Anthony Gordon's €80 Million Move to Barcelona: What Number Will He Wear?

Anthony Gordon is on the brink of a move that would have sounded fanciful not long ago: an €80 million (£69.3m, $93.2m) switch from Newcastle United to Barcelona, a deal that would make him one of the headline transfers of the summer.

Barça have moved aggressively. With Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Liverpool circling, the Catalan club accelerated talks to ensure they landed one of the Premier League’s most direct, fearless wide forwards. The lure of Camp Nou – even in its current, rebuilding guise – still carries a weight few English players have felt, and even fewer have embraced.

If, as expected, the paperwork is tied up in the coming weeks, Gordon will arrive in Spain with his future settled before he heads off with England to the 2026 World Cup. He will become only the third Englishman ever to pull on the famous Barcelona shirt, stepping into a lineage that is more curiosity than tradition.

And that raises the next question: which number will he wear?

From 70 to 10: Gordon’s restless relationship with numbers

Gordon’s career has never been about comfort zones, and his shirt history tells a similar story.

He first emerged at Everton in 2017–18 wearing No. 70, a raw academy talent thrust into senior football with a number that screamed “kid from the youth team.” Two seasons later, as his role grew and his name began to stick, he moved to No. 42, a small but symbolic step towards the core of the squad.

Then came a twist. In 2020–21, he flipped the digits and took No. 24 for the first half of the season at Goodison Park, before reverting back to No. 42 on loan at Preston North End. It was the number of a player still fighting for status, still proving he belonged.

The real statement came later. In his final season with Everton, Gordon claimed the No. 10 shirt – a number heavy with expectation at any club, let alone one with Everton’s history of creative talismans. When he moved to Newcastle, he did the same. No. 10 again. No hiding place, no excuses.

His first months at St James’ Park, though, demanded patience. Gordon started out in the No. 8 jersey, waiting for Allan Saint-Maximin to vacate the 10. It was a reminder that hierarchy still matters in big dressing rooms, even for big-money signings.

With England, the pattern has been far less linear. Tournament squads and rotation mean he has bounced between No. 18, 17, 11 and 7 – a reminder that international football rarely offers the same sense of ownership over a shirt. You wear what you’re given. You make it yours for a night, then hand it back.

In Barcelona, that changes. The number he chooses – or is given – will follow him for years.

The Camp Nou wardrobe: what’s on the rail for Gordon?

The options at Barça are intriguing, and in some cases, loaded with history.

The standout vacancy is obvious: No. 9. Once Robert Lewandowski departs as a free agent this summer, the shirt worn by Luis Suárez, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldo becomes available. It is one of the most iconic numbers in world football, the jersey of ruthless centre-forwards and headline makers.

But this is where club planning cuts in. Barcelona want a new striker in this window, and the No. 9 shirt is the natural throne for that arrival. Leaving it empty for now makes sense. Gordon, a winger who thrives attacking from wide areas, is unlikely to be dropped into the middle of that particular storm.

He will not be short of alternatives.

The No. 12 and No. 14 shirts are currently free. No. 14 carries a certain romance at Barça, a number that has often belonged to clever, technically gifted attackers and, most recently, to Marcus Rashford during his loan spell in Catalonia. For a player like Gordon – direct, sharp, and increasingly decisive in the final third – it would be an appealing fit.

Then there are the conditional options. No. 7 and No. 15 could open up if Ferran Torres and Andreas Christensen move on this summer. No. 7, worn by some of the club’s most eye-catching wide players in years gone by, would suit a high-energy winger keen to plant his flag quickly in La Liga.

There is also the wildcard. João Cancelo’s No. 2 will be up for grabs when his loan ends. For a forward, it is an unorthodox choice, the kind of number that raises eyebrows and instantly marks you out as a player who does not care for convention. Some love that. Some avoid it like a bad omen.

What Gordon cannot do is drift into the high numbers he wore as a teenager. La Liga rules restrict first-team players to shirts between 1 and 25, which narrows the field and adds importance to every available slot.

This is not just a piece of fabric. At a club like Barcelona, a number can shape perception before a ball is even kicked.

An €80m English winger, a club desperate to reassert its identity, and a dressing room about to reshuffle its hierarchy. Gordon’s move already feels significant. The number on his back in Catalonia will only sharpen the focus on what comes next.