How Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham could be the next team to surprise a few in the Premier League in 2026/27
43-year-old Spaniard Alvaro Arbeloa takes charge of the West London club after Marco Silva’s exit in June due to his contract expiring.
Fulham have already made major moves in the transfer market on Arbeloa’s side, and Sports News Blitz writer Dylan Grady looks at how the ex-Real Madrid manager can shock a few doubters in the upcoming 2026/27 season.
Small sample size
Arbeloa was made the Real Madrid manager on January 12, 2026, after previous manager Xabi Alonso was said to have “fallen out” with some of the dressing room’s biggest players and personalities.
Madrid acted quickly and looked closer to home, with Arbeloa managing Real Madrid Castilla since June 2025, which is Madrid’s academy team.
The ex-Liverpool and West Ham right-back had been involved in the Castilla set-up since 2020, when he was first the manager of the under-14 side.
Arbeloa worked his way up the youth teams and, as stated, took over from Raul on the 28th May 2025 to take the helm of Castilla.
The Spaniard’s time as Real Madrid’s head coach can be said to be over-hated due to the situation he was drafted into, with Madrid, before he came in, struggling for form and a lack of identity within the team.
Arbeloa led the club to the Champions League quarter-finals after being knocked out by Bayern Munich 6-4 on aggregate, and also finishing second in La Liga only eight points behind champions Barcelona.
Whilst his time at Madrid wasn’t too disappointing, the writing was on the wall for Arbeloa, and he announced his resignation on June 9.
Club president Florentino Perez, however, wanted Arbeloa to stay as No.2 towards the eventual new manager, who turned out to be Jose Mourinho.
Arbeloa felt that he had gained valuable experience over the six years he was at Real Madrid Castilla, and the previous five-month period he was the Real Madrid first-team manager, with a permanent head-coach role looking to be his plan for the future.
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La Castilla takeover
Fulham have been busy during the summer transfer window, with Arbeloa’s knowledge and connections being evident in the business they have made over the last few weeks.
The West London side announced the double signing of Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios on the third of August, in a double-swoop from Real Madrid after Arbeloa worked with both at La Castilla and with Real Madrid’s first team.
The 22-year-old Garcia joined for a reported £34 million, making him the focal point of the Fulham attack, netting four goals in just six starts for Los Blancos.
Palacios, 21-year-old, joined for a reported £8.5 million, also joining Garcia on a five-year-deal.
The young midfielder only gained five appearances for Madrid last season, but impressed in the games he featured with close-knit control and line-breaking passes in the centre of the pitch.
Arbeloa was also looking at Thiago Pitarch to join Fulham, whom he promoted to the first team in January when he was made first-team head coach.
The 19-year-old played 10 games in La Liga last season and six in the Champions League, with Arbeloa putting full trust in the Castilla graduate, letting him start both legs in the Champions League quarter-finals last season.
However, Fulham’s board and Arbeloa seem to have opted against the Castilla route for a third time, with them announcing the signing of Shea Charles on August 11.
The Northern Irish international joins Fulham for an initial £26 million, which could rise up to £30 million if performance milestones are met.
Charles was seen as one of the Championship’s next young talents to make the jump from England’s second tier to the Premier League, with the new Fulham man scoring crucial goals in Southampton’s campaign last year.
The 22-year-old scored a late winner against Premier League champions Arsenal at St Mary’s to send the Saints to Wembley for an FA Cup quarter-final, and another goal which sent them to Wembley was an extra-time winner against Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-final.
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Squad adaptation
Even with the recent additions of Garcia, Palacios and Charles, Fulham still remain at the top of the list for the highest average-aged squad in the Premier League.
This is due to the likes of Bernd Leno (34), Kenny Tete (30), Timothy Castagne (30) and Tom Cairney (35).
Fulham’s squad also consists of many other older and experienced players, keeping the average age of the squad at 27.8 years old.
Compare that to their West London rivals and the team that they face in the first game week of the Premier League, Chelsea. Theirs is quite young, at 23.3 years old.
Whilst there are positives and negatives for Fulham having the oldest squad in the league, Tony Khan, Fulham’s Vice Chairman and Director of Football Operations, has been evident in the last few transfer windows in getting that blend of youth and experience in his club’s squad.
As stated previously, with the recent additions in this transfer window, Fulham also signed last season two wingers aged 22, Kevin and Oscar Bobb, who are both dynamic and tricky wide players who can cause problems for opposition full-backs.
While recently the Cottagers have been fixated on younger players, now it could be said they have a good mixture within their squad.
Can Alvaro Arbeloa make Fulham a serious outfit for this season, or could he be first on the chopping block?
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