Fulham have appointed Alvaro Arbeloa as their new manager on a three-year contract, the club announced on Wednesday, after Marco Silva stunned the board by leaving for Benfica. The former Real Madrid boss, 43, succeeds Silva, who opted to move to the Portuguese side despite contract offers from Fulham. Vice-chairman Tony Khan said Silva had previously "indicated he wanted to stay" but "changed his mind" after five successful years at Craven Cottage.
Arbeloa, who played for Liverpool and West Ham in the Premier League, left Real Madrid at the end of last season and was replaced by Jose Mourinho. Mourinho had left Benfica, creating a chain that brought Silva to Lisbon and opened the door at Fulham. Arbeloa’s candidacy was supported by excellent references from recently re-elected Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and Mourinho, who he played for at the Bernabeu.
“Fulham appoint Alvaro Arbeloa as manager on three-year deal after Marco Silva left for Benfica.”
"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 Khan and Tony Khan for the trust they have placed in me with Fulham in the Premier League."
Chairman Shahid Khan praised Arbeloa's ambition and his focus on youth development. "Alvaro 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," Khan said.
Arbeloa was a youth coach in Madrid before taking over as interim manager following the departure of Xabi Alonso in January. He led Real Madrid for the last 28 games of the season, finishing second in La Liga and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals, where they were knocked out by Bayern Munich. Now he is keen to bring players with him from his former club, including attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono, full-back Fran Garcia and forward Gonzalo Garcia.
Fulham had previously been linked with former Tottenham and Brentford boss Thomas Frank, while ex-Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was deemed too expensive at £8m before factoring in his salary and staff costs. Arbeloa now takes over a Premier League side with a clear mandate: blend experience with youth and play attacking football.