Anthony Gordon quietening his critics at World Cup with England after Barcelona transfer

If you were scratching your head when it was announced that Barcelona not only had an interest in Anthony Gordon, but they were quite far down the road in terms of a transfer, you weren’t alone.

The transfer attracted plenty of criticism, with Graeme Souness writing in The Telegraph “Barcelona will be watching Anthony Gordon and wondering what they have bought.”

And no culer would have seen that particular purchase coming, not least because all of the chatter surrounded whether the club were going to activate Marcus Rashford’s release clause or not.

In the end, Barcelona decided against triggering the buy option in Rashford’s contract and have seen Gordon outshine his rival in the England team at the World Cup after a slow start.

Gordon patrols the same areas that Rashford does for the English national team, and his performance against Mexico was certainly deserving of the plaudits.

He took the game to his direct opponent at every opportunity, often having him on toast and leaving him for dead. Even Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was caught by TV cameras playfully telling the England man to “f*** off”!

As well he might, because for all of the industry of Bellingham and the prowess of Kane, Gordon helped knit the attacking plays together, and became a thorn in the side of the Mexican defence long before he won the penalty that Kane converted with what was, ultimately, the winner.

What that match showcased was Gordon’s full range, and though he doesn’t need ‘announcing’ to the wider support, many will have a better understanding now as to what to look for in the player’s natural game, once he arrives to begin pre-season.

As a rotation option for Raphinha, a player who has struggled with injuries for the past 12-18 months and who barely played in the World Cup, the Englishman couldn’t be better suited.

If he continues to show the level that he produced against Mexico, and Raphinha can’t get over his niggles, there’s an argument that, in fact, Gordon would be first choice, with the Brazilian as his backup.

With at least one more game for the Three Lions to play, too, against Norway, culers will get another chance to assess Gordon’s relative merits and debate just how well he could fit into Hansi Flick’s side for the 2026/27 season and beyond.

It’s a fair bet that at present that the excitement is building, which is in stark contrast to the underwhelming reaction when his signing was initially announced.