Source Analysis - David Ornstein

Verdict - Tier 1

Transfer Track Source Analysis · July 23, 2024

David Ornstein is another source widely deemed one of the most reliable when it comes to transfer news and rumors. With an extensive track record of accurate and timely reporting, Ornstein has earned the trust and respect of fans, players, and clubs alike. Whenever an “Orny-bomb” drops during a transfer saga, you can be confident that he is reporting the truth, and only the truth.

After failing to secure a place at Chelsea’s academy, Ornstein began his journalistic career as a BBC correspondent, primarily breaking news related to Arsenal Football Club. Although he has since expanded into covering a wide range of transfer news, he still keeps Arsenal news close to his heart. Over the years, he has accurately reported on deals such as Arsenal’s record signing Alexandre Lacazette, the acquisition of Real Madrid star Mesut Özil, and the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

In his early years, Ornstein made some uncharacteristic mistakes that he has largely avoided since. For example, Ornstein reported that Robin van Persie was interested in staying at Arsenal after the 2011-12 season, and that negotiations for his new contract would resume once the squad had return from their summer vacation. However, van Persie soon disavowed the club, rejected new contract talks, and was transferred to Manchester United for €30 million.

After twelve years as a BBC correspondent, Ornstein was hired by The Athletic, a New York Times publication, as their chief football editor. Since joining The Athletic, Ornstein has reported on a broader range of transfer news. He’s broken stories such as Manchester United’s deals with manager Ralf Rangnick and right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Erling Haaland’s transfer to Manchester City, Julian Alvarez’s transfer to Atletico Madrid, and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s transfer from Bologna to Arsenal Football Club. His stories typically involve Premier League clubs or larger clubs in the big-5 leagues, as he has the most connections with agents, clubs, and journalists within these larger clubs, compared to smaller ones.

However, outside of these few earlier mistakes, Ornstein has all of the characteristics of a tier 1 journalist. As he is employed by a reliable publication, he has a good sense of journalistic integrity, not focusing upon trying to post news or phrase headlines in a way that generates as many clicks as possible, unlike the other major transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano. As such, he generally only reports the facts of the situation, based on what he has heard from and confirmed with official club sources, agents, and other local journalists.

Ornstein is able to report on transfer news so accurately because of the connections he is able to maintain with other clubs, agents, other journalists, and players, as well as the insiders of the football world, granting him access to far more information than would otherwise be publicly available.

At Transfer Track, we consider David Ornstein to be the only journalist who can be rated Tier 1 for all transfer news, regardless of the clubs or players involved, due to his continued dedication to accuracy and conciseness. While many other sources are Tier 1 in their specific areas of expertise regarding certain clubs, leagues, or players from certain countries or regions, Ornstein has proven his reliability with news from around the world.

Although he may not always be the first to report on a rumor or piece of news, when Ornstein reports a change or confirmation in a transfer saga, you can be almost entirely certain that he is telling the truth. That’s what makes him our highest rated source for transfer news.