Fulham have named Spaniard Alvaro Arbeloa as the new boss on a three-year deal, Yankee Scores reports.
The former Real Madrid manager replaces Marco Silva who has succeeded Jose Mourinho at Benfica.
Glowing references from recently re-elected Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and the Spanish club’s new manager Jose Mourinho, for whom he played at the Santiago Bernabeu, helped to boost Arbeloa’s offer.
Welcome to Fulham, Álvaro Arbeloa. 🤍
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) July 7, 2026
The former full back left Real Madrid at the end of last season and was replaced by Mourinho who left Benfica Then, despite contract offers from Fulham, Silva opted to go to the Portuguese side as a replacement for Mourinho.
In an interview last month with BBC Sport, Fulham Vice-Chairman said Silva had assured the club to stay on but suddenly changed his mind and left eh Craven Cottage after five years.
Arbeloa Excited by Fulham Job
“It is a real honour for me to be embarking on this new stage at Fulham FC, the oldest club in London,” he said. “I feel a great sense of responsibility and I’m deeply grateful to [chairman] Mr [Shahid] Khan and [vice-chairman] Tony Khan for the trust they have placed in me with Fulham in the Premier League.”
Chairman Shahid Khan said: “Alvaro is, by his own admission, very ambitious. He has spent quality time around the best players, clubs and methods in the game, experiences which will serve him well here at Fulham.
“Alvaro also has great interest in our academy set-up and believes in giving young players a chance. I loved hearing that from Alvaro, as well as his intent on playing attacking football.”
Why Arbeloa Beat Out Frank and McKenna
Former Spurs and Brentford boss Thomas Frank, was considered for the Fulham job, while former Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was thought to be too expensive at £8m before salary and staff costs.
Arbeloa was a coach for the youth teams in Madrid before taking over as interim coach in January when Xabi Alonso left.
He took the reins at Real Madrid for the final 28 games of the season as the club finished second in La Liga and were eliminated from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Bayern Munich.
Arbeloa is eager to bring in players with him, including attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono, full-back Fran Garcia and forward Gonzalo Garcia.
