Looks like Fulham came much closer to signing Thiago Pitarch in the summer than previously known, with the Real Madrid youngster’s move to Craven Cottage described as well advanced.
Álvaro Arbeloa wanted to take the midfielder to Fulham – along with probably half of their Valdebebas’ academy – after making the move from Madrid himself. The Premier League side then made a genuine attempt to get him.
José Mourinho ultimately stopped them.
Mourinho personally blocked Fulham move
The 19-year-old had a move to Fulham “well on track” before Mourinho intervened. He had received glowing reports about the youngster after returning to Real Madrid and specifically asked for him to stay.
That’s significant new information for Fulham. Spain’s AS now revealed the extent of Fulham’s efforts for Pitarch, with their information also picked up by Bernabéu Digital and Sport.
There had been reports during the summer that Arbeloa wanted Pitarch. But it was also known Real Madrid weren’t prepared to let him go.
What’s clearer now is that this went well beyond Fulham just having him on a list. A deal had progressed considerably before Mourinho personally put the brakes on it.
That left Pitarch in Madrid, although things haven’t exactly gone smoothly since.
He suffered a knee ligament sprain in his first pre-season training session under Mourinho. That stopped the manager from getting a proper look at the player he’d just prevented from joining Fulham.
Pitarch later returned and made the squads against Inter Milan, Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Atlético Madrid. He didn’t play a minute in any of them. In fact, AS says he went 73 days without playing after being declared fit.
Mourinho now seeing why he stopped transfer
The international break finally gave Pitarch his opportunity. With Real Madrid facing three weeks without a game, the club agreed a temporary plan with Mourinho.
Instead of training with the senior squad, Pitarch would drop down to Castilla and get competitive minutes. He’s made the most of it.
Pitarch assisted against Sant Andreu and then played 90 minutes against Alcorcón. He followed that by scoring for Spain’s U20s in a 2-0 win over Mexico.
Then came an impressive display against Atlético Madrileño. This one was particularly important because Mourinho was watching from the stands.
Castilla manager Julián López de Lerma was delighted with what he saw.
“He’s shown the player he is. And not just today, he’s been showing it for a long time in Primera Federación [Spain’s third division] or [Youth] Champions League games,” he said.
“The lad put in an enormous shift and dominated so many areas of the game. Just watching the physical effort he puts in is a spectacle.”
López de Lerma later added that Pitarch “has shown he has the ability and potential” to eventually play for Real Madrid’s first team.
That is now the plan again. AS says Mourinho wants Pitarch back with the senior squad after the break. The Portuguese manager has finally been able to see for himself why those initial reports on the midfielder were so positive.
For Fulham, there’s probably some frustration attached to that. Arbeloa clearly knew what he wanted when he pushed to reunite with Pitarch in London. Fulham got much further with that idea than anyone realised at the time.
Mourinho got in their way – and Pitarch is now giving him every reason to feel he made the right call.
