Mediawatch: A nonsense sign that Martial stays at Man United

Daniel Storey

Martial matters
On Tuesday, The Sun have got themselves an exclusive on Anthony Martial’s future at Manchester United. Does it come from their Manchester United guy Neil Custis? No. Chief sports writer Dave Kidd? No. Chief football writer Neil Ashton? No again. This one’s a Daniel Cutts special. Oh.

‘Manchester United ace Anthony Martial drops huge hint over future after cancelling short-term lease on luxury city centre flat,’ reads the headline to Cutts’ piece. There it sits towards the top of The Sun’s football homepage. There it doesn’t sit in the actual newspaper.

‘ANTHONY MARTIAL has dropped a huge hint that he is staying at Manchester United after cancelling a short-term lease on a luxury flat the city,’ the story begins.

‘Martial had planned to move into one of the luxury Number One Deansgate apartments this summer. Him and his partner, who is due to give birth in the coming weeks, wanted to stay in the flat on a short-term lease for three months while his future was sorted out.

‘But he has axed the move and will stay in his Cheshire mansion, as he expects to still be a United player next season.’

Right. So we are expected to believe that Anthony Martial not moving into an apartment confirms that he is staying at Manchester United? This is lower than appearing in a kit launch or being given a new squad number on a ‘means sod all’ list. And it categorically isn’t a ‘huge hint’.

Even if the story is true, Martial is paid almost £300,000 a month. Mediawatch thinks that he *might* be able to afford another house if he does indeed move in August.

Rough translation: Something happening in Martial’s life means bugger all to his Manchester United future.

 

Beep. Beep. Beep.
‘ANTHONY MARTIAL will stay at Manchester United because Jose Mourinho still believes he can be a star’ – Neil Custis, The Sun, July 22.

‘Fed-up Jose Mourinho is ready to let whingeing Anthony Martial leave Manchester United’ – Neil Custis, The Sun, July 24.

Better get moving into that flat after all, Anthony.

 

Optimistic maths
Mail Sport headline: ‘TEN set to leave Liverpool in Klopp’s purge: Loris Karius and Danny Ings head Anfield exodus as Reds look to raise £100m’

Liverpool players mentioned in article: Loris Karius, Simon Mignolet, Divock Origi, Marko Grujic, Pedro Chirivella, Ben Woodburn, Sheyi Ojo, Danny Ings, Lazar Markovic.

So that’s nine then?

 

Even more optimistic maths
Thought the Daily Mail were being optimistic on Liverpool sales? Step forward the Daily Mirror, clearly leaked precisely the same story. ‘Divock Origi and Danny Ings will top the exodus of players from Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp trims his squad in a potential £100million sell-off,’ their story reads.

Fees mentioned:

‘The Reds told Spanish side Valencia he will cost them around £26m.’

‘Liverpool want £20m for Ings’

‘Liverpool will again ship out Lazar Markovic… and they want a £7m fee’

‘Klopp wants teen talent Ben Woodburn to go out on loan’

‘Marko Grujic will go out on loan again’

‘Reds have received numerous offers to take the forward [Sheyi Ojo] on loan again’

‘Pedro Chiravella (sic) is another not in Klopp’s plans… the £5m-rated Spanish midfielder’

So that leaves:

‘Loris Karius has claimed he may move following Alisson’s £65m arrival to be the new No1 goalkeeper, and one of him and Simon Mignolet is expected to go.’

For £42million, if your maths are right. Again, good luck with that.

 

Sliding scale
‘TEN set to leave Liverpool in Klopp’s purge: Loris Karius and Danny Ings head Anfield exodus as Reds look to raise £100m’ – Daily Mail.

‘Liverpool boss plotting ruthless £100m fire sale with up to EIGHT players on the chopping block’ – Daily Mirror.

‘Origi one of seven players who could leave #LFC before deadline day. Club could raise up to/over £70m from sales before end of window’ – Neil Jones, Goal.com.

It’s looking better for Origi by the minute.

 

Slur
‘Not so very long ago, Mesut Ozil would have baulked at the mere suggestion of a pre-season trip to the other side of the world’ – Mark Irwin, The Sun.

Would he though? Or did he play in Arsenal’s first preseason friendly against Bayern Munich in Shanghai last season?

This – and the line is the opening to Irwin’s long piece on Ozil – is exactly the problem. The accusation that Ozil is a workshy skiver who isn’t interesting in training or preseason has no basis in fact. And it all fuels the fire.

 

Erm… what?
‘After every major tournament, players should be given a mandatory rest period of two months. Reporting back to clubs any earlier is counter-productive’ – Stan Collymore, Daily Mirror.

For a man who actually played the game, Collymore really does struggle with understanding how things like wages and ownership work.

 

Please stop this, Pt. 2,759
‘Tired and moody Jose is more the Aggrieved One than Special One’ – Daily Mirror.

 

But seriously, stop this
‘Arsenal transfer news: Most likely ins and outs based on odds – Five all-but certain exits’ – Express Sport.

This isn’t news, it’s advertising for a bookmaker dressed up as news. And it isn’t on.

 

Weirdly phrased headline of the day
‘Liverpool’s players fall to the floor for recovery yoga following pre-season defeat by Borussia Dortmund as boss Jurgen Klopp gets on the exercise bike’ – Mail Sport.

‘Fall to the floor’.

 

Image of the day
‘Seagulls gap filled’ – Daily Mirror.

One way to make them squawk.

 

Recommended reading of the day
Andy Hunter with Jurgen Klopp.

Paul Hayward on the Mesut Ozil mess.

Nick Wright on retaining the Premier League title.