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FC Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon ended weeks of mounting scrutiny by scoring his first two goals for the Catalan club within a week, shifting the narrative surrounding his 80 million euro summer transfer fee, Eurosport reported.
Gordon secured his first official goal for Barcelona in the second minute of a 3-0 victory over Getafe, dribbling past defenders before a deflected shot beat the goalkeeper. He followed up that performance by scoring in a 4-1 Champions League win against Galatasaray on Wednesday, finishing off a buildup initiated by teammate Lamine Yamal. Before those strikes, the English winger had contributed five assists since arriving from Newcastle United last summer, but the absence of goals had begun to draw questions from observers.
Barcelona management chose to invest heavily in Gordon during the transfer window rather than exercise a 30 million euro option to buy Marcus Rashford, leaving the former Newcastle player carrying the club’s largest incoming price tag. Gordon acknowledged that settling into life outside England presented challenges, noting in an interview with Sport that teammate Eric Garcia aided his transition due to fluent English. “I understand a little Spanish, but when they speak very fast or between themselves, I have more trouble following them,” Gordon said.
Tactical integration proved smoother thanks to shared tactical philosophies between his former club and his current side. “The adaptation has been relatively facile because at Newcastle, we were already practicing a similar style: an intense press and an offensive game with a team that moves very high up the pitch,” Gordon stated. He added appreciation for his new surroundings, saying, “With the ball too, because I am now playing surrounded by some of the best footballers in the world. I’ve made numerous runs throughout my career that nobody saw, but now I have Pedri, who sees absolutely everything.”
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick expressed satisfaction with the forward’s contributions even prior to his recent scoring breakthrough. “For me, he was already very performing even before scoring,” Flick said after the Getafe match. “We are happy. That was seen with the selection: he was in confidence and he scored. He brings a lot: he is fast, masters the ball well, always manages to negotiate difficult balls, dribbles and creates chances.”
Gordon carried strong form into the Catalan squad following consistent performances for the England national team through the World Cup knockout stages and subsequent international windows. Despite competing for minutes alongside fellow newcomer Karim Adeyemi, Gordon maintains higher personal standards. “I waited longer than I wanted, I should have scored faster,” Gordon told Sport. “I am on a good period in terms of goals scored, I want to continue, I can do even better. I started well here but I hope for even more.”