What a delight to read in the newspapers this weekend of Arsenal’s supposed interest in Torino winger, Alessio Cerci, and Pato of Corinthians.

According to most of the red tops, Arsene Wenger is ready to swoop in and beat Manchester United to Cerci’s signature (how often have we heard that line before?). Meanwhile, the boss has already agreed a £10m deal for Pato (we’ve definitely head that before!).

It all makes very good reading – if only it were remotely true.

The fans’ desperation for football news and the media’s obsession with filling their columns with eye-grabbing stories means we’re subjected to rumours on a daily basis. Last year, Arsenal were dead certs in the football betting odds to land Marouane Fellaini; the year before that it was Klaas-Jan Huntelaar; while Wenger is still waiting for Yann M’Vila to turn up at the Emirates.

And, after all these rumours, who did Wenger actually sign this summer? A £40m world-class midfielder no one had linked to the club, plus free agents, Mathieu Flamini and Yaya Sanogo.

Mesut Özil’s arrival proves transfer rumours are completely irrelevant, unreliable, and based on false, or at least misleading, ‘intel’. The buzz that surrounds social media when Wenger is ‘in for a top European striker’ is quite ridiculous. Fans who bet on football know the manager rarely parts with his cash  but, if the papers were to be believed, Wenger would have a squad pushing 80 in numbers.

The international break makes it worse because there really is nothing to talk about over the weekend. Fingers crossed when Arsenal return to action against Southampton this Saturday, the focus will revert back to the pitch and back to the title race.

Guest post brought to you courtesy of Joe Short.

Enjoy your day people.

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