[Tipsbladet] You have to be wary of Fabrizio Romano!
The transfer king above them all, the Italian Fabrizio Romano, is worth taking a critical look at, says Tipsbladet's commentator Troels Bager Thøgersen. Tipsbladet has seen documentation of how Fabrizio Romano's hinterland tries to enter into agreements with clubs - also Danish - about publicity.
Fabrizio Romano is known as the world's number one transfer journalist, and there's no denying that the Italian almost always gets it right when he reveals that a player is switching from one club to another.
It has given Fabrizio Romano cult status among football fans all over the world, but it is also worth taking a critical look at the Italian and not least the machinery he has become a part of with his huge following on social media.
On Wednesday, for example, Fabrizio Romano brings the story that Roony Bardghji is currently not getting playing time in FC Copenhagen because he does not want to enter into a dialogue about extending his contract, which expires in 2025 - to Tipsbladet, FCK flatly denies that this story has something on.
Precisely the story of Roony Bardghji is a very good example of what exactly you should be aware of and have in the back of your mind when you come across a post from Fabrizio Romano.
Tipsbladet's commentator Troels Bager Thøgersen has dealt with the transfer market and its shady sides for more than 15 years, and he shouts guard in gun.
- I know, Fabrizio Romano is adored out there. But I just have to say that he often goes on errands for agents and gets his information from there, and this seems strikingly to be in the interests of the hinterland to put pressure on FCK, says Troels Bager Thøgersen and adds:
It will be extremely interesting to follow the game about Bardghji until the summer. Simply put, he must either extend the contract or be sold, at least if you ask FCK, because he will drop a lot in sales value next January and summer with less than a year left on the contract. But I refuse to believe that Neestrup is not fielding its best team.
Clubs can buy publicity
Tipsbladet has seen documentation of how the company behind Fabrizio Romano has contacted clubs - also Danish - with an offer that they can buy mention on the Italian's social media.
The clubs can pay a shilling, and then Fabrizio Romano provides publicity for the club and player to his more than 20 million followers on X and 27 million followers on Instagram.
- It tells us a lot that the company behind Romano is apparently trying to enter into partnerships with clubs. So you have to take what he comes up with with a grain of salt, because it may be with a commercial intention that he says it, states Troels Bager Thøgersen and continues:
It's not journalism. It's a business where both clubs and agents ultimately have to pay for the publicity, and that doesn't work, at least not in journalism. And I think we have to remember that in this case - that what should look like journalism can in fact be driven by pure, commercial interests.
Tipsbladet is not aware that in this specific case anything was paid for mention of Roony Bardghji.
Fabrizio Romano is 31 years old.