Key factors behind Arbeloa renewal at Real Madrid | OneFootball

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, Álvaro Arbeloa has strengthened his case for a Real Madrid renewal after reviving a side. Presented on 13 January, he then suffered a bruising cup exit at Albacete.

He accepted talk of failure then, saying setbacks lie on the road to success. Over three months on, Madrid have regained edge, and he has done so without Mbappé and Bellingham.

His next task is to reintegrate them into a collective built on work rather than numbers, typified by Valverde, whose hat-trick matched internal progress, and by candour on a grey sofa where coach and players speak plainly.

Early optics fed an interim image while terms stayed opaque, with talk of one year plus an option and wages above three million. At other times Florentino Pérez might have gone bigger, the Xabi Alonso bet did not stick, and the clásico change of Vinicius was a flashpoint.

Arbeloa worked through weeks of links to alternatives, with Klopp the headline name. Madrid missed the Champions League top 8 and slipped against Getafe and Osasuna, yet he defended his players and tightened his press handling.

He has restored Vinicius and Valverde and boosted Huijsen, Rüdiger and Brahim. Faith in Fran García, close to joining Bournemouth in winter, plus academy promotion such as Thiago Pitarch, and strict punctuality that benched Trent in the derby, show clear rules.

Arbeloa stays wary of praise, knowing one setback could revive doubts. His future depends on avoiding a second straight season without silverware.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo