The thing about gossip is this, clubs put information out there to help then obtain a player (like Madrid) or clubs put information out there as a game of smoke and mirrors.
As fans we also need this. Look at Arsenal there has not really been any gossip coming out about them and their fans are going crazy, it puts pressure on Wenger and it has consumed their pre-season and the start of the season. If we do not have these sorts of rumours we will create too many problems for the club with complaints etc. Us fans need gossip to keep us occupied and allow the club the time to sign their true targets.
I would say that all gossip has something behind it and it always starts for a reason.
With Willian ask yourself this, what if Willian was never a target for Spurs and we were aware of his medical etc so we release something to state that we are attempting to sign him. It makes no difference to Anhzi or Willian (it strengthens their position) and for us it's a perfect opportunity to misdirect the focus from our real target (possibly Lamela) to Willian.
Then you have that we are selling Bale, what better thing to do than make it look like we are trying to sign another world class player (with Bale's transfer money), the club Levy & Co are hero's. We miss out and they are unlucky and the fans will forgive them (eventually).
When it comes down to it the gossip it is what makes the game tick through the closed season. The clubs would hardly get any coverage if it wasn't for the summer transfer window. We fans cannot go without football we need it. Part time fans it makes no difference, but die hard fans we need it daily. To hear what is happening with players, potential players, how our squad is looking, who is training our squad and the next new stadium. We then have to rub it in the other fans faces about how great our team is and how bad their is. It's part of the game. When the game changed from the football to money this all became part and parcel. It used to be friendly rivalry now its lethal rivalry, racism, violence, it all came in really when the game changed.
If you don't want gossip though turn off your phones, computers and put down the papers, it is there constantly, your targets to your players being unhappy.
For me could I be without the gossip in the summer? Definitely not! I would not survive when the season has finished (especially without the Euro's or World Cup). Before I started writing every day I would look at the gossip page on BBC in the morning and Sky Sports version. Then I would look on various news outlets etc.
One thing I will say though is that Roberto Martinez is 100% correct the transfer windows should not be open in the season (unless for emergencies). It has destroyed the games and squads to an extent, but then again it is all about the money and we simply cannot change this. Football and the way it is now is much like Marmite nowadays, you either love it or hate there's no true in between.
COYS
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