Jose Mourinho's return to Real Madrid has kickstarted a managerial domino effect involving all three clubs as Silva takes his place in Lisbon and Fulham eye Alvaro Arbeloa to take charge at Craven Cottage.
The former defender stepped in as interim boss at the start of 2026 after Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso parted ways following their Spanish Supercup final loss to El Clasico rivals Barcelona.
Arbeloa confirmed he would not be staying on after the 2025/26 season as he wanted to pursue options to be a head coach elsewhere.
Reports from The Athletic state Fulham have already reached out to Arbeloa's representatives and he's now established as their No.1 choice as part of a three-year contract offer.
Despite links with former England international Frank Lampard, Fulham are keen to bring in an unattached figure, and the Cottagers are confident of getting their man.
Curiously, if Arbeloa does agree terms and starts his Premier League career in West London, his first assignment will be a derby clash with Chelsea - now led by his old boss Alonso - on the opening weekend of the 2026/27 season.
After leading Fulham to promotion in his first season in charge back in 2021/22, Silva steadied the club in the top-flight - with an average league finish of 11th across four campaigns - and that will be the benchmark for Arbeloa to reach.