‘The downfall of transfer king Fabrizio Romano’. That is the title of an extensive and highly critical story in The Daily Mail. The British newspaper has delved into the empire of the famous Italian and drew a number of startling conclusions.
Journalist Ian Herbert spoke with clubs, agents, and players about Romano’s modus operandi. The biggest criticism of the transfer guru, known for his ‘Here we go’, is that everything increasingly revolves around speed, reach, and creating a stir.
According to Herbert, double-checking transfer reports is increasingly being neglected. In fact, it doesn’t really matter much anymore.
Romano’s endless, sometimes meaningless updates are by now getting on the nerves of clubs and those involved.
The transfer of FC Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo to Liverpool is cited as a recent example. Romano posted about it 13 times on X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube before the deal was finalized this week.
Moreover, in his hunt for scoops, Romano reportedly became increasingly inaccurate.
For instance, last month he made a significant mistake regarding Yan Diomandé, whose transfer from RB Leipzig to Real Madrid was, according to him, finalized. The Ivorian’s agents denied it. Romano subsequently became embroiled in a public, embarrassing social media feud with German journalist Florian Plettenberg.
More serious, Herbert argued, is the way Romano seems to be constantly ‘used’ by agents and brokerage firms. By tipping off the Italian and passing on information, clubs are allegedly put under pressure by the commotion created on social media. For this reason, more and more football clubs are now refusing to speak to Romano.
Atlético Madrid, among others, recently mocked him on X. ‘Clubs don’t see him as a reporter, but just as an annoying influencer’.
The Daily Mail noted that Romano earns ‘millions’ from commercial deals. Around the World Cup, he was sponsored by McDonald’s. Particularly noteworthy was a video in which the transfer expert spoke remarkably positively about Saudi Arabia, a country heavily criticized for its human rights policy.
He was reportedly handsomely paid for this. Shortly after the video, a ‘spontaneous’ meeting between Romano and Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia leaked. According to The Daily Mail , this is increasingly undermining his credibility.
Criticism is now also being voiced regarding The Daily Mail’s scathing story. “Traditional media are terrified of journalists like Romano,” someone responded. “They have lost all their scoops. That is why they are now trying to destroy him.”
Earlier this week, Romano surprised friends and foes alike by announcing on LinkedIn that he is ‘probably going to quit’ after the current transfer window. ‘It is time for a different approach, a different perspective…’, he wrote cryptically.
