This yearâs football transfer window closed on Friday 30 August and as ever, ahead of then speculation was at fever pitch as fans and pundits shared rumours and made predictions about where some of the sport's biggest stars would be heading.
There are loads of social media accounts and even whole sections of websites that are dedicated to sharing these stories â but how can you be sure which are true and which should be shown the red card?
When is transfer deadline day?
This year's summer transfer window closed on Friday 30 August. This is different to previous years when it closed on the final day of August after Europe's 'top five leagues' - England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France - agreed to move it to the last weekday. The transfer window in England will reopen on 1 January 2025 and close on 3 February 2025.
Mo Salah signs to Al-Ittihad â Fake!
The past few transfer windows have seen a number of big names lured to the Saudi Pro League and last year Liverpoolâs Mo Salah was at the centre of speculation he was heading to Al-Ittihad in a ÂŁ150m deal. Some of the stories were even illustrated with images that had been manipulated to show him wearing the clubâs shirt.
Images that look like they may not be real should set off alarm bells about whether a story is true.
Manipulated images - created in photo-editing tools or using AI - are becoming more common online due to new technology, so you should always consider whether the image you are looking at is AI or real. If unsure, think about doing a reverse image search to check the source of the image and to see where they've been used before.
Marcus Rashford signs to Paris Saint-Germain â Fake!
Clickbait-style headlines are becoming increasingly popular on social media platforms, and earlier this year a Facebook page shared a fake news story that claimed Manchester Unitedâs Marcus Rashford had signed to Paris Saint-Germain.
The post included a quote âfrom Manchester Unitedâ that read: âAm Very Sure we will gain from this transfer fee. I canât believe PSG are willing to pay that huge amount of money plus an amazing player just to Marcus Rashfordâ.
Posts containing lots of mistakes should immediately make you question the authenticity of what you are reading, while you should also think about who is sharing the update â no matter how many followers the account may have.
You can always check official football club accounts, as well as trusted sports websites to confirm whether stories are true. This can help to stop the spread of misinformation elsewhere.
Turkish midfielder signs to Aberdeen FC â Fake!
There are lots of well-respected âITKâ (in the know) writers in the world of football journalism who fans turn to when they want to hear the latest transfer news.
However, sometimes trusted sources can get it wrong in the rush to be first with a story as deals can be complicated and fall through at the last minute so - and other times even they can be duped by fake news.
In 2017, Sky Sports shared a fake news story posted by a spoof Aberdeen FC Twitter account, claiming the club had signed a fictitious Turkish midfielder.
A closer look at the original post reveals that the account handle spelled Aberdeen incorrectly with two ânâs. Itâs worth looking out for details like this, as well as establishing when the social media account was set up and the number of followers it has.
If you havenât heard of a player before, you can check a search engine for more information. On this occasion it wouldnât have returned any relevant results, and a reverse image search on the player's photograph would have identified him as Turkish footballer Hakan Balta, who at the time played for Galatasaray.
If the news is being attributed to a journalist, you can also look at their socials to see if they have shared the story.
David Beckham signs to Barcelona â Fake!
Transfer rumours arenât unique to social media and have been around for ages. Back in 2003 rumours swirled that David Beckham would be exiting the UK to sign for a European club.
Barcelona was hotly tipped as the frontrunner, with photographs even emerging of football shirts featuring his name on sale in the clubâs official merchandise store.
However, shortly after newspapers and websites reported that Manchester United had agreed a conditional deal, Beckhamâs management company suggested he would veto the transfer and he eventually signed to Real Madrid for ÂŁ25m.
More than 20 years later, the story continues to be talked about and in 2021 a former Barcelona FC presidential candidate claimed the whole saga had been manufactured to help his rival win the clubâs 2003 election.
The red cards to look out for on transfer deadline day 2024
While speculating can be fun for fans, itâs important to remember that it remains speculation until the news is confirmed in an official statement by either the football club or player at the centre of it.
You should always pay attention to how stories have been written. Look out for words and phrases like âreportedlyâ, âaccording to rumoursâ and âsources claimâ, which are commonly used when reporting speculation rather than facts.
So as the 11pm deadline approaches next transfer deadline day, don't believe everything you see and read online.
Do your research, check official accounts and await confirmation that your team has definitely signed that new superstar BEFORE you get their name printed on the back of your shirt!
Not sure if the news youâre seeing on social media is true or false? Can you always tell if the things you see online are real or fake? Learn how to get the other side of the story with our quizzes, videos and explainers.
