Alvaro Arbeloa in talks with shock club hours after Real Madrid sacking

Alvaro Arbeloa is in talks with a Premier League club just days after being sacked by Real Madrid.

Arbeloa succeeded Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid head coach in January but lasted less than five months in the role after failing to lead Los Blancos to silverware in the second half of the 2025/26 campaign.

On Tuesday (June 9), Real released a statement confirming Arbeloa’s departure, with Jose Mourinho expected to take over following Florentino Perez’s re-election as club president.

Despite being sacked just days ago, Arbeloa appears set for an immediate return to top-level management, with The Athletic reporting that the Spaniard has held talks with Fulham over succeeding Marco Silva at Craven Cottage, with the Portuguese set to take up the vacancy at Benfica.

READ MORE: Real Madrid to pay club-record fee to Benfica as Jose Mourinho agreement made public

Arbeloa previously managed Real Madrid’s reserve team before stepping up as first-team manager, but boasts no other top-level managerial experience.

The 43-year-old does, however, boast experience in English football’s top flight, having represented Liverpool and West Ham United during his playing career.

Kieran McKenna was previously the heavy favourite to take the reins in west London, but it has since been confirmed that he has resigned from his role at Ipswich despite leading the Tractor Boys to three promotions in four seasons.

“After giving so much to the role over the previous five seasons, I now look forward to taking a break from management and dedicating some time to my family, who have been with me every step of my career so far,” McKenna said in a statement.

Meanwhile, according to Sky Bet, former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim remains in the running for the Fulham job, alongside Coventry boss Frank Lampard and Famalicão's Hugo Oliveira.

Fulham next manager odds

Alvaro Arbeloa — 11/8

Ruben Amorim — 2/1

Hugo Oliveira — 3/1

Frank Lampard — 4/1

Jose Bordalas — 15/2

Edin Terzic — 15/2

Bo Svensson — 15/2

Arne Slot — 15/2

Martin O'Neill — 15/2

Abel Ferreira — 17/2

Liam Rosenior — 9/1

Graham Potter — 11/1

Dino Toppmoller — 11/1

Pierre Sage — 11/1

Mauricio Pochettino — 11/1

Robbie Keane — 11/1

Ralph Hasenhüttl — 11/1

Bruno Lage — 11/1

Kjetil Knutsen — 12/1

Lee Carsley — 14/1

Ole Gunnar Solskjær — 14/1

Brian Barry-Murphy — 14/1

Roger Schmidt — 14/1

Derek McInnes — 14/1

Sergio Conceição — 14/1

Jesse Marsch — 16/1

Erik ten Hag — 16/1

Slaven Bilić — 16/1

Sébastien Pocognoli — 16/1

Ryan Mason — 16/1

Ange Postecoglou — 16/1

Danny Röhl — 16/1

Oliver Glasner — 16/1

William Still — 16/1

Thomas Frank — 20/1

Luis Boa Morte — 20/1

Mark Robins — 22/1

Paulo Fonseca — 22/1

Keith Andrews — 22/1

Kim Hellberg — 22/1

Gareth Southgate — 22/1

Steven Gerrard — 22/1

Gennaro Gattuso — 22/1

Real Madrid statement on Arbeloa’s sacking

On Tuesday, Real Madrid released the following statement confirming Arbeloa’s departure:

“Real Madrid C. F. and Álvaro Arbeloa have reached an agreement to end his tenure as the first-team coach.

“Real Madrid is deeply grateful to Álvaro Arbeloa, who, throughout his career at the club, from the time he joined our academy, has always demonstrated loyalty, commitment and professionalism. His character is a true example of the values of our club.

“Real Madrid, which will always be his home, wishes Álvaro Arbeloa and his entire family the best of luck in this new chapter of their lives.”