After Jurgen Klopp ruled out any further signings this January, a false quote emerged with the boss declaring himself “all good with this squad.”
In journalism, especially in the fake news era, accuracy should be of paramount importance.
That is increasingly the case within football: a sport in which the livelihood of everyday people is indelibly tied to the performance of the uber-rich; a game with deep cultural roots that has now become big business.
It is, therefore, crucial that, in order to avoid hysteria within the transfer window, a manager’s words on signings are not misrepresented.
Unfortunately, Fabrizio Romano, whose reach on Twitter alone now stretches to 13.7 million followers, opted against fact-checking when sharing quotes from Klopp on Sunday evening.
As is often the case, the glorified aggregator account failed to attribute a source when he shared the following:
Jurgen Klopp announces Liverpool will not sign any other player in January: “Nothing will happen in this transfer window, not at all”. ?? #LFC
“It's all good with this squad”, Klopp added. pic.twitter.com/l5RpW0dNON
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 29, 2023
At time of writing, the above tweet has been viewed 5.5 million times, with 28.3k likes and over 4.5k retweets.
While it is not entirely inaccurate, the final six words – “it’s all good with this squad” – are completely false, which is a clear issue.
For Klopp to claim he is “all good with this squad” would suggest he is happy with the options at his disposal and there is no desire for reinforcement.
That is, naturally, not so, with the manager having explained on a number of occasions throughout January that, if the right deal presented itself, he would be open to further signings.
?? "No nothing will happen in this transfer window, that's all."
Jürgen Klopp speaks to @CarrieBrownTV after Liverpool's FA Cup exit at the Amex.#FACup #BHALIV #LFC pic.twitter.com/oml1H34t0l
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) January 29, 2023
Klopp’s full quotes to beIN SPORTS were: “No. Nothing will happen in this transfer window. That’s all. All good.”
Though not wholly dissimilar, Klopp’s use of “all good,” with a knowing smile, was simply a means to bring the topic to a close, rather an emphatic statement on his squad.
Sadly, the fake quotes are more likely to generate clicks through the fury of Liverpool fans and delight of rivals on social media, painting a false image of the manager.
It may not seem a big issue – and, in the grander scheme, it is not – but as mentioned, accuracy is paramount in journalism, and even more so today.
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