It’s a damning indictment of the lengths the media will go to to sell papers that a rumour spammed on Arsenal messageboards about a completely fabricated signing by Boca fans made it onto the back page of The Sun (amongst others). As the lead sport story.

Now, I deal with journalists every day – and I probably have to be a little careful what I say – but exactly how can a complete lie, spread on internet forums known for rumour-mongering and “my-brother’s-cleaner’s-best-mate-heard-a-bloke-in-the-pub” style speculation, suddenly be reported as fact on the back of the best read, and therefore most influential to the general footie fan, newspaper in the country?? It beggers belief.

I understand agents use the media as a tool to drive prices higher – that’s a given. And these papers have to fill their back pages somehow in the off season. But the amount of absolute tripe that is peddled is horrendous. I would wager that a good 70% of the transfer ‘gossip’ peddled in the press is the product of imagination not investigation. If you throw enough shit…

  It would be annoying if it wasn’t so funny.