Fulham in talks with Alvaro Arbeloa to become new manager

Fulham are in talks to appoint Alvaro Arbeloa as their new manager this summer.

Arbeloa’s time as Real Madrid boss came to an end after a tumultuous period in charge of his former side.

The fight between Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni revealed just how toxic the situation had become at the Santiago Bernabeu in May.

That proved to be just the tip of the iceberg, with further tension in the Real Madrid dressing room between players and Arbeloa and his coaching staff, including a very public falling out with Kylian Mbappe.

That led to Arbeloa departing Real Madrid at the end of the season, with Jose Mourinho appointed for a second time in the Spanish capital, in a move which saw Marco Silva replace Mourinho as Benfica manager.

Fulham have been searching for their new manager and have been linked with the likes of Arne Slot, Thomas Frank and Kieran McKenna.

But all three of those have opted to step away temporarily from management instead of taking on the job at Craven Cottage.

And that has left Fulham in the position where they are having to expand their shortlist at a rapid rate in order to get their new manager in.

With the transfer window due to officially open on June 15, Fulham will surely not be able to appoint a new manager before then, but they are hoping to name their new manager as soon as possible as they begin to play their transfer policy for the summer.

The Cottagers have already lost Raul Jimenez to Wolves and though they have offered Harry Wilson a new contract, we are, as of yet, unsure whether the Welshman will accept the offer to stay at Craven Cottage or not.

Now Fulham are in talks with Spaniard Alvaro Arbeloa, whose solitary senior managerial role was with Madrid, having previously taken charge of the Youth team and of Real Madrid Castilla.

He replaced Chelsea’s new manager Xabi Alonso as manager in January 2026 but stepped down after failing to bring Real Madrid any trophies, seeing Los Blancos win nothing for two consecutive years.

Some rumours have suggested that talks are at an ‘advanced stage’ between Arbeloa and Fulham but according to the BBC, those rumours are false and that the closeness of the talks have been over-egged.

Arbeloa may have no Premier League experience as a manager, but he did play for both Liverpool and West Ham.