By Alessandro Schiavone in Eindhoven No wonder Arsenal have temporarily cooled their interest in Dutch whizkid Kees Smit and instead gone all-out for proven Premier League estrella Bruno Guimaraes. The Gunners saw their opening bid for the Newcastle star knocked back today, but should they eventually be forced to explore back-up options, Smit's name is unlikely to shoot back to the top of Mikel Arteta's shortlist any time soon. The AZ Alkmaar prodigy has been admired in north

By Alessandro Schiavone A former teammate of Christos Tzolis has backed the new Arsenal winger to come up trumps in English football. Premier League champions Arsenal nipped in to nab the Greece international for £34m as a replacement for Besiktas-bound Leandro Trossard last week. And the incoming Club Bruges starlet has what it takes to take centre stage in the Premier League thanks to his ambidexterity, ability to combine with teammates and knack for goals. Tzolis made 40 g

By Alessandro Schiavone His name is steeped into the club’s history, and more than a quarter of a century later, Arsenal fans still carry a torch for him. For many, the void he left has never truly been filled. Despite the arrival of Declan Rice. He combined grace, tactical literacy, physicality and, of course, goals. No matter the occasion, he never flinched or shied away. He was a key figure as Arsenal emerged in the late 1990s to break Manchester United’s stranglehold on B

Photo by Alessandro Schiavone By Alessandro Schiavone While Spain reached the final of the FIFA World Cup courtesy of a convincing 2-0 win over France in Dallas yesterday, one particular detail may have been lost on Tottenham Hotspur fans: Pedro Porro's strike pulled their club level with Chelsea on three goals in World Cup semifinals. Up until yesterday’s clash between the neighbouring countries, the Blues were 3-2 ahead in these London charts thanks to Oscar (1) and Schurrl

wikimedia commons By Alessandro Schiavone Rafa Leao showed Premier League clubs that he’s far from being a fading force after setting up Gonçalo Ramos’ winning goal against Croatia in Toronto yesterday. In extra-time, the mercurial Portuguese maverick star looked up and picked out his new AC Milan teammate Ramos with an inch-perfect delivery into a crowded box. During the game he was a real handful for Croatia’s defence, who just couldn’t live with his darting runs and bursts

By Alessandro Schiavone at Besiktas Stadium, Istanbul Less than 24 hours after Mikel Arteta's Arsenal clinched their first Premier League title in 22 years, his Emirates predecessor Unai Emery got his hands on his FIFTH Europa League. The Basque was already the record winner of the competition with four medals to his name, one more than Giovanni Trapattoni who last lifted it back in 1993 in the Juventus dugout. With the nerves jangling, ex-Gunners target Youri Tielemans broug

Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone at PreZero Arena, Hoffenheim Capital Football London travelled to Germany to speak with ex-West Ham United and new Hoffenheim right-back Vladimir Coufal. The Czech Republic international, who spent five years at the London Stadium, is lighting up the Bundesliga and playing a key role in Hoffenheim’s push for Champions League qualification. Following his side’s 1–0 win over SV Werder Bremen on Saturday afternoon, we preview West Ham’s must-win

By Alessandro Schiavone While Arsenal look increasingly likely to cement their serial bottlers status once more on current form following their 2-1 defeat at Man City yesterday, their hated rivals from down the road Tottenham Hotspur are flirting with a shock relegation, and two-time European kings Chelsea could miss out on the Champions League once again, with fifth-placed Liverpool now holding a SEVEN-point lead. And that with only five fixtures left to negotiate before

By Alessandro Schiavone Arsenal have been fired a warning by hothead Arda Turan ahead of their semi-final against Atletico Madrid in less than two weeks. The ex-Turkish midfielder, who scored against Chelsea at the same stage of the competition back in 2014 as Atleti ran riot at Stamford Bridge (1-3), has tipped this to be the Colchoneros ' season. Madrid's second force lost two finals in three years against Real Madrid back in 2014 and 2016 respectively. Yet with Los Mereng

Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone Michael Brown warned Riccardo Calafiori that the business end of the season will be the real acid test of his credentials. The Italian has faced increased competition from Piero Hincapié at left-back this term and is wanted by Inter Milan in the event of Alessandro Bastoni joining Barcelona in the summer. In an exclusive interview with Capital Football , the former Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham midfielder stressed the importance of 'Richy' goi