Barcelona Transfer News: Deco Prefers Anthony Gordon Over Marcus Rashford

Barcelona sporting director Deco is of the opinion that Anthony Gordon’s style of play was a better fit for the side that is led by Hansi Flick than Marcus Rashford as the club strengthened their squad this summer.

Rashford scored 14 goals across all tournaments while he was on loan at Barcelona last season and won the La Liga and Copa del Rey championships. Barcelona had the option of signing the Manchester United forward on a permanent basis this summer for £30.3m at the end of the 12 month loan tenure.

However, the Spanish giants decided not to extend the English international’s contract and he has since returned to Old Trafford. His England teammate Gordon and Manchester City’s midfielder Rodri were Barcelona’s two most expensive signings this summer, and Deco said the arrival of both the players at Camp Nou has addressed the important weakness in the squad.

Gordon joined the Catalan club from New Castle united in a deal that is worth £69.3m. After completing his joining formalities, Gordon said he had believed he would play for Barcelona since he was three years of age.

Speaking to the Catalan radio station RAC1 on Thursday, Deco praised Rashford for his great contributions to the side last season and explained why Barcelona ultimately preferred Gordon. He said, “We are extremely grateful for Rashford. He contributed a lot last season, but our idea of play is much more linked to Anthony Gordon’s. His style fits with what the coach is looking for.”

He further quipped, Barcelona had identified a lack of energy when Raphinha was unavailable last season and believed Gordon could address the problem. In the case of Gordon, we saw that he was one of the figures we needed. He also said that Barcelona had analysed a number of wingers before deciding on Gordon. “We had a clear idea of what we were looking for. We needed more intensity. Signing someone from the premier league is almost impossible but Flick was clear with what he wanted and we worked on a deal from there.”