That’s it! The transfer window is now officially open! Better than Christmas Day for a five year old. Better than your thirteenth birthday when you said “hello” to your teen years and much better than your eighteenth birthday when everything that used to be fun because it was illegal is now extremely boring and mundane.
So begins two months of anticipation, interspersed with long periods of frustration and boredom when, even though the window has been flung wide open, nothing happens at your club.
Deals that have been brewing for the last month can now be completed. Deals that the great British press said were nailed-on will now not happen and deals about which they hadn’t a clue, will be signed and sealed. Here’s how the main stories are covered.
The Written Press
Will Ivan Perišić leave Inter and go to United? Yes, according to the press, it’s a cert! No, according to the press, Inter will not sell him.
How about Alvaro Morata to Old Trafford. He’s arrived in Manchester by private plane, according to the press. No he hasn’t, according to the press. He has left his honeymoon early to try and sort out the deal, say the press. No he hasn’t, say the press.
Generally, the press aren’t very reliable when it comes to transfer rumours and gossip which is why some publications admit to it being just that; rumours and gossip, whilst others blatantly pass off the stories as being the absolute truth, until they don’t happen of course.
Worst of the British press, as per usual, are the tabloids. The Daily Star and The Sun being the two most guilty of blatant deception and untruths. Does it say anything about the great British public that these are the two biggest selling tabloids along with the Daily Mirror, which is almost as bad?
The Internet
Next up are the internet publications. From the one-man-band who can’t spell or even write English very well, to the larger sites such as ESPN and Talksport.
On many sites the headlines often have no bearing whatsoever on the article beneath them. Known as “clickbait” it is a headline designed to get you to visit the page, so that the publication will be paid by it’s advertisers, hence the story will have little, if anything, to do with what you thought you were about to read.
The internet can be a very reliable source of information, just be careful where you get it from.
Television
Sky Sports News is, without a shadow of a doubt, the televisual version of The Sun. It’s stories are thrown together haphazardly, it will make sensational headlines from the most trivial of events and, rather than broadcast honestly and truthfully it will use the words “according to sources” in front of most reports in order to be able to shift the blame when it turns out to be completely false.
Think back you Sky viewers. How many times have you heard the words, “according to Sky sources in Italy“, or “according to our sources in Spain“?
Recently these have been sources saying that Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing for Manchester United next season, as will Gareth Bale and they have often said that Lionel Messi is going to Manchester City. Now there’s a programme with information you can rely on!
With TV, however, there are sources where the reporting can be trusted and the BBC and ITV would usually fall into this category.
So What’s The Answer?
How do we sort out the wheat from the chaff? Who is blatantly lying and who is genuinely trying to report the truth? It’s virtually impossible to tell because, even a publication trying to get to the facts of a story, can be accused of lying if they get it wrong.
On the other hand, even a blind squirrel will occasionally find a nut so the liars and cheaters out there will eventually fall over a story which, through no fault of their own, happens to be true.
As a rule of thumb stick to the more reputable publications, they have more to lose from bogus reporting. In the case of news, large does not necessarily mean reputable as, for example, The Sun, The Star and Sky TV will report absolutely anything if it gets them readers/viewers.
Above all else, stay calm, keep your finger on the pulse and enjoy the next month as much as you can because, in August, the football season starts and you will then have one month with games AND transfers to drive you insane. What more could you want?
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 