Barcelona have ended the summer transfer window without signing Argentine forward Julian Alvarez, who was the club’s biggest target during the summer, but with a sense that they have found sufficient solutions to cover the out-and-out striker position.
The deal to bring in Brazilian Gabriel Jesus in the final moments is considered the last piece of a plan drawn up by sporting director Deco several months ago, in anticipation of the scenario that has already unfolded with the Argentine player not joining the Catalan side.
Spanish newspaper “Sport” revealed that Barcelona’s sporting director Deco never hid, within his inner circle, the difficulty of signing Julian Alvarez and prising him out of Atletico Madrid.
So while Barcelona kept that possibility open, Deco worked to find alternatives. The name of English forward Anthony Gordon emerged as a highly attractive option.
Gordon’s natural position is on the wing, but the sporting director came away impressed last season while analysing several Newcastle United matches in which Gordon featured as an out-and-out striker.
His way of interpreting and understanding the role, along with his movement, greatly impressed Deco. What struck him most was the ease with which Gordon adapts to two different positions without any drop in his level and performance.
Under a cloak of complete secrecy, Deco began intensive moves. He contacted those close to the player and made several trips to London until he was able to steer the deal home, concluding it successfully on 27 May.
Most of the focus was on tracking Julian Alvarez’s situation. Barcelona, though, had already secured their alternative.
Gordon is considered more than just a winger. Deco admires his ability to break through from the flanks and attack spaces, how he positions himself when playing centrally, and the ease with which he drops to receive the ball and take part in building play. His height gives him additional solutions too, as a striker who exploits crosses and headers.
For some time, the sporting director had been conveying a clear idea to those close to him. Gordon can play as a winger and as an out-and-out striker according to the needs of coach Hansi Flick, and this flexibility was one of the most decisive factors in the bet to sign him.
The move fortified Barcelona against any scenario involving Julian Alvarez, coinciding with the emergence of young Hamza Abdelkarim, who proved he is capable of providing another option for the same position.
Barcelona reached the final weeks of the transfer window knowing that even if the major deal collapsed, they were not obliged to sign just for the sake of signing.
Then came the twist. Barcelona pulled off a major surprise in the final hours by signing Brazilian Gabriel Jesus for 10 million euros, the forward putting pen to paper on a two-year contract with the option to extend for an additional season, in a deal the Catalan club see as a perfect opportunity in the market.
The Jesus deal carries limited financial risk. He could deliver a very significant performance if he recovers his best level, so that his arrival would complete the reinforcement of a position that, for long stretches of the summer, appeared to depend entirely on what would happen in the Julian Alvarez file.
In the end, and barring any unexpected twist, the Argentine forward will continue for another season with Atletico Madrid. But Barcelona had been preparing for this possibility for a long time. Gordon arrived first, a player Deco saw from the outset as more than just a winger, then Hamza Abdelkarim secured his place, and at the eleventh hour Gabriel Jesus appeared.
Barcelona could not conclude the signing of the forward they had identified as their main target. Deco, though, left a plan ready so as not to rely exclusively on Julian Alvarez, one launched long before the market reached its final hours.
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