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

Hayes Lane workout. A sunny Saturday friendly saw Bromley get the better of Premier League Palace Picture by Patrick van Ijzendoorn Friendly Bromley (0) 3 Abeboyejo 62, 73 (p), Kabamba 86 Crystal Palace (0) 0 League One-newcomers Bromley have started their season with a flattering 3-0 victory in a friendly against Conference League-winners Crystal Palace. It was a disappointing first proper public showing for the new Eagles-boss Pierre Sage who saw his side missing at least

Spain celebrate after winning the World Cup for a second time: Picture from Wikimedia Commons/The White House Has there ever been a more universally welcome outcome in a World Cup final? Has a result ever felt more just? We all feared the worst when referee Slavko Vincic failed to yellow card Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister early on for a typically savage challenge on Dani Olmo, and it looked like the gruesome Argentinians were going to get carte blanche to go about their sor

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

Enzo Fernandez: Wikimedia Commons Have the bridges been burnt down completely or will it all be forgotten before we know it? Within seconds of Argentina claiming a 2-1 win over England in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, Chelsea's social media had posted a picture of Enzo Fernandez, ears cupped goadingly, after his late equaliser to dash those Albion hopes. They weren't reading the room too well. The post was soon taken down. England fans had plenty of despair to

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

Mikel Merino in the red of the national team : Picture from Wikimedia Commons The World cup's final chapters are about to be written - with London players still very much involved in the chase for sporting immortality. The tension that is about to grip the nation on Wednesday as England take on Argentina in Atlanta will be underscored by the subtext of a north London confrontation between Tottenham's Crstian Romero and soon-to-be club team-mate Marcos Senesi for the world cha

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

Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone in Brussels Toby Alderweireld has called on former side Tottenham Hotspur to make significant changes ahead of the 2026/2027 Premier League campaign after narrowly avoiding an apocalyptic relegation last month. And rather than pouring water into a cracked cup, Alderweireld, who was part of the club’s finest hours in recent history, wants to see open-heart surgery at the club. In other words, he wants to see some fresh faces through the door

That was the season that was : Picture by @YTJourno AFC Wimbledon 4 Not the greatest of seasons for the Dons, who fell too close to the trapdoor for comfort towards the business end of the season. Johnnie Jackson's men finished only two places above the dotted line after losing nine of their last 11 matches and they managed only two goals in their last eight games. Only Marcus Browne (with 12) managed to get into double figures for goals. And home form was a concern, with onl

Wikimedia Commons By Alessandro Schiavone in Leuven World Cup 2027 Qualifiers Belgium 6-0 Luxembourg The manager of the Belgium women's national football team has aimed a dig at England superstar Harry Kane. The striking similarities between Belgium’s all-time record goalscorer Tessa Wullaert and the former Tottenham hitman are well documented on both sides of the Channel. Both belong to the class of 1993. Both score for fun. Both are ageing like fine wine. Both are showing n

Pre kick off at the Puskas Arena ; Picture by @YTJourno Champions League Final Arsenal (1) 1 Havertz 6 Paris Saint-Germain (0) 1 Dembele pen 65 After Extra Time PSG win 4-3 on pens Oh the torment. Undefeated for an entire season of Champions League football, only to have the kick in the teeth of having a penalty decider at the 'away end' with the added pressure of taking the second kick. That seldom ends well and so it proved as Ebe Eze and Gabriel fired wide to kill off hope

Arteta addresses the press on the eve of the final : Picture by @YTJourno Mikel Arteta insists his players are more fired up than ever for tomorrow's showdown with PSG - with the league title success having increased the appetite for more silverware rather than diluted it. The Arsenal boss looked in positive and relaxed mood ahead of what he hopes could be the club's greatest ever night. The Gunners have the chance to enter a new chapter in their storied history if they can f

Scene before kick-off at the Red Bull Arena UEFA Conference League Final Crystal Palace (0) 1 Mateta 51 Rayo Vallecano (0) 0 The Eagles concluded a stunning year and a half of high-octane drama and emotion with a first piece of European silverware to sit alongside their first ever domestic trophies - ensuring a fitting send-off for the man who oversaw it all. To Jean-Philippe Mateta goes the honour of scoring the all important history making goal that means the Eagles become

Last domestic fixture of the season League Two play-off final Notts County (2) 3 Jatta 32, Ness 45, Jones 70 Salford City (0) 0 Sometimes, you just can't beat old money. One of the oldest pro football teams showed their pedigree to win domestic football's last fixture of the season at the expense of one of the EFL's newest additions - and it was fully deserved. Notts County's reward is League One football next season while vanquished Salford must once again try to find a way

Tottenham Hotspur (1) 1 v Everton (0) 0 João Palhinha 43 By Kaz Mochlinski at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Premier League Matchweek 38 Tottenham Hotspur dramatically clung on to their Premier League status on the final day of the domestic season as they just about accomplished what they needed to do in getting a positive result against Everton to relegate West Ham United instead. On a nerve-shredding Sunday afternoon of almost unbearable tension, under cloudless skies in sun

London Stadium. Picture by @CapFootballUK West Ham United 3 Leeds United 0 Wider events of the day, out of their hands, the prospect of relegation to the Championship hovered with the intense heat above the London Stadium. West Ham did all they could do, as it turned out. A 3-0 win over Leeds United is an impressive scoreline on the face of it. As usual though, facts only temporarily disguise a bigger, more morose picture in east London, now that relegation is confirmed. The

Curtain call for Silva after Cottage hosts final game of the campaign Premier League Fulham (1) 2 Diop 20, Cairney 80 Newcastle United (0) 0 Marco Silva collected his 100th win as Fulham head coach but the question after this impressive 2-0 victory against Newcastle United is whether he will be around to add to that milestone. In the past few months, Silva has sidestepped questions about his future with more adeptness than his attacking players, who went into Sunday’s match h

Campeones....the Arsenal bus receiving a rapturous welcome from away fans at Selhurst: Picture by @YTJourno Premier League Crystal Palace (0) 1 Mateta 89 Arsenal (1) 2 Jesus 42, Madueke 48 Arsenal closed out their champagne league season with another win, but his was never going to be a hugely significant afternoon on the pitch - it was all about celebratory vibes and send-offs. Two teams heading to central Europe for finals - the Eagles in Leipzig to play Rayo Vallecano, Ars

A hastily-arranged get together Championship Play-Off final Hull City (0) 1 McBurnie 90+5 Middlesbrough (0) 0 The fixture from a parallel universe with its £200m price tag and threats of litigation all around it ended with Hull City claiming their slot in next season's Premier League. They were last there in 2017 and for much of this impossible-to-call contest did not look much like edging it. Then, in the fifth minute of injury time, sub Yu Hirakawa's cross from the left was

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

Gunners fans in euphoric mood It has been 22 long years but at last the Gunners have shed the nearly-men tag to land the Premier League title last won by the Invincibles. They are the champions. The fact they have done it without playing will be greatly appreciated by their fans, who have had to witness the torment of many narrow nail biting wins in recent weeks. Closing in on that elusive title has felt tortuous and Monday night's desperately grim 1-0 win over Burnley seemed