Fulham have named former Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa as the new head coach on a three-year contract, following Marco Silva’s departure from Craven Cottage to Benfica, handing the 43-year-old a first Premier League managerial role.

Arbeloa leaves Real Madrid at the end of the 2025-26 season, having stepped in for Xabi Alonso in January and overseeing 28 games in all competitions, with 18 wins, two draws and eight defeats but no trophies.

Real Madrid finished second in LaLiga behind Barcelona during Arbeloa’s spell, exited the Champions League in the quarter-finals, and went out of the Copa del Rey in the last 16, shaping how Fulham supporters may judge recent experience and pressure handling.

Arbeloa’s time in Madrid was shaped by several off-field matters, with Kylian Mbappe, Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni frequently in focus, and Fulham now hope calmer surroundings help Arbeloa expand on the base left by Silva after an 11th-place Premier League finish.

Fulham matched 10th-place Chelsea on points last season and missed a Europa Conference League spot by a single point, so expectations around Craven Cottage are for Arbeloa to maintain stability while pushing for a higher position under a clear long-term plan.

Explaining the significance of the move, Arbeloa said: “It is a real honour for me to be embarking on this new stage at Fulham FC, the oldest club in London,” outlining personal pride at leading a historic English club.