Anthony Gordon said Barcelona have finally rewarded the runs he felt went unseen, and Thomas Tuchel agrees the winger has gone up a level. Gordon has four assists in six Liga matches since joining Barcelona for €70 million fixed plus €10 million in variables, yet he has still not scored his first official goal in the Barcelona shirt.

Tuchel's view of Gordon

"He is playing with much more aggression now, with more confidence. I see a confident player, who believes in himself. He has reached another level," Thomas Tuchel told Foot Mercato, in comments translated from French. That lines up with the way Gordon has spoken about how he is viewed, too. He said he always felt respected in England for his pace and pressing, but not for "the quality and intelligence with which I play."

The output has followed the talk. Four assists in six league appearances is a strong return for any new signing, and it has come quickly enough to support the idea that he has settled rather than simply started brightly. His La Liga rating is 6.97, while his Champions League rating is 7.2.

Pedri and the runs Gordon wanted seen

The more interesting part is the one Gordon keeps coming back to. "I made lots of runs in my career nobody saw. But now Pedri sees them," he said. That is the kind of detail that explains why the move is working: Gordon is not just running more, he is being found more often.

Pedri has three La Liga assists and a 7.14 league rating, so the connection is not built on wishful thinking. It is built on a passer who can spot movement early and a runner who has been waiting for that pass for years. Gordon also said adapting at Barcelona has been relatively straightforward because it resembles what he played at Newcastle, with pressing and attacking movement.

England have had the same version of him. Tuchel said Gordon has been very decisive in the last three matches, and he scored and assisted against Croatia in England's 7-0 win. England have won all three of Gordon's Nations League matches in this run, with Gordon scoring three goals in three appearances and posting an 8.22 rating.

The Barcelona goal has not arrived yet, but the rest of the move already looks productive. Four assists, a clearer role and a manager who sees a more aggressive player is a decent place to be in early October.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →