Why Mbappe is willing to join Arsenal, and why the Gunners and Liverpool should be terrified

A look here at the dangers of adding a single throwaway line about Arsenal into a Kylian Mbappe longread, while Kevin De Bruyne has said something truly terrifying.

How Modern Journalism Works, Part 385732610
You start with a thoughtful longread from Miguel Delaney in The Independent, one that asks whether Kylian Mbappe is in danger of if not wasting then certainly not quite maximising his enormous talent. It’s an interesting read, full of things one can agree or disagree with, but one whose central thrust is that whatever Mbappe decides to do this summer he faces a sudden need to re-prove himself at the elite level with your Haalands and your Bellinghams now getting more attention than he does having spent his whole career in the least visible of Europe’s major leagues.

Another theme is how Mbappe appears to have been badly advised for his career to have reached this point, for this sense of drift and time lost to have been allowed to permeate. There is one paragraph about how his options have become strangely limited because Premier League clubs don’t really want him desperately enough to break their entire financial strategy to do it. Liverpool are, of course, mentioned here, along with the following throwaway line.

‘It’s similar with Arsenal, who Mbappe would willingly join. That is in part a question of legacy, too, since it appeals to the player to follow Thierry Henry.’

It’s buried deep in an article that has nothing really to do with Arsenal, and the context in which it appears makes it clear that what it’s saying is Arsenal, like Liverpool, would not be interested in shattering their wage structure even for Mbappe.

But put that throwaway line about Arsenal’s lack of interest through The Sun’s content machine and out pops a headline like this…

Kylian Mbappe ‘willing to join Arsenal’ with PSG star dreaming of following in Gunners legend Thierry Henry’s footsteps

And an intro like this…

KYLIAN MBAPPE is allegedly “willing” to sign for Arsenal in a blockbuster move so he can follow in the footsteps of his hero Thierry Henry.

And then, finally and grudgingly, in the 13th and penultimate para below two pictures, a video, an advert and two ‘Read More’ blocks where hopefully nobody will see it…

Liverpool also told Mbappe’s camp when they were previously sounded out that they would not break their wage structure to snap him up, and Arsenal would take a similar stance.

And now everybody is after those sweet, sweet clicks.

Scare quotes
We can’t quite work this one out from the Mirror after Manchester City won 3-1 away from home in the first leg of a Champions League knockout tie where they never trailed and responded to a 34th-minute equaliser by regaining the lead before half-time.

MAN CITY SURVIVE SCARE!

We’re sure they were terrified.

Terror vision
And talking of terrified, the Daily Express bring their own horror story.

Kevin De Bruyne comment will terrify Liverpool and Arsenal after Man City win

What on earth has he said about the poor loves that might terrify them so?

Kevin De Bruyne was coy about his impact since returning from injury after Manchester City cruised past FC Copenhagen 3-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday night. But his comments should strike fear into the hearts of Premier League title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool, who will understand the almighty task at hand to topple the reigning champions.

Coy and fear-striking. Seems a tricky act to balance, but if anyone could do it…

What did he actually say, though? About Liverpool and Arsenal?

“I’m just trying to play good. It’s been a long five or six months but I’m just happy to be back, helping the team win games and be at my best. I feel alright.

“Obviously, I still need a couple more games and minutes. I’ve not played 90 minutes for almost a year, but I’m getting there, I’m feeling good, and the level is good enough for the moment – so I’m happy.”

Steady on, Kevin.

Careless whispers
The Daily Mirror have got a right scoop here. They know when Erik Ten Hag is going to be sacked by Manchester United. And apparently, so does Ten Hag. Because he’s been told. Look, it says so here.

Erik ten Hag told when he’s going to be sacked at Man Utd – “The whispers I’m hearing”

But who is it with this information? With these whispers that he’s told Ten Hag? Someone directly involved in decision-making at Manchester United, presumably.

Oh, no, wait, it’s Alan Brazil. And he actually told talkSPORT BET rather than Ten Hag. Maybe the United boss is an avid reader of talkSPORT BET content, as are we all.

Anyway, we’re sure Brazil’s info is solid.

‘Unless Manchester United go on a remarkable run, I still think Erik ten Hag will be gone by the end of the season. I honestly don’t think that the players are having him. There’s always a chance that winning silverware, maybe the FA Cup could be enough to keep him in the job though.‌

‘If they start scoring more goals and getting the fans behind them then things might change.’

So Alan Brazil reckons they’ll sack him at the end of the season. Unless they don’t. Pack your bags, Erik, it’s over.

Local angle
Picking out local angles to national or international stories is a cornerstone of local and regional journalism and certainly a practice that predates the current grim state of that sector of the industry, but this one from the Manchester Evening News tickled us.

Goalkeeper sin bin rule could leave Erik ten Hag with difficult Andre Onana decision to make

And it could leave Pep Guardiola with difficult Ederson decision to make, and it could leave Mikel Arteta with difficult David Raya decision to make, and it could leave Ange Postecoglou with difficult Guglielmo Vicario decision to make, and it could leave Unai Emery with difficult Emi Martinez decision to make, and it could leave Eddie Howe with difficult Nick Pope decision to make, and it could leave… well, you get the idea with that.

If implemented at the top level, it would give the likes of Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag something to think about should his goalkeeper fall on the wrong side of the referee.

‘The likes of’ doing some heavy lifting work there, covering as it must literally every other top-flight manager on the planet.

Headline of the Day
The Sun absolutely doing the necessary here with the news that Son Heung-min dislocated his finger on Asia Cup duty after a row about the younger players leaving a team dinner to play table tennis escalated fast…

PING PONG DING DONG

A reminder that not everything The Sun is good at is despicable. And if it seems like an unmissable open goal, then consider that the Daily Mail somehow managed to completely Darwin Nunez it by opting instead for PING PONG BUST-UP.