pre-season match against Basel. This might be where the Englishman makes his LaLiga debut against Elche on Sunday when Barca will start their title defence.
The role Gordon performed in Switzerland wasn’t a conventional number nine role. He was deployed in that position to lead the press from the front, which is something he has always done to a high level over the course of his career. Flick requested the signing of Gordon in no small part due to his out of possession work.
There was also a good amount of interchangeability between the forward line. While Gordon started in the central position, it was Raphinha who was pushed centrally with Gordon moved out to the left for the start of the second half. It was a fluid approach by Barcelona in the final third of the pitch.
Gordon does have some experience of playing as a number nine. In fact, he started through the middle for Newcastle against Barcelona in the Champions League last season. From there, Gordon was able to press from the front and prevent the Catalans from building out from the back.
Of course, Gordon is lacking many of the qualities generally expected of a centre forward. His hold-up play isn’t anything special. He doesn’t have the physical frame to battle against the strongest defenders, nor is he known for being much of a poacher inside the opposition penalty box.
And yet Gordon’s willingness to drive forward with the ball at his feet and his knack for arriving late in the box could make him an extremely valuable figure for a Barcelona team that has gotten faster and fiercer over the summer. Karim Adeyemi is another summer addition whose speed surely made him appealing to Flick.
Rodri is expected to complete a move to Camp Nou from Manchester City, giving Barcelona the best midfield anchor in the world. The Ballon d’Or winner will offer Barca the sort of structure and control they have lacked in each of Flick’s two seasons in charge of the Catalan club. Rodri could make a big difference.
In the forward line, though, there are big unanswered questions over the way Barcelona will line up this season. Gordon’s move there confused many in the first place, particularly with Barca paying so much for him when they could have signed Marcus Rashford permanently for half as much.
Quickly, though, Gordon could become one of Barcelona’s most important players this season, albeit in a position few would have envisaged him playing. Pre-season might have offered a hint at how Flick will get by until he is delivered a truly worthy successor to Lewandowski and Torres.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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