Fulham vs Chelsea: The Man Who Replaced Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid Now Faces Him Across the Craven Cottage Touchline

by Geoffrey Ejiga

image Fulham vs Chelsea: The Man Who Replaced Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid Now Faces Him Across the Craven Cottage Touchline
Alvaro Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid manager in January after Alonso was sacked following a defeat to Barcelona. Seven months later, both are in the Premier League. Alonso starts his Chelsea reign on Monday night at Craven Cottage, where Arbeloa's Fulham are waiting. The two won the 2010 World Cup together, played alongside each other at Real Madrid for five seasons, and now manage clubs separated by less than two miles along the Thames. Monday Night Football has not had an opening like this in years.
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From the Santiago Bernabeu to SW6

Alonso lasted 233 days at Real Madrid. He was appointed in June 2025 to replace Carlo Ancelotti, but after a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup and a four-point gap in La Liga, he was dismissed in January 2026.

His replacement? Arbeloa, who had been managing the reserve team and was promoted to the first team the same day Alonso left.

Both finished the season at Madrid, Arbeloa in the dugout, Alonso out of work. By May, the Premier League had pulled them both across the Channel.

Chelsea appointed Alonso on a four-year deal on May 17, making him the fifth permanent manager under BlueCo ownership after Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior.

Arbeloa, meanwhile, joined Fulham at the end of June on a three-year contract, replacing Marco Silva after five seasons at the club.

Their first match as Premier League managers is against each other. And all that drama will unfold in the 93rd meeting between these two clubs.

Chelsea's Spending and Alonso's Challenge

Morgan Rogers for Chelsea

Chelsea finished 10th last season and missed out on the Champions League and European competition entirely for 2026-27. The response from the ownership has been all too familiar: spend.

Morgan Rogers arrived from Aston Villa for £117 million, a British transfer record. Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda all cost over £50 million each.

Alonso built his reputation at Bayer Leverkusen, where he went 51 games unbeaten across all competitions and won the:

  • Bundesliga,
  • DFB-Pokal, and
  • DFL-Supercup

That was more than enough to earn him the Real Madrid job, which he then lost inside eight months.

Chelsea are indeed praying for the Leverkusen version of Alonso, even though the one at Madrid won 24 of 34 games, taking 2.23 points from every three presented.

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea are the favourites to take all three, so Alonso is more likely set for a good start. However, Wesley Fofana misses the opener through a suspension carried over from last season.

Fulham Under New Management After Five Years of Silva

Arbeloa has 28 senior managerial games to his name. He has never managed outside Spain before this appointment, and he steps into a squad that has lost two of its most productive attackers.

Harry Wilson left for Leeds and Raul Jimenez also departed, with both players having scored in the 2-1 win over Chelsea at Craven Cottage in January.

In their place, Arbeloa has recruited from what he knows. Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios both arrived from Real Madrid, and the hope is that familiarity with the manager's methods can offset the step up in intensity that the Premier League demands.

Fulham's recent Craven Cottage record against Chelsea should give the home support confidence. Both of Fulham's wins in the last five meetings came at home, and the draw also came here.

However, Joachim Andersen for Fulham will also miss the match through a suspension carried over from last season.