In order to fully encapsulate the current mood across the football world I am going to quote a song by Icelandic singer/general nutter Bjork: ‘It’s oh so quiet’.
Yes, there is the odd bit of transfer news here and there; Chelsea’s acquisition of Bayer Leverkusen’s Andre Schurrle being the latest but the transfer window doesn’t officially open until July 1st so much of talk of who is going where is merely speculation.
And look, I love a bit of transfer gossip as much as the next person but I know that most of the ‘reports’ I read need to be taken with a pinch of salt.
There is much talk of Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain making a move to Arsenal this summer but, again, this is just speculation. I have seen no official story linking the striker with a move to north London and until I read two club statements confirming the purchase then I am not going to get excited about it one bit.
Another case in point is the Cesc Fabregas to Manchester United story which, to be fair, I thought has a little more truth to it than most of the summer gossip so far. Former United player Dennis Irwin, now an ambassador for the club, said that the former Arsenal captain was right at the top of David Moyes’ wish list and that United were perusing him.
The very next day Fabregas gave interview for a Spanish radio station and he stated that he had no idea where these stories were coming from and that he intended to stay at Barcelona for the remainder of his contract. Egg on your face, Irwin.
So, what I am trying to say to you dear football fans is not to get too excited at this stage of the summer about dubious transfer stories. Wait until the ink is dry on the contract and the player is wearing another club’s shirt, then we can talk about what that certain player can bring to that certain club.