Report: The inside story of how Barcelona pulled off Anthony Gordon’s signing

Report: The inside story of how Barcelona pulled off Anthony Gordon’s signing The summer transfer window was an eventful one for FC Barcelona, with Deco & co. making some major moves in the market. And it all started with the signing of Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United in late May – an operation that came as a surprise, with there being little to no noise or leaks about the transfer until very late. Now, SPORT’s Carlos Monfort has come forward with a detailed report on how Deco and Barcelona managed to sign the England international while maintaining full secrecy. Gordon’s signing was the first major example of the club’s new approach to the transfer market: working in complete silence to prevent leaks. Everyone involved in the deal followed the same principle from the beginning. There could be no information escaping before the right moment. Gordon’s representatives, Will Salthouse and Adam Dugdale, understood that immediately. Rather than seeing the demand for confidentiality as a sign that talks were going nowhere, they recognised it as evidence that Barça’s interest was serious. Deco’s London trip: The first major step On 21 April, Deco travelled to London. Several attacking options were discussed during the visit, including Joao Pedro and Gordon, but everything was kept under wraps. Deco worked silently on the Gordon deal. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) There had already been another important meeting that received relatively little attention at the time. Gordon’s representatives travelled to Barcelona to meet Deco, Bojan Krkic and Alejandro Echevarria. Conducted with considerable discretion, that meeting was far more significant than it appeared. At the time, Gordon was viewed publicly as just another name among the many forwards linked with Barcelona. It was difficult to imagine that the club would eventually be prepared to invest around €80 million in him. Inside the club, however, the view was very different. Deco was a huge admirer of the Englishman and had made that clear to trusted agents. He saw Gordon as much more than a conventional winger and believed he could also operate effectively as a centre-forward . There were some who wondered whether his arrival could lead to Raphinha’s departure. That was never Barcelona’s intention. Deco wanted a versatile attacker who could play out wide but also provide an option at No. 9. Weeks passed and Barcelona received plenty of proposals for other players, including some high-profile options. Deco, however, did not change his mind. Gordon remained his preferred choice and the sporting department continued working on the deal away from the spotlight. Flick gave the green light Deco presented Gordon’s name to Hansi Flick during one of their regular meetings. The Barcelona coach approved the idea after assessing the player and later spoke directly with him. Gordon is off to a fine start. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) That conversation proved important. Flick was impressed by what he heard, while Gordon came away even more convinced by the Barcelona project. Deco also spoke to the player several times and maintained constant contact with his agents. The willingness from all sides was clear and the negotiations began to make genuine progress. The final details still had to be resolved, and that brings the story to another key date: 26 May. Deco travelled to London again. Much of the attention at the time was focused on Joao Pedro. But Deco’s trip had an even more advanced objective: completing the deal for Gordon. A decisive meeting took place with his camp and Deco returned with Gordon’s signing effectively secured. Off to a sensational start Gordon was relatively unknown to many Spanish football supporters, yet he has quickly become one of the standout performers at the start of the season. His adaptation at Barcelona has been almost immediate . Indeed, he has made an immediate impact and is beginning to show why the club was prepared to make a significant investment of €70 million plus add-ons.