Tottenham Hotspur Transfer Rumors: Ibrahim Afellay - or - If The Writer Doesn't Know His Position It's Probably Bogus

Okay, so I found this transfer rumor post. It's on a site that's well-designed, the writing isn't atrocious, it's a player I've seen linked to us in other places, and the fee sounds dead on. And yet, I know that this rumor was completely made up and that the outlet has no sources. It's a rumor about Ibrahim Afellay published at the website Premiership Talk.

Here's the part of the article that tipped me off that this is completely made up and that there's literally nothing to this.

Besides, with Liverpool likely out of the running to pursue the player's services following the arrival of Charlie Adam at Anfield, Harry Redknapp will be motivated by the fact that this will now likely be a much simpler negotiation process.

Charlie Adam is a central midfielder who plays fairly deep on the pitch. He is, by no stretch of the imagination, a No. 10 or "attacking midfielder." He's a great passer and a very good playmaker, but he's not an advanced playmaking midfielder. Afellay is probably best suited to the wing, but can play as an advanced playmaker. He is literally nothing like Charlie Adam.

So kids: Whenever you're looking at a transfer rumor and you're trying to figure out if there's any basis to it, the biggest red flag is if the writer of the article compares the player in question to a player who plays a completely different position. Crappy blogs and rag papers do this all the time, and it's a sure-fire way to spot a piece of absolute rubbish.

Have a nice morning!