“Chelsea plan £34m Suarez raid on Liverpool after bookies stop bets on Arsenal move” – welcome to silly season. The time when newspapers turn to making stories up to fill the void that cricket and tennis can’t fill, a football fans daily fix.
The most laughable thing about the two latest “links” – to Arsenal and Chelsea – is surely the fact that Suarez has continually cited the English media as a major reason for his unhappiness and thus why he wishes to leave Liverpool.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that Arsenal and Chelsea are most definitely still in England. In fact, in London, the home of English media.
Earlier this week, Liverpool Echo reporter John Thompson told TalkSport radio:
“It doesn’t make any sense. Suarez has himself said the reason he wants to move is because of the English media and the harassment he feels he has been getting. So why would he move to Arsenal? Stranger things have happened in football but I just can’t begin the believe this one.”
Some sense. Amidst an absolute storm of rubbish being thrown around by media desperate for something to fill their back pages.
Maybe Suarez could move to Chelsea like a certain Fernando Torres, still have the media pillorying his every move, with the added lack of support from his own supporters. They’d probably hold an iPad showing their disgust. Or maybe make one of them cringeworthy signs (not a flag, not a banner) that looks like it was a GCSE art project.
I genuinely think some media “reporters” are incapable of actually reading. Take this report on London24 website, whatever that is. They carry the quotes from Jan Molby on Suarez today, writing that Molby “told BBC Sport”.
This despite BBC Sports’ article quite clearly stating “Molby told BBC Radio Merseyside.” It’s a minor point but it happens on a daily basis, particularly in this Suarez saga. So many ‘media organisations’ mis-quoting each other.
If you are familiar with the Newsnow website, you’ll have noticed the amount of websites that continually post misleading headlines, often with completely unsubstantiated claims of Henrikh Mkhitaryan having his 14th Liverpool medical in a fortnight.
Of course, things do change in the complicated world of football transfer dealings, but the mass hysteria that is met by some supporters to every report, taking it as gospel, is cringeworthy at best.
As for Molby’s comments that he thinks Liverpool are readying for Suarez’s departure by being active in the transfer market, that strikes me as 2 plus 2 equalling five. None of the four signings thus far are in any way a replacement for Suarez and by all respectable reports, the interest in Mkhitaryan is irrespective of Suarez’s future.
Indeed, most reports this week had the likelihood of Luis Suarez leaving as decreasing. If Real Madrid sign Cavani, his options are very slim.
Regardless, the point here is don’t make yourself look daft by believing every report you read and especially take into account where the report originates from. I very much doubt the Daily Star, a local London newspaper, or some bookmakers looking to get publicity have inside information where Suarez will be heading next.
Roll on August 31st. Only 58 days more of this madness!
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