Fulham Real Madrid have just wrapped up deals for forward Gonzalo Garcia and midfielder Cesar Palacios with Spanish giants Real Madrid. Both signed five-year deals on Monday, fulfilling the promise of adding two highly-rated young talents to the club from one of the continent’s most successful football academies.
Garcia, 22 and Palacios, 21 also bring the players back to Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa. The manager has first-hand experience with both of the footballers, having played with them while he was coaching Real Madrid’s youth and reserve sides, and has extensive knowledge of their skills and potential.
Gonzalo Garcia comes in with a reputation as a promising attacking player, and the arrival of Cesar Palacios, who has experience at Real Madrid’s youth academy, as a talented midfielder. The transfer follows Fulham’s strategy of signing players that can make an impact today and who can help the club grow in the future.
The signings are a testament to the ongoing legacy of Real Madrid’s youth system, which has yielded a crop of players who can match up to the best in Europe. Fulham have imported two players from the Spanish side who are ex-graduates which reflect their focus on developing young players who have solid technique.
The deals represent a chance for Arbeloa to work with players he already knows, and may help them settle into the Premier League game.
It shows Fulham’s faith in the pair will make a difference in the next five-year deal. Expansion of the club is increasingly driven by the desire to form a strong team of experienced players and young players from the most promising development programs in Europe.
Garcia and Palacios will now embark on their next phase at Craven Cottage where they hope to carve out a place on the sidelines for themselves under a familiar name in football.
