Álvaro Arbeloa is moving fast to rebuild his attacking lineup at Craven Cottage. The newly appointed Fulham head coach is directly targeting his former club to secure a trio of young prospects. He wants 18-year-old Argentine midfielder Franco Mastantuono, 22-year-old forward Gonzalo García, and Castilla academy product César Palacios.
Arbeloa officially signed a three-year contract on July 8, taking over after Marco Silva departed for Benfica. Fulham lost both Raúl Jiménez and Harry Wilson over the summer. That left glaring holes in the final third. Arbeloa is tapping into his deep knowledge of Madrid’s youth system to fix the problem immediately.
But the deals are complicated. The Spanish manager reportedly submitted a three-player target list to the Fulham board, though each player carries distinct transfer restrictions. Mastantuono cost Real Madrid over €45 million. That makes a permanent move impossible. The Argentine is strictly available for a loan. Palacios would require a structured 50% rights sale, a standard policy for Madrid’s academy graduates.
García remains the immediate priority. Just 10 hours ago, new Real Madrid manager José Mourinho was spotted evaluating the forward in first-team training. Mourinho has to make a final decision on García’s potential release before Fulham can strike a deal.
The competition is fierce. Up to 12 different European clubs are actively monitoring Mastantuono’s loan availability. Serie A side Como already tried to pry García away during the January window. They failed. Now Arbeloa hopes his personal connection gives Fulham the edge in a frantic summer transfer window.
Arbeloa knows these players intimately. He managed Real Madrid’s senior squad for the final 28 games of the 2025-26 season after Xabi Alonso exited the club. Bringing trusted youth players to establish a fast culture fit is a classic managerial move. It mirrors Pep Guardiola taking Thiago to Bayern Munich or Erik ten Hag pulling Ajax talent to Manchester United. Arbeloa needs that exact kind of shortcut to survive his first Premier League campaign.