Fulham have signed Alvaro Arbeloa, the former Real Madrid coach, as the club — which finished 11th in the Premier League last season — announced. The 43-year-old former defender, who was part of the Spanish squad that won the 2010 World Cup, has signed a three-year contract.
Fulham said in a statement: "The club is delighted to announce the appointment of Alvaro Arbeloa as Fulham's new sporting director." Arbeloa enjoyed a trophy-laden playing career with Real Madrid, winning the Champions League twice, but his fortunes as coach of the Spanish club were not at the same level when he replaced Xabi Alonso in January of this year.
Arbeloa, who previously played in the Premier League with Liverpool, succeeds Portuguese coach Marco Silva, who resigned at the end of last season after guiding the team to 11th place and is now in charge of Portuguese club Benfica. Silva had filled the void left by his compatriot José Mourinho upon his return to Real Madrid — a manager under whom Arbeloa had previously stated he would not work. Arbeloa said: "It is a great honour for me to begin this new chapter with Fulham, London's oldest club. I feel a great sense of responsibility."
Arbeloa's brief spell as Real Madrid coach was marked by an early exit from the Copa del Rey round of 16 at the hands of second-division side Albacete, as well as several painful defeats in La Liga that ended the club's title hopes. Real Madrid also went out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals to German side Bayern Munich, finishing a second consecutive season without any silverware.