Tensions among Arsenal supporters are at an all-time high as the transfer market heats up.
This is owing not only to the title race they are in but also to recent accusations that state that Fabrizio Romano exaggerated the worth of Shakhtar player Mudryk, forcing the team to miss out on signing him.
Many Arsenal supporters are outraged and irritated because Chelsea swept the player out from under their feet. They believe the reporter’s activities contributed significantly to their club’s loss of a potentially crucial player, and many accuse him of lacking honesty and ethics in his reporting. Some fans have also turned to social media to voice their displeasure.
In response to recent charges, the Italian has denied any misconduct and insisted that he has always behaved responsibly as a journalist. He also stressed that his coverage of Mudryk was based on reliable sources and facts.
One such instance happened when an Arsenal supporter, known on Twitter as WelBeast, criticised Romano by pointing out how the Gooners have turned on him due to his work on the Mudryk saga.
Romano replied to the account, saying “I appreciate your way to share hate on me. Big account, no name, no face. Attack Fabrizio and then go. Just because I shared my news, and wow, it was correct. Thanks, because this tweet describes this toxic platform in the best way.”
By this, he means that the tweet is an example of the kind of negative and harmful behaviour that can be found on Twitter. He implies that this kind of hate speech is common on the platform and that it contributes to a toxic environment.
Fabrizio also points out that the fan is anonymous, using only a handle and no name or face, which could suggest that they feel emboldened to speak negatively because they will not be held accountable for their words.
He also mentions that the fan’s account is big, as they have over 254k followers, which gives their words more weight and impact.
In his response, Fab provided a link to an earlier tweet in which WelBeast chastised Fabrizio for getting Marc Cucurella’s news wrong, although it was later shown that Fabrizio was, in fact, correct.
This was when the Cucurella rumours were yo-yo-ing between Brighton and Chelsea.
This ladies and gentlemen is what the internet calls having “receipts”. This was where the iconic “We will see who lied” quote came about, which is used almost always when anyone doubts Fabrizio.
The recent reply has generated a lot of buzz on social media, with some praising Romano for standing up for himself and others criticizing him for being dismissive and unprofessional in his response.
This is also not the first time Romano has engaged in Twitter warfare. Just check this, or this, or maybe this.
Some also pointed out that just because the information he shared turned out to be correct, it doesn’t mean that there was no conflict of interest, referring back to the Mudryk sage.
In an effort to win back the support of Arsenal fans, Romano also broke the news of the club’s latest signing, Leandro Trossard, before any other journalist, which was obviously well received.
Social media platforms, including Twitter, have been criticized for fostering a toxic environment in which people feel free to engage in hate speech and cyberbullying without consequences.
While it’s important for people to be able to express their opinions, it’s also important for them to do so in a respectful and responsible manner.
Meanwhile, Fabrizio has also stated that Arsenal’s January window is not over yet. What more could we see from the club at the top?