Well we go back to the Tony Blair argument. Someone who says something they believe to be true at the time, which is later shown to be wrong, is not a liar. Not in my book anyway.
The media and social media apply an unreasonably high standard to those in public life and one which they don’t always meet themselves.
You could say it was our own fault for Cundle. It seems to be the question of availability got the issue into the media and the media reports of his availability stimulated interest in a transfer.
Did the contract really require us to ask Wolves for permission to play him in the FA Cup? Surely the onus was on Wolves to tell us if there had been offers, if that was relevant, rather than us having to ask. In any event, the correct answer was “Luke is available to play, if selected” not “there have been no offers for Luke from other clubs “.
I’m not suggesting doing anything improper. If the contract says you must ask, ask. If it doesn’t, don’t. And don’t mention transfers until there’s something to say.