Academy boss Elias – who developed Bale and Alexander-Arnold – dies

After a brief illness, Malcolm Elias, the man behind Gareth Bale and Trent Alexander-Arnold, passed away.

After working at Southampton in the past, Elias, Fulham’s head of academy recruitment, left Liverpool in 2009.

We are deeply saddened to learn that our colleague and dear friend, Malcolm Elias, passed away after a brief illness, said Fulham in a statement.

Malcolm, the club’s head of academy recruitment, had a fantastic reputation for finding and nurturing young talent.

“With the collaboration and development of the likes of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, Luke Harris, and Jay Stansfield, to name a few, Malcolm had a significant impact on the modern game.”

Elias, a Welshman, was a key figure in the development of his fellow-student Bale at the Southampton Academy when he was born in 1953.

Bale won 111 Wales caps before beginning his successful club career with Saints, Tottenham, and Real Madrid, where he won five Champions League victories.

Alexander-Arnold, an England international, signed for Real Madrid earlier this month and won eight major awards with his former team, Liverpool.