Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone A Lens legend has urged Crystal Palace supporters to be patient with Pierre Sage — insisting the Frenchman will eventually deliver the goods at Selhurst Park. That is because the Eagles’ new French manager has been handed the baton by the club’s greatest-ever manager, Oliver Glasner. Succeeding the Austrian, who lifted the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League, means big shoes to fill. Not least for someone whose only previous coachi

Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone Ahead of the club's Prem curtain-raiser against Chelsea tomorrow, Sascha Riether spoke exclusively to Capital Football London about his two seasons at Fulham, his memories of life at Craven Cottage, the challenge of moving from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, and the world-class talent of former teammate Mousa Dembélé. The former Germany international also reflected on Fulham’s transformation since his departure, their recent stability

By Alessandro Schiavone in Gelsenkirchen Schalke 04 0-3 Real Madrid Goals: Mbappé, Huijsen, Espi (RM) Achievements in football might have a short memory. But antics and football supporters certainly don’t. And football took a backseat when Marc Cucurella was introduced after the hour mark. The ex-Chelsea left-back, making his Real Madrid debut in Germany against Schalke 04 yesterday afternoon, replaced Álvaro Carreras and was met by a chorus of whistles. The freshly crowned W

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 It’s 40 years since Suzy Lamplugh vanished into thin air on the afternoon of 28 July 1986. It's a story we've all read thousands of times. The 25-year old estate agent left the Sturgis Estate Agency to meet a client calling himself “Mr Kipper” to show him around a flat at 31 Shorrolds Road. And was never seen again. Whether those events unfolded exactly as recorded remains anyone’s guess. But it remains the accepted version of events to this day. Her w

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

Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone Toby Alderweireld has played more games with Jan Vertonghen than with any other player in his career. And the same goes for Super Jan. The duo shared the pitch on a staggering 366 occasions for Belgium, Ajax and Tottenham Hotspur. That amounts to 30,681 minutes, with the pair only 34 shy of the legendary Italy and AC Milan duo Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi on 400. Doesn’t that sound flabbergasting? Far and away Tottenham Hotspur’s golden er