Real Madrid's youth academy rarely gets the praise it deserves, but as of late, more and more people are seeing the light and noticing how much talent the club actually has in its ranks.
It is obvious that La Masia takes the limelight many times, partly because they produce some of the best players in the world, but also because those players actually get to play for Barcelona for one reason or the other.
With Real Madrid, it's a bit different because they always produce some really good players, but many, if not all, do not actually get to play that many games for the first team.
This has been true for a while now, but last season saw something different with Álvaro Arbeloa. He gave opportunities to a lot of young players like Thiago Pitarch, Manuel Ángel, César Palacios, and many others who tried their best to solidify a position in the lineup for the first team.
Cesar Palacios' move to Fulham will be great for his development
At this point in time, there is no one who has been promoted from Castilla to the first team, but that does not mean these players are not talented. Real Madrid have produced some of the most talented players in their recent history, and not being able to play for Real Madrid doesn't mean they're not good enough to play for any other top teams in Europe.
For Palacios, that is certainly the case, as he is set for a move to Fulham - along with Gonzalo Garcia where Arbeloa currently is the manager, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Palacios is a brilliant talent who had a really good season with Castilla in 2025-26. He scored 15 goals and provided four assists, taking his level to a really high standard after his terrible injury a couple of years ago.
Palacios also made some really good impressions when he played for the first team in a few appearances. He looked very confident and very smooth with the way he kept the ball. His link-up play was really good, and his off-ball movement was also very impressive.
It may not have been enough for Real Madrid to keep him around, but the nearly 22-year-old was always going to have options of playing in the top leagues in Europe. The Premier League is definitely up there, and Arbeloa, who has been an obvious fan of Palacios in the last few years, would certainly improve him even more.
Palacios is one of the best players that has come out of the academy in recent times, and Arbeloa would actually be doing Real Madrid a favor by taking him on and developing him even more than he was able to at the club last season.
No one knows what Palacios' ceiling is. Maybe he turns out to be another Nico Paz and becomes a brilliant player for Fulham in the next couple of years. Maybe his ceiling is a bit lower, but even then, more minutes, especially in a league as competitive and physical as the Premier League, would only help Palacios gain confidence and improve his abilities as a football player.
Arbeloa has had an effect on him at Real Madrid, and now he will also be doing the club a favor by helping him, watching him grow into a much better version of himself.
It remains to be seen how much Fulham actually pay for Palacios and when the deal gets done, but if it is getting closer, it's definitely a good sign.
Add us as a preferred source on Google