Alderweireld story highlights a problem

One problem with the Internet and transfer stories are the amounts involved. This is demonstrated by Caught Offside in a non-transfer story. Football Leaks released a document saying Toby Alderweireld has a €30 million release clause in his Tottenham contract.

"In turn, Spurs wouldn’t have appreciated a claim which would have alerted countless clubs around Europe that he was available for just £30m."

The Hertfordshire Mercury are more accurate, rounding the price down when they convert it.

"Le Soir newspaper in Belgium have claimed that Toby Alderweireld has a £25m release clause in his Tottenham Hotspur contract, causing fans of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool calling for their managers to sign the centre-back."

Lazy websites simply replace the euro sign with a pound sign and report as if it were fact. For their information €30 million is, at today's exchange rates is, £25.32 million, AUS$43.40 and the US$32.29 - there is a reason why you get the Bureau de Chamge on this website.

That is quite a difference, you can see how that affects a transfer story of a player we are looking at in Europe. Many a story reported by our press comes from the press abroad and they use the euro. Even our national newspapers don't bother to check the exchange rate, they just have a reporter re-write the story, accuracy isn't an issue.

That's when they haven't completely made the story up of course.

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