Barcelona Chooses Anthony Gordon Over Marcus Rashford: Deco's Insights
Barcelona did not hesitate. Faced with a €30 million option to keep Marcus Rashford after a title-winning loan and the chance to rip up their wage structure for a Premier League star in Anthony Gordon, they went for the winger who, in Deco’s words, lives their idea of football.
Rashford scored 14 goals last season as Barça reclaimed LaLiga and lifted the Spanish Supercopa. That kind of output usually earns a permanent deal. This time, it didn’t.
“We are extremely grateful to Rashford,” sporting director Deco told RAC1. “He contributed a lot last season, but our idea of play is much more linked to Anthony. His style fits with what the coach [Hansi Flick] is looking for.”
Barcelona walked away from the €30m option on Rashford and instead pushed €70m across the table to Newcastle United for Gordon, installing the England international as their new starting left winger.
Gordon over Rashford: A Question of Energy
The numbers tell only part of the story. Gordon, 25, is still waiting for his first Barça goal, but he has already supplied five assists in his first five games. The Camp Nou crowd has made its verdict clear, chanting his name during a recent 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano.
Deco says that reaction is no accident.
“We see every training session and analyse the team,” he said when pressed on why the club backed Gordon. “We have a clear idea what we're looking for. One of the areas we struggled last season, without Raphinha, was that the team's energy dropped. It was lost.
“We needed more intensity. We analysed a lot of wingers. 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.”
The message is blunt: goals alone were not enough to keep Rashford. Barça wanted a winger who could stretch games, press relentlessly and keep the tempo high when Raphinha is not on the pitch. In their eyes, Gordon ticks those boxes.
He also headlines a sweeping rebuild. Gordon was one of six first-team signings this summer, alongside Rodri, João Cancelo, Karim Adeyemi, Gabriel Jesus and Dominik Livaković, as Barcelona tried to add depth, legs and flexibility across the pitch.
Why Bernardo Silva Slipped Away
Not every long-term target walked through the door. Bernardo Silva, for years linked with a move to Catalonia, chose Real Madrid instead, crossing the divide to join Barça’s Clásico rivals.
Deco insists that by the end, the fit no longer worked for Barcelona.
“He wasn't what we were looking for in the end,” he explained. “I love him. He's one of the best in the world in his position.
“He wanted to come to Barça, but things didn't move forward because we have certain parameters. It wasn't just a financial issue, it was also about playing time.
“It's not up to me to say if he is going to play or not, that's the coach's decision. But he had a different perception to us after playing [regularly] at City. He wanted to play.”
The subtext is clear: Barcelona were not prepared to promise the guaranteed protagonism Bernardo enjoyed at Manchester City. For a player of his stature, that was non‑negotiable. For Barça, so were their internal limits.
The Julián Álvarez Bid That Went Nowhere
Deco also lifted the lid on another failed chase, this time for Julián Álvarez. He stressed that Barcelona handled the process correctly and rejected suggestions the club had pushed the Argentine to agitate for a move away from Atlético Madrid.
According to Deco, Barça offered €100m for Álvarez, payable in three instalments. Atlético never opened the door.
At no point, he said, did the Madrid club show any willingness to negotiate. The proposal died there.
Lamine Yamal, Ballon d'Or and a “Scandalous” Snub
If the transfer stories revealed the limits of Barcelona’s pulling power, Deco’s comments on individual awards showed no such restraint.
He openly backed Lamine Yamal to win the Ballon d'Or and questioned how two of Barça’s key men were missing from the 30-man shortlist.
“I think [Lamine's the favourite], no doubt,” Deco said. “Not just for what he's done with Barcelona, but he's won a World Cup with Spain as an important player, too.
“Let's not forget he went into the World Cup with an injury as well. He was the best player in LaLiga last season. It's not because it's Lamine, our player, it's because I like football.”
Then came his strongest line.
“For me, it's a huge scandal [that Raphinha and Pedri aren't also nominated]. I don't understand these lists. Seeing that Pedri's not there, with the talent he has ... I don't get it.”
From backing Gordon over Rashford to calling out Ballon d'Or omissions, Deco has nailed his colours to the mast. The question now is simple: will this new‑look Barcelona, built on intensity, energy and youth, justify those convictions when the trophies are handed out again?
