OK, I am a bit naive when it comes how the transfer market works but when you say so and so player is linked to a club then the first thing that comes to mind is that said club has made contact with the holding club and has shown an interest in buying that player. Except that it seems that ‘linking’ seems to mean whatever the Sun or Daily Mail might say but the clubs have no clue let alone contact with each other.
Just look at the players linked with Arsenal. Malouda, Huntelaar, Babel, Owen, Trezeguet, Torres, Eto’o, Anelka, Tevez, and Martins. The Martins case is a perfect example. He is a target. After all he did play impressively for the Magpies and scored 17 all purpose goals. He also has a 13 million pound get out of jail contract. Who would not make a pitch for him? So now we have reports saying that Arsenal is interested in him except that it rests on the thin premise that Wenger is an acknowledged admirer of the player. I am sure Wenger is an admirer of many players including Kaka and Drogba but they are not coming to Arsenal. The truth is that Sam Allardyce and Newcastle have had no official contact with Arsenal. Even with Anelka the mutual admiration society has been at work but has Bolton actually been approached. Nope.
I don’t know whether this is an Arsenal thing because this year has seen a bumper crop in transfer speculations because of the pressures to rebuild the club and to replace Henry. But with Arsenal’s reluctance to splash the cash, the ratio of transfer rumours to actual transfers will most likely be 25:1
Meanwhile an actual link goes sour. Fernando Torres is probably going to stay at Atletico Madrid. The club faces a virtual revolt from its fans if it sells its talisman to Liverpool. In addition, the player is demanding a 10% cut of the transfer fee. Then there is the complicated matter of including Luis Garcia and Djibril Cisse as part of the deal or coughing up the whole 25 m pounds with the distinct possibility that he might turn out to be an expensive dud a la Sheva.