Fulham have appointed Alvaro Arbeloa as their new head coach on a three-year contract following the departure of Marco Silva to Benfica.
The 43-year-old Spaniard takes charge at Craven Cottage after leaving Real Madrid at the end of last season, where he served as interim manager during the second half of the campaign.
“I’m delighted to begin this new chapter with Fulham Football Club,” Arbeloa said. “It is a real honour for me to be embarking on this new stage at Fulham FC, the oldest club in London.
“I feel a great sense of responsibility and I’m deeply grateful to Mr Shahid Khan and Tony Khan for the trust they have placed in me with Fulham in the Premier League.”
Fulham back Arbeloa’s vision
Club chairman Shahid Khan welcomed the appointment, praising Arbeloa’s commitment to developing young players.
“Alvaro is, by his own admission, very ambitious,” Khan said. “He has spent quality time around the best players, clubs and methods in the game, experiences which will serve him well here at Fulham.
“Alvaro also has great interest in our academy set-up and believes in giving young players a chance. I loved hearing that from Alvaro, as well as his intent on playing attacking football.”
Arbeloa’s appointment follows Silva’s decision to leave Fulham after five years in charge and accept the managerial role at Benfica.
Fulham had hoped to retain the Portuguese coach, but he opted for a return to his homeland.
Spaniard begins Premier League challenge
Before accepting the Fulham job, Arbeloa received strong backing from Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and the club’s new manager Jose Mourinho, who both endorsed his candidacy.
The former Spain international previously worked as a youth coach at Real Madrid before taking over the first team on an interim basis following Xabi Alonso’s departure in January.
He guided Madrid through the final 28 matches of the season, finishing second in La Liga before their Champions League campaign ended with a quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich.
Fulham also considered other candidates, including former Tottenham and Brentford manager Thomas Frank, while a move for former Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna was ruled out because of the overall financial package involved.
Arbeloa is expected to strengthen his squad this summer and is reportedly interested in bringing Real Madrid trio Franco Mastantuono, Fran Garcia and Gonzalo Garcia to west London.