Fulham hold talks with Alvaro Arbeloa over replacing Marco Silva as head coach

Fulham have held talks with former Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa over the possibility of succeeding Marco Silva.

Silva left Craven Cottage after five years at the end of the season and has since gone on to be announced as Jose Mourinho’s replacement at Benfica.

Arbeloa’s six-month tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu was ended on Tuesday, paving the way for Mourinho’s return.

Arbeloa, who had previously been the club’s reserve team coach, was appointed on January 12 following the sacking of Xabi Alonso.

Fulham are searching for a new head coach following Silva’s departure earlier this month.

The Portuguese was appointed by Fulham in 2021 and guided the club to the Championship title in his first campaign in charge before a period of consolidation in the Premier League.

He led the club to an 11th-place finish in 2025, setting a new club record in the Premier League by winning 54 points. The west London club repeated that finish this term, thanks to a final-day 2-0 win over Newcastle United. Under Silva, Fulham finished 10th, 13th, 11th and 11th in the Premier League.

A right-back in his playing career, Arbeloa won two European Cups with Madrid. He was also part of the Spain side that won the World Cup and two European Championships between 2008 and 2012, winning 56 caps in all.

The 42-year-old played for Liverpool and West Ham United in the Premier League and also played for Deportivo la Coruna in Spain.

Arbeloa’s first game in charge of Madrid was a shock Copa del Rey exit at the hands of second-tier Albacete. During Arbeloa’s tenure, Madrid exited the Champions League at the quarter-final stage with a 6-4 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich. They ended the season second, eight points behind title-winners Barcelona.