Fulham have confirmed the appointment of Alvaro Arbeloa as their new head coach on a three-year contract, with the former Real Madrid manager taking charge of the Premier League club.
The 43-year-old replaces Marco Silva, who departed Craven Cottage after accepting an offer to become the new manager of Benfica.
“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.”
Fulham chairman Shahid Khan expressed his confidence in Arbeloa, highlighting the Spaniard’s ambition and experience gained from working among elite players, clubs and footballing structures.
“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.”
Arbeloa’s appointment was reportedly strengthened by strong recommendations from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and the club’s new manager Jose Mourinho, whom the former defender played under during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The ex-Real Madrid full-back left the Spanish giants at the end of last season, with Mourinho taking over as his replacement. Mourinho had previously left Benfica, paving the way for Silva to move to Portugal as his successor despite Fulham presenting him with new contract proposals.
Last month, Fulham vice-chairman Tony Khan revealed that Silva had initially planned to remain at the club but later changed his decision, catching the board off guard after a successful five-year spell in west London.
“Indicated he wanted to stay” and “Marco changed his mind” were the phrases used by Khan when describing Silva’s unexpected departure from Craven Cottage.
Several other candidates were considered for the vacancy, including former Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford manager Thomas Frank. Ex-Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna was also discussed but was considered too costly, with Fulham unwilling to meet an £8m compensation fee before accounting for wages and additional staff expenses.
Arbeloa previously worked as a youth coach at Real Madrid before stepping into the interim manager role following Xabi Alonso’s departure in January.
During his temporary spell in charge, he guided Real Madrid through the final 28 matches of the campaign, helping them secure a second-place finish in La Liga before their Champions League run ended in the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich.
The new Fulham boss is reportedly interested in bringing several players with him from Madrid, including attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono, defender Fran Garcia and forward Gonzalo Garcia.
