Irritating gossip

So it’s the silly season again – that time of year when there are no football league matches to discuss or fantasy teams to select – so all the talk turns to potential transfers.

If your team is linked to a couple of potential signings then every fan enters the new season with a wave of optimism, believing that a couple of new faces will turn their team from relegation-fodder into Champions League contenders.

I will nail my colours to the mast early on, I find the relentless rumour mill tiresome and irritating.
 
I read a report last summer then analysed the accuracy of the British media, for example, in predicting transfer activity. The highest score came out at 21 per cent, while the lowest was just under seven per cent.

As many in Bahrain will now attest – don’t believe everything you read in the international press!

Chelsea and Manchester City have been linked with more than 50 players while Arsenal are again having to contend with overtures being made about their captain, Cesc Fabregas. While Barcelona have yet to comment officially, this has not stopped their players from ‘courting’ their former youth star.

My personal opinion that this is a clear contravention of the ‘tapping up’ regulations and is a loophole that needs to be addressed.

Teams should be responsible for their players who, in turn, should be held accountable.

Since the rules on the use of agents has been tightened, teams appear to have turned to their leading players to openly ‘admire’ desired targets who then strike a balanced response by ‘welcoming the attention’ while pledging their ‘allegiance’ to their current club.

What also never ceases to amaze me is the value attached to players with teams that have just been relegated. I cannot think of a better example than the centre-back pairing at Birmingham City.

While they were undoubtedly committed players, they must bear some responsibility for their team’s failings. However, to be valued at a combined total approaching £30 million (BD18.60 million) is nothing short of amazing! I suspect a team could buy Ferdinand and Vidic for less than that.

My final gripe about the silly transfer season is that one should never believe that a transfer has been made until the ink is dry and the player’s registration has been confirmed.
 
In the competition to be the first to outline the ‘news’ online or in print, some media outlets announce signings before they have been completed.

Take the Phil Jones saga in transferring from Blackburn to Manchester United, or, in fact, any new signing heading for Old Trafford. 

It was nearly three weeks ago that De Gea had been signed as a replacement for Van der Sar and yet he is now, in common with many of Europe’s leading transfer targets, in Denmark playing for the European U-21 Championship and won’t make a commitment until the end of the tournament.
 
Let’s hope none of them are injured!

Talking about the U-21 Championship, this commenced earlier in the week and will showcase the stars of tomorrow. 
These are played in a much more concise format than many other leading competitions. Only the best eight teams will battle it out in Denmark over the next few weeks in groups of four with the top two in each group qualifying for the semi-finals.

Due to the high profile nature of the English Premier League, the England U-21 team will have some familiar names, despite the reluctance of some teams to allow their players to participate. While the likes of Wiltshere and Carroll have been excused, England will rely upon the centre back pairing of Smalling and Jones and a central midfield consisting of Henderson (the £20 million acquisition for Liverpool) and Everton’s Jack Rodwell (another reported big-money transfer target this summer).

However, compare this approach with the favourites, Spain, who include two players – Juan Mata and Javi Martinez – who captured the World Cup with the full national side last summer. They also welcome Barcelona prodigy Thiago Alcantara under the guidance of Luis Milla.

While English players appear to focus on performing for their clubs, the Spanish actively seek the experience of tournament play and trophies for their nation.

The quality of the competition can be judged by the other Group B qualifiers Ukraine and the Czech Republic. England coach Stuart Pearce said: “The Czechs walked their qualifying group against the holders which is a mark of how good they are. The Ukrainians were also undefeated, so we have a really tough group.”

In Group A the favourites are Switzerland, with the impressive 19-year-old winger Xherdan Shaqiri, and hosts, Denmark, who will rely on a potential tournament MVP, Christian Eriksen of Ajax and Nielsen of Villareal. The surprise package could be Iceland who are reported to have some exciting forwards.