Fulham‘s Joachim Andersen says he’s unable to comprehend Álvaro Arbeloa’s decision to not consider him in the two big matches this season.
The Denmark international returned to the Premier League side from Crystal Palace in August 2024. Marco Silva was then in charge, and Andersen was a regular over the last two seasons.
Silva left the London club at the end of last season, and Fulham appointed the Spaniard as his successor.
The centre-back received a direct red in his side’s 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth in May, resulting in a three-match suspension. He served two of them later that month and the last one against in his side’s 3-2 loss to Chelsea in August.
Fulham player has to accept decision
Álvaro Arbeloa wasn’t able to count on the defender for his first official match and started him in the defeats to Sunderland and Crystal Palace. The manager left him as an unused substitute in the goalless draw against Liverpool.
On Sunday, he came off the bench for the last 10 minutes in Fulham’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United.
Matheus Cunha’s late equaliser prevented the London club from securing their first league win. They are 19th in the table with two points, a point behind 17th placed Bournemouth.
After the match, Joachim Andersen spoke to in Denmark and Campo have relayed his comments. He was honest in sharing his take on Arbeloa not starting him for the last two league matches.
“It comes as a bit of a surprise to me. Last season, I was captain in many matches,” he said.
“We lost the first three matches. I was suspended for the first one. And then the coach thinks we should change.”
“But I don’t have much to say about it. I can’t do much about it, and I think I’ve played quite brilliantly. Sometimes the coach wants to try something different, and that’s how it is.”
Last season, the 30-year-old played 3,057 minutes from 35 matches and was captain in majority of them.
| Every Fulham signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Gonzalo García | Real Madrid | £34.2m |
| Shea Charles | Southampton | £24m |
| David Affengruber | Elche | £10.3m |
| César Palacios | Real Madrid | £8.5m |
| Jonah Kusi-Asare | Bayern Munich | £5.2m |
| Manuel Ángel | Real Madrid | £3m |
| Hugo Larsson | Eintracht Frankfurt | Loan |
International break opportunity to send Arbeloa message
In March, Denmark manager Brian Riemer left Joachim Andersen out of his squad for the World Cup qualifier win over North Macedonia. This didn’t please the defender and Joachim Andersen said he then felt “powerless”.
He’s on Riemer’s list for this international break. Denmark face Norway, Wales, Portugal and Wales again in the UEFA Nations League in the coming weeks.
These four fixtures will provide the Fulham man an opportunity to not only enjoy minutes but also use them to send a message to Álvaro Arbeloa to utilise him regularly at the club.
If things don’t improve at the Premier League side, he may have to look for a way out in January.
🇩🇪 Bernd Leno | “I love it here” – Fulham star strongly hints at contract renewalhttps://t.co/bq6UHhsAqy #ffc #fulhamfc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 19, 2026
