Fulham have confirmed the appointment of Alvaro Arbeloa as their new head coach following the departure of Marco Silva.The Athletic reported last month that Fulham were finalising a three-year deal for the former Real Madrid boss to replace Silva, who left the club after five years to join Benfica this summer.The club had maintained that there were two leading candidates for the role in the days leading up to Arbeloa’s appointment, but the Spaniard will now take over and returns to the Premier League for the first time since leaving West Ham United as a player in 2017.“It is a real honour for me to be embarking on this new stage at Fulham FC, the oldest club in London,” Arbeloa said. “I feel a great sense of responsibility and I’m deeply grateful to Mr. (Shahid) Khan and Tony Khan for the trust they have placed in me with Fulham in the Premier League.
“I am really looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere at Craven Cottage with Fulham fans and beginning pre-season with the players next week. I am sure we are going to enjoy an incredible journey together.”
Welcome to Fulham, Álvaro Arbeloa. 🤍
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) July 7, 2026Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso as Madrid’s head coach from January until the end of the season. He took over with the La Liga side four points behind rivals Barcelona, and that gap was extended to eight by the end of the season.Arbeloa oversaw a shock Copa del Rey defeat at the last-16 stage to second division side Albacete and, despite eliminating Benfica and then Manchester City from the Champions League, Madrid were beaten by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.Talks over Arbeloa’s appointment at Craven Cottage covered a range of topics including the Spaniard’s backroom staff and first-team squad planning.Arbeloa’s coaching career began in Madrid’s youth system, and he went on to coach the Under-19 side before Real Madrid Castilla, where he spent the first half of the 2025-26 season before succeeding Alonso with the first team.Arbeloa will face his predecessor Alonso in Fulham’s first Premier League game of the season, against Chelsea on August 24.Former Fulham head coach Silva led the side to the Championship title in his debut season before stabilising them in the top-flight, finishing 10th, 13th, 11th and 11th in the last four seasons under the Portuguese coach. He has gone on to replace Jose Mourinho at Benfica, who has returned to Madrid.
