Of course, there was the news most Arsenal fans didn’t want to hear: Wenger for another two years. But we’re now fully into football limbo.
And what are we all waiting for?
That’s right, a bunch of lies dressed up as sensational transfer news from a million unspecified “sources” around the globe.
It really is a farce. OK, it keeps people in jobs, sells newspapers and creates clicking traffic through digital spaces, but it’s probably 95 percent bulls***.
Just to reaffirm my position on this, got you all to look at the headline on this page and (for the United fans out there) got you dangling on the end of my winky!
You see, who the hell am I?
And even I can create a stir with a few words that have no truth whatsoever.
There should be some kind of fine system (for newspapers in particular) that splash false headlines to attract consumers.
It gets even more annoying when journalists use terms like “a source close to the club”.
That’s a bit like putting a religious person in a corner and hearing the response “God works in many mysterious ways” or the latest cop-out phrase “it is what it is”.
With all that said, I’m guilty of being taken in by it myself, I get caught up in all the bollox, with daily visits to www.newsnow.com and other sites that collate the crap.
Every now and again getting some kind of pathetic thrill as a marquee name is attached to Chelsea, or reading about a £300m “war chest” promised by Roman Abramovich.
Like an aching boned junkie, I just have to have something to keep me from sinking.
There’s a couple of other fixes on the way… the announcement of the 2017/18 fixtures and, of course, the volley of pre-season friendlies.
But what we all need to know is, who’s signing who?
The question is, how do we get legit information?
There’s no answer to that.
I’d suggest that if you actually see/hear a player or coach talking about a move, that’s going to be your safest bet.
However, in the huge money world of top-flight football transfers, even that can lead you down the red herring highway. Rumours are used to get deals moving and to get prices inflated. It’s horse trading at its dodgy best!
What I am sure of, is that this summer’s deals are going to be huge, lots of movement, lots of big names, loads a’ money.
I’d be surprised if we don’t see at least three or four incoming players at each of the top six.
But remember, nothing is real until clubs make official announcements! I’ll keep you updated as the next few weeks start getting busy.