People are already saying Anthony Gordon might get a new role at Barcelona, even though he’s only played 25 minutes so far.
Anthony Gordon looks like he could be the answer to a big problem at Barcelona after his La Liga debut against Elche. The 25-year-old joined Barcelona from Newcastle for a fixed fee of £69.3 million at the start of the transfer window.
He came on as a substitute in the 65th minute during the away game at Elche, replacing Lamine Yamal when the score was 2-0. Barcelona then scored three more goals and won 5-0. Gordon helped by setting up two of those goals.
Just three minutes after coming on, Gordon took the ball down the left side, ran at the Elche defense, and gave a perfect pass to Raphinha, who scored. Then, three minutes later, he cleverly beat the offside trap and passed to Fermin Lopez, who easily scored.
Gordon’s debut was impressive, and the Spanish media quickly shared their thoughts about the new signing. The outlet AS asked an interesting question after Gordon became the first player since 2000 to get two assists on a La Liga debut. They wondered if Barcelona really needs a traditional striker after seeing his impact.
At Newcastle, Gordon often played as a central striker in his last season because of injuries and other players not performing well. Though he’s mostly played on the wings throughout his career, he’s comfortable in that central role.
Barcelona recently sold Ferran Torres, who scored Spain’s World Cup-winning goal, to Paris Saint-Germain for €50 million. With Robert Lewandowski leaving for MLS and Marcus Rashford not joining permanently, Barcelona is short of a natural striker in their squad.
Against Elche, they chose Raphinha to lead the attack, and new signing Karim Adeyemi and midfielder Dani Olmo can also play up front if needed. But with their pursuit of Julian Alvarez hitting a wall due to Atletico’s refusal to sell, Barcelona might have to rely on players like Gordon to solve their striker needs as the season goes on.