Super-agent Jorge Mendes has played a central role in a remarkable chain of managerial moves spanning Real Madrid, Benfica and Fulham.
Jose Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid from Benfica set off a sequence of events that could see former Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa arrive in west London.
With Mourinho heading back to the Santiago Bernabeu following Florentino Perez’s re-election as Real Madrid president, Benfica were immediately left searching for a new manager.
Marco Silva had already attracted attention after being shortlisted by Chelsea, and he subsequently emerged as Benfica’s primary target to fill the vacancy.
Benfica secured Silva’s services despite Fulham offering their manager of five years a record contract to stay at Craven Cottage.
Mendes brokered deals for both Mourinho’s return to Madrid and Silva’s move to Benfica, further cementing his reputation as one of football’s most influential figures in the managerial market.
That left interim Fulham boss Arbeloa without a role, but Mendes recommended the former Liverpool and West Ham defender to the Cottagers, with a move now advanced and expected to go through.
Arbeloa is represented by Best of You agent Oscar Ribot, and Mendes, 60, acted as the connective tissue between all parties in completing the triangle.
Mendes has also been involved in Enzo Maresca’s imminent move to Manchester City, and works with Vitor Pereira, Unai Emery and Nuno Espirito Santo across the Premier League and Championship.
Another Mendes client, Cesar Peixoto of Gil Vicente in Portugal, is set to replace Rob Edwards as Wolves manager, with Gestifute maintaining a close relationship with Molineux owners Fosun.
The moves are part of a much wider upheaval at the top of English football, with ten Premier League clubs set to begin next season with new or recently appointed managers.
Those clubs include Bournemouth, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Ipswich, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham, highlighting an unprecedented period of managerial turnover.
Arbeloa’s appointment at Fulham would set up a fascinating rivalry with his former international teammate Xabi Alonso, who has taken charge at Chelsea, with just over a mile separating Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage.
The two played together for seven consecutive years at club level and even longer for the Spanish national team, winning two European Championships and the World Cup between 2008 and 2012.
Mourinho signed both players from Liverpool in the same summer that Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka joined Real Madrid to challenge Pep Guardiola’s dominant Barcelona side.
One well-placed source in Spain described Arbeloa replacing Alonso at Real Madrid in January as initially awkward, given the closeness of their personal relationship away from football.
Alonso had struggled to convince dressing-room stars such as Kylian Mbappe to adapt to his high-pressing and possession-based approach before departing the Bernabeu.
Arbeloa stepped up from leading Real Madrid Castilla, their reserve team in the third tier of Spanish football, to steady the ship, with Madrid finishing second in the league and exiting the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.
At Castilla, Arbeloa built his identity around what he calls offensive joy, with possession and pressing as twin pillars alongside the flexibility to go more direct when a match demanded it.
His 4-3-3 shape regularly shifted into a 4-2-3-1 in practice, with one midfielder pushing on as a number ten, and intensity remained non-negotiable throughout his time in charge.
Arbeloa has credited Rafa Benitez, Manuel Pellegrini, Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti as key influences on his coaching philosophy, absorbing different lessons from each of his former managers.
He has been particularly clear on one point about man-management, stating that a coach who can’t manage the group is “doomed to fail” regardless of their tactical ideas.
As he reflected on his time stepping in at Real Madrid’s first team, Arbeloa acknowledged the constraints he faced, saying simply: “I had to be the manager I had to be.”
