Alvaro Arbeloa is preparing for his Premier League debut after leaving Real Madrid. It has been a few weeks since Arbeloa managed his last game for the club, but he is on track to return to the bench. Last week, the club officially announced his departure to allow José Mourinho to return as manager, but Arbeloa appears to be on his way to a new challenge in the Premier League.
Arbeloa took over from Xabi Alonso in January, but has always had difficulty imposing himself. A defeat to Albacete in the Copa del Rey early in his tenure set the tone, and he was never able to recover. At the end of the 2025-26 season, the situation between him and several Real Madrid players became untenable.
Despite this, Fulham see Arbeloa as a possible replacement for Marco Silva, who left Craven Cottage to take over at Benfica. Talks with Arbeloa representatives have been ongoing, and now, Fabrizio Romano has reported that an agreement is close to being reached.
In the final months of his time at Real Madrid, Arbeloa said he was unable to implement his preferred style at the Bernabéu, as he had to keep the team's key players happy. In this sense, he believes he will be able to show his true potential at Fulham, and the club's management seems to be in tune with this vision.
Real Madrid will be keeping an eye on Arbeloa's situation because, as with Alonso, it is clear that the role of Los Merengues coach was too big for Arbeloa, especially considering it was his first job in senior football. He hopes to develop during his time at Fulham and, if he does so to a good standard, there is the possibility of a return to the Bernabéu in the future – club officials could certainly leave that door open, which makes it no surprise that they will keep an eye on his Premier League performance.