Fulham have confirmed the appointment of Alvaro Arbeloa as their new head manager, signing the 43-year-old to a three-year contract.
The former Real Madrid interim boss takes charge at Craven Cottage following Marco Silva’s decision to join Benfica as Jose Mourinho’s replacement in Portugal.
Arbeloa expressed his delight at the appointment, saying: “It is a real honour for me to be embarking on this new stage at Fulham FC, the oldest club in London.”
He added: “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 moved quickly to explain what attracted the club to the former Spanish full-back, highlighting both his ambition and his footballing philosophy.
Khan said: “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.”
The chairman also pointed to Arbeloa’s interest in developing young talent, adding: “I loved hearing that from Alvaro, as well as his intent on playing attacking football.”
Arbeloa’s candidacy was boosted by strong references from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and incoming Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, who he played under at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Silva’s departure came as a surprise to the Fulham board, with vice-chairman Tony Khan revealing last month that the Portuguese coach had previously “indicated he wanted to stay” before “Marco changed his mind” after five years at the club.
Fulham had explored other options before settling on Arbeloa, with Thomas Frank linked to the role and Kieran McKenna ruled out due to a compensation fee deemed too expensive at £8m before salary and staff costs.
Arbeloa stepped up from youth coaching duties at Real Madrid to take interim charge in January following the departure of Xabi Alonso, leading the side for 28 games.
Under his stewardship, Real Madrid finished second in La Liga and reached the Champions League quarter-finals before being eliminated by Bayern Munich.
The new Fulham boss is now looking to bring familiar faces with him to west London, with attacking midfielder Franco Mastantuono, full-back Fran Garcia, and forward Gonzalo Garcia among his targets.
