Alvaro Arbeloa reaffirms Fulham transfer plans after defeat at Sunderland

Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa has reiterated his plans to strengthen his squad in the closing stages of the summer transfer window. 

Arbeloa saw his side produce a tame performance in a narrow 1-0 defeat against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. 

Fulham failed to register a shot on target as they fell to a second straight Premier League defeat, extending Arbeloa's wait for his first points in charge of the club.

Earlier this month, Arbeloa expressed a desire to add more "balance" to his squad before the transfer deadline.

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Arbeloa outlines Fulham transfer plan

The Fulham manager reaffirmed that objective when he spoke to the media after Sunday's away defeat.

"We are working on it with the club," Arbeloa said. "We know we have two days, so we are working because we can do with the squad being stronger and more balanced."

Fulham have so far welcomed Shea Charles, Cesar Palacios and Gonzalo Garcia to the club this summer. 

They are believed to be pushing to sign Rayo Vallecano right-back Andrei Ratiu, with Kenny Tete heading towards a move to Everton. 

Defeat. pic.twitter.com/zhKcBuvAVK

— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 30, 2026

Arbeloa laments "terrible game"

While he wants further additions, Arbeloa believes his current group of players need to perform at a better level following a subpar performance at the Stadium of Light. 

"It was a terrible game from my team," Arbeloa told Sky Sports. "We didn't fight. We didn't run. Poor technical level."

"We didn't win any duels. No second balls. At the end, that is about being in the game and wanting to be competitive. That is the most important thing for a team.

"After that, you can improve in many areas of our game, but I think the most important thing for us is being competitive. Today, I think we were not at our level."

Arbeloa's side will hope to get on the board in their next Premier League outing against Crystal Palace on Saturday.