The 90s and early 2000s represent an era in football that is almost assuredly long lost. The players were flashy and expressive, Serie A was on top, and transfer business conducted behind closed doors actually meant something.
The current era is a far cry from the bygone past, efficiency is everything, the Prem reigns supreme, and secrecy means nothing, especially when transfers are concerned.
The advent of the information age has released a horde of passionate footy fans willing to scour through every bit of information, just to gain a sliver of knowledge about what their club are up to.
Fortunately for them, social media platforms have also allowed for the rise of ITK (In-the-know) journos, who tap into their various sources and manage to reveal exactly what even the biggest clubs are up to. And undoubtedly, the most famous figure in this space is transfer news extraordinaire Fabrizio Romano.
The Italian enjoyed a quick ascent to the top by divulging out info about the ‘CalcioMercato’, and famously breaking Paul Pogba’s mega-money move to Manchester United.
While learning bit by bit updates about a certain transfer isn’t as exciting as opening up La Gazzetta to uncover a superstar’s arrival, technology has moved on, and so have fans, who now have a consistent hankering to stay up to date and in the know.
Unfortunately, the cycle has made users online rather spoilt and impatient, so much so that they’re willing to question the experts despite being clueless.
Your standard Twitter stan account still assumes that transfers run like clockwork, as depicted in the FIFA games. The club gets a fee, the players get a wage and the deal is done.
Needless to say, reality works differently, and some supporters simply can’t fathom that.
One such user online managed to make the usually calm Romano reach his tipping point, and it all has to do with Manchester City’s impending deal for Marc Cucurella.
Pep Guardiola has identified the Brighton man as a primary target, and negotiations between the two clubs have been underway. Brighton has refused an initial £30m offer from the Premier League Champions, which was followed by Cucurella handing in an official transfer request. By the looks of it, the two sides have reached an impasse, and the Citizens will have to sweeten the pot to make Brighton budge.
When Romano diligently offered up updates regarding the saga, a City fan dismissively said, ‘How about some real news!’
The Italian is no stranger to criticism online, as fans often belittle his credentials while also referring to him as a ‘tap-in merchant’. He almost always ignores the noise, but this time around, Romano was clearly fed up.
The journo served up a devastating retort, saying, “It’s a negotiation mate, if you can’t understand, play career mode on FIFA and sign players in 2 seconds.”
Naturally, fans sided with the Italian, as it’s easy to see where his annoyance came from. The reply goes to show that the Italian isn’t immune to getting irritated. Perhaps fans should be more appreciative of all the journo has done.
