Desperate Rumour Mongers Seek to Fill Liverpool’s Football-Free Void

Liverpool took on Tottenham Hotspur on the 11th. They’re set to take on Leicester City on the 27th. For those not interested in counting it off on a calendar, that’s a 16-day break between matches thanks to the Reds having been knocked out of the FA Cup.

If Leicester, who are still in that competition, somehow managed to draw with Millwall in their fifth round FA Cup tie, it could see the date of Liverpool’s next match shifted even further. It all rather leaves a football-free void to fill, and it’s being filled with transfer rumours.

Some, like rumours in Spain that Liverpool could trigger Inaki Williams’ release cause, at least offer some measure of intrigue or excitement. Others, like that Gremio would like to bring Lucas Leiva home, at least seem grounded in confirmed reality.

Others, though. Others are just about filling a void. Like the rumour in the Express today suggesting Liverpool will solve their goalkeeper conundrum by stealing away their next opponent’s shot stopper. Not because of any special inside info, mind, but because of the bookies.

Apparently, at least one betting house has Kasper Schmeichel currently at 2/1 to move to Liverpool this summer, which is good enough for the Express to say it’s totally happening and that Liverpool will pay £30M for the 30-year-old’s services.

This seems a good time to remind people that betting lines are almost never based on knowledge or insight. They’re purely reactionary attempts to balance the betting and driven by money. On bets not seeing a lot of action, it may not even take much to skew a line.

Stranger things have happened, perhaps, than Liverpool paying £30M for the 30-year-old Schmeichel would be. But not many. And one betting line skewing oddly is hardly a sign of a deal being imminent. Mostly it’s a sign Liverpool don’t play for two more weeks.