Overview
- Marco Silva confirmed he will leave Fulham to join Benfica earlier this month, creating the vacancy the club must now fill.
- Fulham held preliminary talks with Álvaro Arbeloa this week and several bookmakers have made him the odds-on favourite for the job.
- Arbeloa became available after leaving Real Madrid following a six-month interim spell that included a shock Copa del Rey exit and a Champions League quarter-final defeat.
- The club has expanded its shortlist beyond Arbeloa to include names such as Rúben Amorim, Abel Ferreira, Hugo Oliveira and Frank Lampard while Kieran McKenna has ruled himself out.
- Fulham face a compressed timeline before pre-season and the transfer window so the appointment will affect coaching continuity, player recruitment and the club’s immediate competitive plans.