Barely an international break goes by without the British press seizing on some soundbite that slowly filters its way back across the continent. This week it was the turn of Fulham striker Moussa Dembele to be put under the spotlight after he apparently ‘courted’ Tottenham’s interest whilst away with Belgium.
The Flemish daily newspaper De Standaard very loosely quoted Dembele as saying that a move to Spurs would be a ‘step up’ and that ‘has always been his goal.’ So naturally, he’s courting a move to Tottenham.
The day after, cue the inevitable retraction and clarification with Dembele suggesting the whole thing was lost in translation somewhere down the line. The 24-year-old appeased the Cottagers fears he was off by saying, “I was asked about the links with Spurs and I did respond that I was flattered by interest in me because it means I am playing well, nothing more. I am happy at Fulham and I am under contract here.” Those final dreaded words.
This story is nothing more than cross-continental tabloid jigger-pokery on what are notoriously slow news weeks. There’s nothing to write about so an inane transfer question is lobbed in, half-heartedly played down, re-hashed, spiced up and turned into a transfer exclusive across the channel. Sex sells.
The real question here though is, should players still have to deny ambition and politically correctly claim allegiance to a club that they will more than likely be, at some point, plotting their departure from anyway?
Todays footballers through a networks of agents, middle-men and media contacts have naturally become more inclined to voice messages of dissatisfaction through the press – Carlos Tevez being the most notable, obnoxious example. Pleas projected via the media have become commonplace in todays game with the transfer gossip columns effectively becoming a lonely hearts column for those lost souls seeking new.
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