The transfer window is a very excitable time for fans, especially when it comes to rumours on social media, where even the slightest tweaked quote, whether intentional or not, can cause an absolute mess in the media.
This was perfectly exemplified with a story involving Arsenal on Friday when Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas called a press conference to present their new signing Fernando Marçal.
During the press conference, Aulas also touched upon the situation involving his star striker, Alexandre Lacazette, and what had happened regarding the Atlético Madrid interest.
Throughout, a Twitter account about all things Lyon was live-tweeting what was being said, and mentioned that Aulas had spoken about a ‘very nice’ offer from Arsenal for Lacazette.
#Aulas💬 : “Les choses n’ont pas pu se faire. On a désormais une autre très belle offre d’Arsenal”
— Inside Gones (@InsideGones) 16 June 2017
This was quickly picked up everywhere, as social media is a huge source of news for most outlets, and Arsenal fans quickly became excited at the prospect of their club making an offer for the France international.
After all, this wouldn’t have been the first time the Ligue 1 club made one of Arsène Wenger’s bids for the striker public, having done so last year.
However, since that quote emerged, a video of the press conference has been released by the same account, and it quickly became clear that no mention of Arsenal took place.
They have since apologised for the mishap, but the damage was done.
An easy reminder of how quickly things can spread on social media, especially when fans and outlets get caught up in the moment.
