Alvaro Arbeloa is on his way out of Real Madrid this summer, as the man himself confirmed prior to last weekend’s final match of the 2025-26 season. The 43-year-old had a difficult spell in charge after taking over from Xabi Alonso in January, and his tenure will be overshadowed by a lack of trophies and massive in-fighting that took place in the dressing room.
However, Arbeloa did make a very positive impression on a number of Real Madrid players – in particular, those that made the step-up from Castilla. Numerous academy players were called upon during the second half of the season, and this decision will stand him in good stead when he joins his next club.
According to Marca, no fewer than 10 players are keeping tabs on where Arbeloa ends up next, as they would be very keen to be reunited with him. Gonzalo Garcia, Thiago Pitarch, César Palacios, Manuel Ángel, Jorge Cestero, Daniel Yáñez, Diego Aguado, Jesus Fortea, David Jiménez and Manu Serrano are those mentioned to be willing to play under him again, with the likelihood being that Real Madrid would consider letting each of them go permanently – with a view to keeping control of their futures via certain clauses.
Real Madrid will look to move academy players on in similar fashion to the likes of Nico Paz and Jacobo Ramon. There is much value in doing this compared to seeking out loans, and this is where Arbeloa could see the benefit for his next job, assuming he manages to land out this summer.
For now, it will be interesting to see where Arbeloa does end up. Given the circumstances, he did okay at Real Madrid, but he will be determined to enhance his reputation at a club where he will feel he has more freedom to do things his own way, which he acknowledged was very difficult to do at the Bernabeu.
