Anthony Gordon has been praised by Barcelona fans following an impressive debut against Basel.
Gordon left Newcastle United to join the La Liga side in a £69million deal back in May. He had spent three-and-a-half years at St James' Park, scoring 39 goals and adding 28 assists in 152 appearances.
But a big-money offer arrived from Barca, and Newcastle accepted, giving Gordon the chance to move to the Spanish champions. The 25-year-old has had to wait to make his first appearance for Hansi Flick's side, however.
Debut against Basel
He didn't report back for pre-season training until the start of the week due to England's participation at the World Cup and was forced to miss four friendlies. But he did make his bow for Barca during their penultimate pre-season fixture at Basel on Sunday.
Gordon started in a new-look Barca front three that included Karim Adeyemi and Raphinha. He went in off the left-hand side with Adeyemi on the right and Raphinha through the middle. The trio, however, were flexible and caused Basel so many problems.
While Gordon lasted just the opening 45 minutes before being replaced, he impressed the Barcelona faithful with his speed, strength on the ball and ability to beat his man. On a number of occasions, Gordon was able to dribble past his marker with ease, and although his final product does need to sharpen up, it was a promising debut for him in Barcelona colours.
Fan reactions
The Barca fans jumped on X to praise Gordon for his debut performance. One said: "How interesting, Anthony Gordon. He's going to be absolutely crucial. That's why Flick was asking for him."
A second said: "Gordon is strong," while a third added: ANTHONY GORDON IS COOKING!."
"Bro Anthony Gordon is seriously lethal, never seen [Marcus] Rashford move like this whole of last season. What a jugador!" another said while one fan simply said : "Anthony Gordon, wow man."
Another Barca fan appeared to take aim at Rashford while praising Gordon, and said: "Barcelona finally has a left winger that takes on defenders one-on-one, Anthony Gordon. What a gem."
"Anthony Gordon is a threat every time he touches the ball," a seventh Barca supporter said.
Registration concerns
There had been fears that Gordon might not be able to be registered as a Barca player before the start of the La Liga season, with Flick's side first in action when they travel to Elche next Sunday. Earlier this week, Gordon's agents even held crunch talks with the club to seek reassurances.
But, according to SPORT, Barcelona are 'registering players one by one' and that the club have relayed assurances that upcoming exits will leave enough salary space to include Gordon in their plans for the season. The former Everton youngster is said to be one of the highest earners at the club.
World Cup winner Ferran Torres is set to depart Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain, with his exit said to be significant in providing some financial flexibility, alongside other moves.
