Gordon praises Pedri's vision at Barcelona in remarks that cast shadow over Newcastle midfielders

Anthony Gordon has singled out Pedri as a transformative presence since joining Barcelona, telling Spanish outlet Sport that the playmaker “sees absolutely everything” — a remark that carries an unintended edge toward his former Newcastle team-mates.

Gordon completed his move to Barcelona shortly before the 2026 World Cup and has hit the ground running, contributing five assists in his first seven appearances at Spotify Camp Nou. Yet it is his words rather than his statistics that have attracted attention, after the England winger reflected on how differently he is being used in Catalonia.

“I’ve made many runs throughout my career that no one saw, but now I have Pedri, who sees absolutely everything,” Gordon said. “Adapting has been relatively easy because at Newcastle we already played a similar style — pressing hard and attacking with the team pushed high up the pitch. With the ball as well, now I play surrounded by some of the best footballers in the world.”

The comment lands with some awkwardness given the quality of midfield talent Gordon worked with at St James’ Park. Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães both departed Newcastle in the summer, commanding a combined £175 million, and neither could be considered a limited passer by Premier League standards.

Gordon was careful to frame his admiration for Pedri in historic terms, comparing the current Barcelona side to Pep Guardiola’s Champions League-winning teams of the Xavi and Andrés Iniesta era. “The best Barca side I’ve ever seen is Pep Guardiola’s,” he said. “I want this team to be remembered forever.”

His enthusiasm for Pedri is shared at the highest levels of the game. Paul Scholes declared in 2025 that the Spain international was becoming his new favourite player, a tribute that visibly moved Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick.

“When you’re an attacking player, you’re more in the spotlight,” Flick said in September 2025. “What Scholes says means a lot; he was a great midfielder. Pedri is at an incredible level, as is Frenkie [de Jong]. I’m very happy with what I see in training — the quality, the mood. You can see that. This mood helps us keep going.”

Barcelona won the 2025-26 La Liga title by eight points from Real Madrid and eliminated Newcastle from the Champions League with an 8-3 aggregate victory, though they were knocked out by Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals. Gordon joined a significant summer recruitment drive that also brought Rodri and Karim Adeyemi to the club.