Welcome to the "Source Reliability" section of the BritBall.net media portal. We respect our readers and strive to publish only verified information. To help you understand where the news and rumors in our feed come from, we have compiled this guide to British and global media.
Each source has its own reliability percentage: from official websites (100%) to tabloids, where news is often just a journalist's invention.
Tier 1: Official Sources and Top Insiders (95-100%)
PremierLeague.com / Club Websites
The official website of the English Premier League and the clubs' own press offices. First-hand information.
BBC Sport
The British national broadcasting corporation. The gold standard of sports journalism. If the BBC writes about a transfer, the deal is practically done.
The Athletic (David Ornstein)
A premium sports publication of the highest level. Top insider David Ornstein is rarely wrong. The main provider of EPL exclusives.
Fabrizio Romano
An Italian journalist who has become the main mouthpiece of world football. His catchphrase "Here we go!" means the transfer is 100% complete.
Tier 2: Quality Press (80-95%)
The Times / The Sunday Times
One of Britain's oldest publications. Employs top journalists, such as Paul Joyce — the absolute authority on Liverpool news.
Sky Sports
The largest sports TV channel. Has a massive network of agents and journalists. Sometimes they rush with news for ratings, but overall they are very reliable.
The Telegraph
A respectable daily newspaper. Very high level of reliability for London clubs (insides from Matt Law and John Percy).
The Guardian
A quality newspaper with an excellent football editorial team. They thoroughly verify information before publication.
Evening Standard
An evening London newspaper. An indispensable resource for news about capital teams: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, West Ham.
Tier 3: Mixed Sources (60-75%)
Daily Mail
The most read newspaper. The sports department often delivers great exclusives (especially Sami Mokbel), but they are heavily diluted with clickbait.
TalkSPORT
A popular radio station. Has good insides, but most of the content is subjective opinions and provocative rumors.
Daily Mirror
A popular tabloid. Publishes a huge number of transfer rumors, many of which remain just rumors.
Tier 4: Tabloids and "Yellow Press" (Below 50%)
The Sun
The main British tabloid. Specializes in scandals and personal lives. Transfer insides shouldn't be trusted, with rare exceptions.
Daily Star / Daily Express
Newspapers that generate fabricated rumors simply to sell copies and gather clicks.
Football Insider / TeamTalk
Rumor aggregators publishing loud "exclusives" that almost never come true.