Football coach who developed star players dies following short illness
Malcolm Elias spent time working at Fulham, Liverpool and Southampton
Fulham's head of academy recruitment Malcolm Elias, who developed the likes of Gareth Bale and Trent Alexander-Arnold, has died.
Elias arrived in west London from Liverpool in 2009, having also previously worked at Southampton.
The 71 year old had a keen eye for developing young talent which also included Theo Walcott and Harvey Elliott,among others.
A statement on the Fulham website said:
"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our colleague and dear friend, Malcolm Elias, after a short illness.
"The club's head of academy recruitment, Malcolm had a fantastic reputation in football for unearthing and nurturing young talent.
"The influence that Malcolm had on the modern game cannot be understated, having worked with and developed the likes of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, Luke Harris and Jay Stansfield, to name but a few."
Bale enjoyed a highly successful career, with the former Southampton, Tottenham and Real Madrid forward retiring as a five-time Champions League winner and finishing with 111 caps for Wales.
Liverpool academy product Alexander-Arnold lifted eight major honours at his boyhood club and the 26-year-old joined Real Madrid on a six-year deal at the start of June.
"A hugely popular figure around the training ground, Malcolm will be sorely missed by all who knew him," the statement added.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Paula - Malcolm's ever devoted and endlessly supportive wife of nearly 50 years - his sons Andrew and Daniel, his six beloved grandchildren, as well as his additional family and friends."
In a tribute on social media Southampton said:
"We are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Malcolm Elias, one of the influential figures in the club's youth development history," Southampton posted on X.
"Our thoughts go out to all of Malcolm's family, friends and colleagues at this time."