When a manager arrives at a new club, it's common to see they bring players from the club they just left to their new club as it brings a sense of familiarity and helps the manager settle in to life with a new team. We saw Pep Guardiola bring Thiago with him from Barcelona to Bayern Munich, Hansi Flick with Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich to Barcelona, and Erik ten Hag with bringing countless Ajax players with him to Manchester United. And for former Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa, he could look to do the same after landing his latest job.
As being reported by MadridXtra on X, new Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa has asked his club to check in with Real Madrid regarding the potential signings of all of Gonzalo Garcia, Cesar Palacios, and Franco Mastantuono as the Spaniard looks to build his squad with some familiar pieces this summer. Fulham have already lost some of their big hitters from last season and Arbeloa wants to act fast to replace them and set his side up for success in the Premier League this season.
Arbeloa looks to bring a piece of Real Madrid with him to London
Fulham have lost some key players from last season this summer with striker Raul Jimenez going back to Wolves and midfielder Harry Wilson leaving on a free transfer to Leeds, which has left some big holes in Arbeloa's squad, holes that if not filled properly could lead to a disastrous start to life in London. The Spaniard obviously doesn't want that to happen and as a result has his eyes set on players he knows well from his short stint on the touchline at the Bernabeu.
Firstly when it comes to Cesar Palacios, Arbeloa knows him from before his time in charge of the first team as he was his manager at Castilla and when he was promoted to first team manager brought the midfielder with him to the first team during the injury crisis this season. Arbeloa gave the 21-year-old his senior team debut against Benfica in the Champions League as well as handing him five La Liga appearances and a Copa del Rey appearance, with the youngster showing some glimpses at what he can bring to the table in the small opportunities he got.
As for Gonzalo and Franco those two are somewhat of headscratchers. The two player saw regular gametime under Xabi Alonso but when Arbeloa took over their gametime became almost non existent so why Arbeloa now sees them as players he would like is somewhat confusing but there's no denying the tow player have incredible talent and would be solid additions to his Fulham side.
How exactly a deal for the three players would look remains unknown at this point with Palacios more likely for a permanent sale than the other two but anything in possible in the world of football. All three players face an uphill battle to make Jose Mourinho's squad so a move to Fulham, even if it's just an initial loan could prove to be beneficial for all parties involved.
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