Articles
Have you heard…?
The hills are alive with the round of rumours;
With wrongs they have wrung for a thousand years.
I gave up reading transfer rumours many years ago, having more productive ways of wasting my time, like crossword puzzles, or housework. This year, anticipating that the advent of a new manager might make it less boring, I thought I’d see what I’ve been missing. The size of the task, even before the opening of the summer window, was underestimated, given the expected evolution, rather than revolution, from Klopp to Slot in the need for new players. In nearly four weeks after Klopp’s last stand, there were eighty-one players named as possible targets in 380 internet articles – and I’m not even into social media. None of those articles came from Liverpool FC itself, who have been renowned for their normally early, secretive dealings in the transfer market, (though the five recruits to the 2023/24 squad signed in June, July, August (2) and September, 2023). The 2024 paradox is partly explained by the general turbulence caused by the functional change of ‘head coach’ (‘formerly known as manager’), and the simultaneous shift in decision-making power inside the club. Newspapers, however, still refer to incomings and outgoings as being ‘Slot’s decision’. Throw the Euros, the Copa America, and FFP / PSR into the mix, and several other ingredients have joined the brew.
The data was from newspapers (one excluded of course), the internet and broadcast media, collected in four weekly batches, starting with the day of Klopp’s last game, through to Slot’s arrival a week later, and finally to the eve of the summer window opening on 14 June. The major players in this activity are not footballers, however, but the wide range of reporters whose quality varies considerably and who have to wring stories from very few facts – hence many (the great majority indeed) prove to be wrong. It’s how Liverpooloffside disarmingly described: ‘we’re often relegated to plumbing the dregs of news for anything to write about.’ The spark for a rumour can take many forms. Journalists know that, because football is so popular, the press is likely to print their articles, especially if references or sponsored links they contain might bring extra revenue to the organisation, so they seem at liberty to explore all avenues in the absence of announcements by the club itself. So, for example, Matip is out of contract this summer, and there is no sign that his contact is being renewed. Therefore, it follows that LFC will need to replace him for the back line. Who can be identified who’s skillful enough and affordable? From anywhere in the world. Has the incoming coach said anything positive (or at least not negative) about a possible candidate? Could Slot bring anyone from his former club or from his own country (as Klopp brought over Matip himself)? Empire of the Kop predicted, ‘it seems inevitable that numerous players from the Rotterdam club will be touted as potential Liverpool targets this summer.’ Hope he doesn’t do a Ten Hag, though three of the five players he has used most in the past have been named by journalists as targets, as well as keeper Bijlow. Precedents for this are not all good, though the connection with the Netherlands is already strong at Anfield.
The foreign press, understandably, normally reports only when their own clubs are involved, and it took a week for the Vietnam News to report Klopp’s departure. Still, at least they did report it.
Suggestions for a possible acquisition can be based on a journalist’s intuition or sources, the latter being subject to unattributable whispers at Anfield, or at the club from which the possible player would come, or in many cases from earlier articles in other papers, repeating ad nauseam the opening paragraphs explaining that Klopp had left and Slot had arrived. The same rumour is often imitated, sometimes with the same phraseology, though I doubt that flattery was the main motive. It can come from former Anfield players maintaining an admirable interest in Liverpool’s fortunes, or from relatives, agents, or friends (often unnamed) of the player himself. At one end it can be pure invention, sometimes qualified by some such disclaimer as, ‘of course; it all depends on what happens to Salah’; at the other, the horse’s mouth. It’s often said that ‘the club’ is interested in a player. This vague phrase excites the reader without committing the writer. A ‘club’ cannot be interested. Only a person. Using ‘club’ allows a reporter to sail uncriticised through sometimes exciting but very choppy, often murky, waters.
