Rafa Benitez: Anthony Gordon has been learning Spanish with my Everton coaches – he must adapt quickly to succeed at Barcelona
Anthony Gordon will succeed at Barcelona if he is consistent.
This was revealed by his former Everton manager Rafa Benitez after the England midfielder joined the LaLiga champions.
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Gordon signed a five-year contract at the Nou Camp following a £70million move from Newcastle United.
However, his performance in the World Cup divided opinion in Spain before his arrival.
Fans were excited about the deal following Gordon’s official introduction before the tournament.
The 25-year-old impressed the audience by speaking Spanish and Catalan.
Benitez has now revealed that Gordon was learning Spanish during their time together at Everton.
He played 18 games for the Toffees while Benitez was in charge until he was sacked in January 2022.
During this outing, Gordon scored two goals and provided two assists.
Benitez joined White & Jordan on Tuesday and was asked about his former player’s transfer.
The Spaniard explained: “Anthony Gordon was at Everton and we promoted him a lot. So I can say, yes I’m happy because he went (to Barcelona).
“I’m not talking about the prices because football is going crazy now and the prices.
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“Regarding Anthony’s strength, I think Anthony speaks Spanish very well. He was learning Spanish, talking with us, with my staff and after going to Newcastle with the staff.
“So I think he has an advantage and you can see the first game he didn’t do well but in the last game he did much better against England. He has speed, he can score goals.”
Gordon went on to leave Everton for Newcastle in January 2023 before scoring 39 goals and adding 28 assists in 152 appearances for the club.
Meanwhile, he has three assists in four games for England at the World Cup, including scoring both goals in their last 32 win over DR Congo.
Regarding whether Gordon could be successful in Spain, Benitez continued: “I think that at this time, this time, I don’t know a few months ago, his mindset was that of hard work and that he has talent, that he has ability.
“We had a game after training sessions to see who was leading and it was usually Richarlison too, he was always there with Richarlison.
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“So it means that he can finish, he can score goals, he has speed, what he has to be is compatible.
“If he can do that, he can play for Barcelona because the problem I see with Barcelona is that Barcelona will always have the ball and maybe they will have too much space.
“So he has to adapt quickly to these short spaces where you have to make a difference.”
Benitez is currently without a club, having left Greek side Panathinaikos in May.
The 66-year-old also revealed that he is looking forward to returning to the Premier League following his exit.
He has previously had spells in charge of Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton during his managerial career.
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