For the second day in a row, The Daily Telegraph newspaper is reporting another major transfer news story that may have little to no basis in fact. Yesterday, the paper reported that Manchester United were preparing to bid for Juan Mata. As a result, the other British tabloids and media jumped on the Mata-to-United bandwagon. And now tonight (or Wednesday morning’s Telegraph, to be exact), the paper writes that Real Madrid are lining up a bid for Wayne Rooney to join the Galacticos this summer.
What do both of these transfer gossip stories have in common? Manchester United. The club, despite their league woes, still helps sell tabloid newspapers. And hats off need to go to The Telegraph‘s graphic designers for creating beautifully designed back pages for two days in a row that make the stories seem more believable.
Another interesting facet of the gossip stories this week is the tactic used by The Daily Telegraph of inserting _______ (insert club name) is “preparing a bid for _______” (insert star footballer). By stating that a club is “preparing a bid,” it piques people’s interest but offers a safe “landing” if a bid never materializes.
Meanwhile, does Real Madrid even want or need Rooney??
Based on The Telegraph‘s “X is preparing a bid for Y,” maybe more journalists should try this tactic? Did you know, for example, that World Soccer Talk is preparing a bid for Zonal Marking?
Here are tonight’s world soccer news headlines:
Premier League
- Manchester United – the potential financial cost of failure — Andersred
- Nicolas Anelka facing 10-match ban if found guilty of antisemitic gesture — The Guardian
- Bayern Munich’s Dante denies Manchester United agreement — Sky Sports
- Where would Juan Mata play if he joined Manchester United? — The Guardian
- Juan Mata will not be allowed to join Man United until he tells Jose Mourinho he wants to leave — Telegraph
- Chelsea prepared to sell Juan Mata to Manchester United for £40m — The Guardian
- Nemanja Vidic to serve three-match ban as FA reject appeal for red card during Chelsea defeat — The Mail
- Everton granted work permit for Lucina Traore — Everton FC
- Three charged over ‘yid’ chants at Tottenham Hotspur games — BBC News
- Southampton owner publishes open letter to fans — Southampton FC
- Everton remove video of Romelu Lukaku defending Nicolas Anelka over ‘quenelle’ gesture — Irish Independent
- Sunderland have signed Argentinian goalkeeper Oscar Ustari until the end of the season — Sunderland FC
- Is it time for Manchester United to replace Nemanja Vidic? – ESPN FC
- Stoke City finally confirm signing of Juan Agudelo before sending him to Holland on loan — Stoke
- Crystal Palace have Europe’s biggest squad, says new study — BBC Sport
- Ossie Ardiles Falklands car crash: Watch exclusive video footage of the crash scene — The Mirror
- Laurent Koscielny claims Arsenal are ‘mentally stronger than ever’ — The Independent
- Lucas Leiva ruled out for two months with knee ligament injury sustained against Aston Villa — The Mail
- Liverpool in talks with Red Bull Salzburg for midfielder Valon Berisha — 101GG
- Could Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole be set for a Stoke City switch? — Shields Gazette
- Sebastián Coates to leave Liverpool and rejoin Nacional on loan — The Guardian
- Chico Flores denies brandishing brick in ‘silly argument’ with team-mate Garry Monk — Metro
- Manchester United’s Fábio da Silva set for loan move to Freiburg — The Guardian
- Fulham wait to hear from Swansea after making Neil Taylor bid — Sky Sports
- Roberto Martinez to monitor Seamus Coleman injury ahead of Merseyside derby — The Mirror
- Manchester City will let Joleon Lescott go if replacement is found — The Guardian
- Norwich reject Wes Hoolahan transfer request — Norwich City
International soccer
- Fifa threat to Brazil’s World Cup host city of Curitiba — BBC News
- World Cup Itaquerao Stadium 97% completed, should be ready by April — SBJ
- Colombia’s bright young centre-back Éder Álvarez Balanta poised to usher in new era — The Telegraph
Football League
- Paul Ince sacked as manager of Blackpool, with Barry Ferguson ready to take over — The Independent
- Bolton and the salutary tale of how to turn gold into lead — Inside World Football
- Graham Turner resigns as Shrewsbury Town boss — The Mail
La Liga
- The New Camp Nou Stadium proposal — Design Football
The Nightly Soccer Report is tomorrow’s news today. It’s often tomorrow morning’s worldwide newspaper headlines that are published the night before. We do all the work for you, combing the Internet and aggregating the news for you. Read The Nightly Soccer Report on World Soccer Talk every night before bed, so you can stay on top of all the news that matters.
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