Real Madrid News
Alvaro Arbeloa reflects on his time as Real Madrid manager: ‘I will always be grateful’
Former Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa is the subject of the first episode of the new season of Premier Corner by Guinness 0.0 on DAZN.
The Fulham coach discussed his move into English football and, above all, reaffirmed his enduring connection with Real Madrid, a bond that his move to London has only strengthened.
Despite the distance from the Spanish capital, Arbeloa made it clear that his heart remains at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Looking back on his spell as Real Madrid’s first-team coach, Arbeloa didn’t shy away from self-criticism, but spoke with gratitude about the experience.
“Coaching Madrid was a huge learning experience and a great experience. I wish it had gone better, for the club and the supporters, but things happened the way they happened,” he admitted, as quoted by MARCA.
He then made clear that any assessment of that period comes second to his identity as a lifelong Madridista.
“I will always be grateful to Madrid. I’m a Madridista and I always will be. Even more so now that I also have a friend in the dugout managing the team.”
That attachment goes far beyond his most recent spell as a coach.
“Madrid is the club of my life. I’ll watch all their matches. I’m here thanks to Madrid. I’ve been involved with this club for more than 20 years, and it’s something I’ll always carry inside me,” said Arbeloa, underlining how deeply Real Madrid remains embedded in him.
Gonzalo and Palacios fit his vision
Arbeloa also discussed the type of player he wants to build his project around at Craven Cottage, and two familiar names immediately came to mind.
“I like players who want to learn, work and demand a lot of themselves,” he explained.
That profile perfectly describes Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios, the two Real Madrid academy graduates Arbeloa brought to Fulham this summer.
“They’re two players with immense talent who share that personality, self-demand and ambition that I want in young players like them,” he said.
A new life in London
Away from Madrid, Arbeloa also reflected on his new life in the Premier League, which he described as the most competitive and most followed league in the world.
What attracted him to Fulham, he explained, was the project and the ambition communicated by the club’s owners. The idea is to build a young, hungry team capable of competing with an aggressive identity.
Arbeloa wants his side to be particularly intense without the ball, brave when pressing and willing to accept the risks that come with such an approach.
His first Premier League fixture already brought him up against Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea, with the Basque coach coming out on top.
The story of Manchester United’s young talent JJ Gabriel has been one of the major talking points in the Spanish media in recent weeks, as the player is seen as one of the most promising talents in the sport.
Having made his decision to leave Manchester United at just 15 years of age, Gabriel has sparked interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid as his primary destinations. Bayern Munich also remain alert to the operation.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Barcelona were growing as an option and taking charge of the race, but Real Madrid also remain committed to the objective as reported by Diario AS.
A complicated deal
As confirmed by the Spanish outlet, signing Gabriel requires several bureaucratic clarifications given the player’s age and England’s rules on teenage transfers.
Real Madrid are thus studying the potential operation and the risks it could involve in detail and have been in contact with Manchester United to inform them of what is happening with the player.
The reason for the complication is straightforward – Gabriel still does not have a professional contract with Manchester United. That makes his departure easy, but his age makes matters ambiguous.
Since the United Kingdom left the European Union, FIFA regulations do not permit UK-based players to leave the country before the age of 18.
Ireland, however, is where the player’s roots are, and the nation is outside the UK’s economic and labour relationship with the rest of Europe. How his situation will be interpreted, thus, remains a gray area.
Looking for clarity
Real Madrid, for their part, are looking to make sure they are absolutely certain about the interpretation of rules before they go all out to sign the youngster.
As per the European Union, players are free to move after the age of 16 – a number Gabriel will cross in October.
There is, thus, a strong likelihood that the player’s Irish heritage will permit a transfer, and all eyes will be on Real Madrid’s pre-transfer diligence to see if they eventually push for the move.
