When Real Madrid took the decision to sack Xabi Alonso in January and hand the reins to Alvaro Arbeloa, few truly believed it was anything more than a caretaker arrangement.
The 43-year-old former Liverpool defender who had been serving as the club’s reserve team coach, was thrust into one of the most high-profile jobs in world football with little warning and even less runway.
UK ONLY
It was always a stopgap, a familiar face to steady a ship that had already sprung several leaks.
Arbeloa’s tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu lasted just six months, and it was rarely comfortable. Madrid was bundled out by Bayern Munich in a gripping two-legged tie, falling 6-4 on aggregate.
A Copa del Rey exit at the hands of second-division Albacete had set the tone early, and though Madrid were never out of the La Liga title race, they ultimately finished eight points adrift of champions Barcelona.
By the time the season drew to a close, the writing was on the wall – Jose Mourinho had been lined up, and Arbeloa was shown the door on Tuesday.
But it seems that Arbeloa is a man in demand regardless of how his spell at Los Blancos went.
David Ornstein has reported that Fulham have held preliminary talks with the Spaniard over the possibility of taking charge at Craven Cottage for the 2026-27 season.
The west London club are in the market for a new head coach following the departure of Marco Silva, who ended a distinguished five-year stint to replace Mourinho at Benfica.
The club also actually made an approach for Arne Slot shortly after the Dutchman was sacked by Liverpool, only for the former Reds boss to promptly knock it back – indicating he is in no rush to return to management and is holding out for a more ambitious opportunity.
With Slot out of the picture, attention has turned to Arbeloa.