Headline writers have a field day. The misuse of ‘star’ deliberately leads a potential reader to believe that something is happening to one of the shining lights in the LFC firmament, whereas it now seems to mean EVERY such light however bright or dim. This may be pleasing to players and their parents, but the article may not be about the giants. It’s surprising how many targets suddenly seem to have earned the description ‘sensational’ or ‘dreams of playing at Anfield’. Another trick to increase sales or viewers is to suggest that the report which follows will be about something of significance. ‘Big Alexander-Arnold update tonight’ shocked us into thinking the worst or the best is about to happen, whereas it turned out that there was no news on the TAA front. Liverpool ‘gets green light to sign £70M Juventus striker’ becomes, in the full article, ‘the reds could possibly get the ‘green light’ to make a deal’. Liverpool target, RBLeipzig star Dani Olmo, ‘delivers verdict on his future’ turns out to be that he was ‘undecided’, and ‘not the least bit bothered’. The Anfield Index headlined on 11 June that ‘Alexander-Arnold will sign for Real Madrid’, but the article quoted Fabrizio Romano saying, ‘Liverpool have not indicated any desire to sell at this stage. There’s no indication of the player’s views so far.’ (Romano’s website is the source for many transfer rumours subsequently copied and repeated by others.) ‘ ‘Liverpool favourite agrees unlikely transfer’ turned out to be Mamadou Sakho, who left the club under a cloud seven years ago.
Among the 100 articles per week read about eighty-one possible recruits during the four weeks or so before the window had even opened, there have been over a dozen damp squibs – so-called ‘targets’ named once but who did not reappear. Outstanding for grabbing attention was Philippe Countinho (still on Villa’s books but on loan in the Middle East), closely followed by Antoine Griezmann and another old chestnut, Aurelian Tchouameni of Real Madrid, who seem to have been on the LFC radar for a thousand years. So has injury-prone Federico Chiesa who gathered eighteen pieces, being still as big an attraction off the pitch as on it.
At the other extreme, Leni Yoro of Lille was the subject of at least twenty-three articles some of which say that he does not want to come to Liverpool, and is expected to join Real Madrid. Yoro himself, like many others, is clearly tired of being pestered about his future while he has his role for France in the Euros to think about. Two players currently with Atalanta, which unexpectedly knocked LFC out of the Champions League this year, received similar attention. The Brazilian defensive midfielder Ederson featured in thirty-four articles as he protested that he was interested only in participating in the Copa America. Some, even published on the same day as each other, were totally contradictory – he was either ‘close to signing’ or he was ‘wide of the mark’. Liverpooloffside, apparently apologising for the paradox, reminded us that this is the ‘silly season’. Nevertheless, at least the argument relieved the tedium of reading so many about the same target.
The other Atalanta player, Dutchman Teun Koopmeiners, attracted fifteen pieces, some of which tell us that he is not coming to Liverpool because Juventus was leading the way to get him. He had been targeted because he was a favourite used by Arne Slot at Feyenoord, and a gift for journalists to tease LFC fans by headlining that he (like Chiesa and ten other targets) was also wanted by Manchester United. Red rag to a red bull. I don’t recall any player also ‘wanted’ by Everton.
Persistent appearances for other so-called ‘Liverpool targets’ throughout the four weeks have been Johan Bakayoko (PSV), Lutsharel Geertruida (Feyenoord), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Mohammed Kudos (West Ham), and Crysencio Summerville (Leeds). If I could have a choice for an incoming player this summer, I’d go for Joao Neves (Benfica), but then I’d be entering the spider’s web guessing game which keeps the articles flowing - AND he’s wanted by MUFC.
We are all used to the issues surrounding Salah, Nunez and Kelleher (2023/24 having shown the importance of having a No 2 keeper, and the difficulty of keeping him), but we are all alarmed at the prospect of losing Trent and Luis Diaz. Thankfully, they have both been the victims of swap suggestions, thus doubling the problems normally associated with any transfer, Alexander-Arnold with Rodrygo from Real Madrid, and Diaz with Raphinha of Barcelona.
Now I know the mess I would miss, I won’t regret not repeating the experience next year. Thank goodness lfchistory.net does not publish articles about transfer rumours.
Article by Dr. Colin Rogers for LFChistory.net
