William Gallas Makes Surprise Admission Regarding Crystal Palace & Names Favourite London Club

Former France international defender William Gallas has revealed that, following spells at Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, he views his time at Stamford Bridge as ''the most special''.

Speaking in a one-on-one interview with Four Four Two, the 39-year-old stated that lifting the league title with Chelsea, and thereafter becoming a regular starter for France, rank among his favourite memories as a professional.

Image by Adam Samuel

Gallas explained:  “I liked all three, but maybe Chelsea was the most special time for me. It was my first club abroad and I had a great time there, winning a few trophies as well.

“And it was there that I first started my international career as well. When you are playing for a big club you expect to lift trophies. When I won the Premier League with Chelsea I felt like the King of England. You want to keep experiencing that.”

Image by Adam Samuel

Following five successful years with Chelsea, Gallas was involved in a player plus money deal for Ashley Cole, and duly moved to the Blues' north London rivals Arsenal, where he rose to become captain and made over 100 appearances in four years.

Thereafter, he completed his own personal trifecta of London clubs by joining the Gunners' bitter rivals Spurs, spending a further three years at White Hart Lane.

Gallas then left Spurs in 2013, calling time on his playing career a year later following a spell in Australia. However, the defender suggested that he could have added to his collection of London clubs, with West Ham and Crystal Palace having been past suitors.

He elaborated: “I think my agent actually did talk with [West Ham], but I am not 100 per cent sure.

“What I clearly recall, though, is that I had a meeting with Crystal Palace in the summer of 2013. Ian Holloway was manager at the time and we met at the training ground to discuss a deal, but it didn’t come off in the end.

''I tried to go back to Marseille, to offer them my experience, but they didn’t offer me a deal despite me saying that I would halve my salary.I also spoke to Claudio Ranieri, who was the manager of Monaco. He seemed happy to sign me but later explained that the board had ruled it out. In the end I signed for Perth Glory.''