Anthony Gordon's Potential Move to Barcelona: What Awaits Him
Anthony Gordon is on the brink of the move that changes everything.
Barcelona are closing in on an €80 million (£69.3m, $93.2m) deal for the Newcastle United winger, a fee that would make him one of the headline transfers of the summer and the latest Englishman to test himself under the glare of Camp Nou. Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Liverpool circled, but Barça have moved with rare clarity and speed to get to the front of the queue.
For Gordon, the attraction is obvious. Camp Nou, La Liga, the chance to become only the third Englishman to wear the famous shirt. The expectation is that his future will be settled before he links up with England for the 2026 World Cup, allowing him to walk into that tournament as a Barcelona player rather than a subject of transfer speculation.
From No. 70 to a Barcelona classic?
Gordon’s journey can be traced through the numbers on his back.
He started as a teenager at Everton in 2017–18 with the raw, academy-issue No. 70, the kind of number that tells you a player is still fighting just to be noticed. Two seasons later he climbed to No. 42 as his role with the first team grew, a subtle but clear sign of progress.
Then came the switch in 2020–21. The digits flipped and Gordon took on No. 24 for the first half of the season at Goodison Park, before reverting to No. 42 on loan at Preston North End in the second half of that campaign. It was a period that felt transitional, a player still working out exactly who he was at senior level.
The real statement came with No. 10. That shirt, the most scrutinised at almost any club, landed on his shoulders in his final season with Everton. He carried the same iconic number to Newcastle, but not immediately. His first campaign at St James’ Park saw him wear No. 8, biding his time until Allan Saint-Maximin’s departure freed up his preferred jersey.
For England, the pattern has been far less tidy. International squads churn, tournament to tournament, camp to camp, and Gordon has bounced between No. 18, 17, 11 and 7. It’s the life of a rising player in a national team stacked with attacking options: important enough to be there, not yet entrenched in one number.
What waits for him in Catalonia
Barcelona’s dressing room offers him a different kind of choice.
The most glamorous vacancy is obvious: No. 9. Once Robert Lewandowski leaves as a free agent this summer, the shirt worn by Luis Suárez, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldo becomes available. It is the number that defines Barça centre-forwards, a strip that carries goals, pressure and history.
Yet the club’s recruitment plans complicate that picture. With Barça intent on signing a new striker, the hierarchy are expected to keep No. 9 untouched for the specialist they bring in to lead the line. That opens the door for Gordon to step into something slightly less central but still rich in meaning.
Right now, No. 12 and No. 14 are free. No. 14, of course, carries its own weight at Barcelona, and it has recent English echoes after Marcus Rashford’s loan spell in Catalonia. No. 12, more understated, has often been a home for versatile, hard-running players — a bracket Gordon knows well.
Other possibilities hinge on the summer clear-out. If Ferran Torres moves on, No. 7 comes into play, another number steeped in attacking tradition. Should Andreas Christensen depart, No. 15 opens up. João Cancelo’s loan ending will also free up No. 2, an unconventional choice for a winger but a bold statement for someone willing to break the mould.
La Liga rules keep first-team players within the 1–25 range, so there will be no return to the sprawling, academy-style numbers of his Everton debut days. Whatever he chooses, it will be a number that says: this is a mainstay, not a prospect.
The fee, the stage, the shirt – everything about this move points in one direction. Gordon is not just changing clubs; he is stepping into an era-defining role. The only question now is which number he wants to wear while he tries to make Barcelona his own.
