Barcelona transfer news: Deco explains £70m Anthony Gordon deal despite Premier League price warning

Barcelona sporting director Deco has explained why the club were prepared to make an expensive exception for Anthony Gordon despite describing Premier League transfers as “almost impossible” because of the fees involved.

The England international joined the Catalan giants from Newcastle United for around €80m during the summer window, becoming one of Hansi Flick's major attacking additions ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Barcelona had identified the left side of their attack as an area requiring greater depth after struggling whenever Raphinha was unavailable last season.

Speaking to RAC1, Deco admitted that the Premier League market posed a major obstacle during the club's recruitment process, but Gordon's profile ultimately convinced Barcelona to push ahead with a deal.

“One of the difficulties we had last year was that, without Raphinha, the team's energy seemed to drop,” Deco said.

“We analysed many wingers, but signing players from the Premier League is almost impossible considering the fees involved.

“He was the profile that fitted best.”

Barcelona's decision to invest heavily in Gordon was therefore based on more than simply adding another high-profile attacker.

Raphinha missed a significant period through injury last season, and his absence exposed a drop in intensity that Flick and the club's recruitment department were keen to address.

Gordon's ability to attack space, carry the ball at speed and operate across several attacking positions made him a natural candidate.

The former Newcastle winger finished last season with 17 goals and five assists from 46 appearances, performances which also attracted interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

However, Barcelona ultimately won the race for the 25-year-old, with Gordon reportedly prioritising the move to Camp Nou.

His signing also fitted into a wider reshaping of Flick's forward line.

Barcelona added Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus during the same window, while their pursuit of Julian Alvarez ended without an agreement.

The departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres created further space in attack, forcing the club to rethink how goals would be distributed across the team.

Gordon's versatility appears to be central to that plan.

He can operate from either flank and is also capable of moving inside, giving Flick another option in an attack already featuring Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.

Raphinha himself has increasingly been used in more central areas, and Deco suggested that Barcelona do not feel compelled to build their system around a conventional number nine.

The sporting director pointed to the scarcity of elite strikers such as Harry Kane and Erling Haaland when explaining why Barcelona are comfortable using a more flexible attacking structure.

“Conditioning modern football around a striker also conditions the way we play,” Deco added.

“The coach has a clear idea of his style and many players in the squad can adapt to that position.

“We don't need to become obsessed with it. We are not lacking a goalscorer.”

That approach makes Gordon particularly valuable because he offers both width and penetration without tying Barcelona to a single attacking role.

His similarities with Raphinha were one of the main reasons the club viewed him as the right solution after last season's problems.

For a club still operating under significant financial constraints, paying Premier League prices was therefore not something Barcelona were prepared to do lightly.

But Deco's comments underline why Gordon was regarded as an exception: Barcelona were not simply buying another winger, they were trying to protect one of the key characteristics of Flick's team — its attacking energy.

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