Álvaro Arbeloa has spoken about his reunion with Gonzalo García and César Palacios at Fulham, explaining how much it meant to him that the two former Real Madrid players chose to follow him to the Premier League.
Arbeloa left Real Madrid for Fulham this summer, and his familiarity with Madrid’s academy quickly played a role in shaping his new squad. Gonzalo and Palacios both made the move from the Spanish capital to Craven Cottage, giving Arbeloa two young players whose development he had already
followed closely.
Speaking to DAZN, Arbeloa revealed that Fulham faced significant competition for both players. Gonzalo and Palacios had interest from major European clubs, including teams capable of offering European football, but ultimately opted for the opportunity to reunite with their former coach in London.
Arbeloa said:
“It hasn’t been easy (to sign Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios). They had many offers from very important teams in Europe, some of them playing in European competitions. The fact that they wanted to come to Fulham to work with me makes me feel very fortunate. I’m very proud to have them with me again,”
The relationship between Arbeloa and the two players stretches back to their time at Real Madrid. Gonzalo worked under Arbeloa during his development in the academy before eventually establishing himself around the senior team, while Palacios also received opportunities under the Spanish coach. Arbeloa has previously described Gonzalo as possessing the qualities he wants from a striker and Palacios as the kind of technically gifted player supporters pay to watch.
But it is not merely their technical ability that attracted Arbeloa. The Fulham coach emphasized the mentality and ambition of both players — qualities he sees as central to the squad he is attempting to build.
“I know them well. They are two lads with immense talent, each with their own characteristics, but they have that personality, that ambition, that self-discipline, that talent that I want in young players like them and I am sure that they will bring us a lot of joy this year and, above all, in the future,”
