How We Rate Transfer Rumours

Why we exist

Football transfer season has always produced more noise than signal. For every genuine move, there are a dozen “DONE DEAL” headlines that disappear without trace. We started NotFootball because we were tired of that — and because we think readers deserve a quick, honest read on whether something is actually worth following.

There is more transfer content published every year, and less of it turns out to be true. Our job is to cut through it.

What we rate

We assess individual transfer rumours — the specific claim that a player is joining or leaving a particular club. Each one gets a score from 1 to 10.

We don’t build a case against journalists or outlets. If a source gets things wrong consistently, that will show up in the historical data over time — but our articles focus on the claim, not the person who made it. We’re not in the business of pile-ons.

How we assess

Each rumour is looked at in the context of what is publicly known at the time: whether any corroborating reporting exists, what the player’s contract situation and club circumstances suggest, and how the specific claim fits the broader picture.

Scores can be updated as situations develop — we note when they are and why.

We try to be consistent. We won’t always get it right. When we don’t, we say so.

What we’re not

We’re not affiliated with any club, agent, or media outlet. We don’t break transfer news — we assess it after it appears. We have no interest in being first; we’d rather be accurate.

We’re also not a ranking of journalists. Our sources section tracks historical accuracy as a reference tool — not as a verdict on anyone’s career.