Fulham were two minutes from a first league win at Ipswich, and Arbeloa now reportedly has two games to save his job
Bottom of the Premier League with two points from six games, Fulham host promoted Hull on Saturday before a trip to Coventry.
Oct 16, 2026
Fulham were leading at Portman Road with two minutes of normal time left last Saturday. They lost 2-1, they are bottom of the Premier League with two points from six games, and according to reports in London this week, Alvaro Arbeloa now has two matches to keep his job.
The first of them is at home to Hull City on Saturday, kick-off 3pm UK time (7:30pm IST). The second is away at Coventry City the following weekend. Both are newly promoted sides, and Hull have made the better start of the two: they are eighth on nine points, seven ahead of Fulham.
What the reports say
The Standard reported at the start of the week that Arbeloa had been given two games, and Football Insider went further on Tuesday, saying he would be sacked if Fulham lost both. Its sources described the Ipswich defeat as a “damaging setback” inside the club.
The same Football Insider report named Thomas Frank, out of work since Tottenham dismissed him in February, as a manager the club had already sounded out.
How the Ipswich game got away
Ryan Sessegnon put Fulham ahead in the 55th minute, and for half an hour that looked like the first league win of the Arbeloa era. Abdoul Ouattara equalised from distance in the 88th minute. Then, in stoppage time, Dara O’Shea headed in Jack Clarke’s free-kick.
It was not the first time. Fulham have now conceded from the 75th minute onwards against Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Ipswich, and they have lost four of their six league games. They are two points behind 17th-placed Sunderland.
Arbeloa says he is not worried
Arbeloa, 43, replaced Marco Silva in July. Before Fulham, his senior coaching experience was a short spell in charge of Real Madrid last season after Xabi Alonso was sacked, and he had never managed in the Premier League. He was asked about the pressure straight after Ipswich and gave a blunt answer.
“I never worry about my position. I don’t feel fear. You cannot be a coach if you feel it,” he said. “It’s not about my position, it is about Fulham’s position.”
He did concede the obvious. “Obviously it is just six games, but it is true we need points,” he said.
He has had a misconduct charge to deal with as well. The FA charged him after he said, following September’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United, that he knew officials “wouldn’t let Manchester United lose”.
Six games is a short time to judge a manager in his first Premier League job. But a team in Fulham’s position has to beat promoted sides at home. If they cannot do it on Saturday, the trip to Coventry could be his last game in charge.