By OkayGoal 
Fulham’s new head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has brought Real Madrid youngsters Gonzalo Garcia (£6.0m) and Cesar Palacios (£5.5m) with him to Craven Cottage in a double deal costing around £42.9 million, and the Garcia arrival in particular could have significant implications for Rodrigo Muniz’s (£5.5m) Fantasy Premier League appeal heading into the new season.
Both players featured under Arbeloa at Real Madrid, first for the club’s B team and then in the senior side, giving the new Fulham boss an established working relationship with both signings before they have even kicked a ball in the Premier League.
Gonzalo Garcia and career stats so far
Garcia, 22, arrives with considerably more first-team experience than Palacios, even if that experience remains relatively limited in senior competition. Promoted to Real Madrid’s B team, Castilla, in January 2022, he enjoyed a brilliant 2024/25 campaign, scoring multiple hat-tricks on the way to 25 goals while also finding the net in the senior side’s Copa del Rey quarter-final victory.
| Season | Team | Division | Starts (Subs) | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Real Madrid | La Liga | 9 (21) | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | Real Madrid | Club World Cup | 6 (0) | 4 | 1 |
| 2024/25 | Castilla | Primera Federación II | 36 (0) | 25 | 4 |
| 2023/24 | Castilla | Primera Federación II | 25 (2) | 5 | 1 |
Incoming boss Xabi Alonso took a liking to Garcia and included him in the squad for that summer’s Club World Cup. With Kylian Mbappe ill, Garcia found himself scoring past Al Hilal, RB Salzburg, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, finishing as the tournament’s joint-top scorer. His game time naturally slowed through 2025/26, but eight first-team goals included a January hat-trick against Real Betis, and his appearances increased further after Arbeloa stepped up to temporarily replace Alonso in the dugout.
Palacios, also 22, has considerably less senior football to his name, reflected in his lower fee. He began his career at Numancia before joining Real Madrid in 2020, but an August 2024 cruciate ligament injury sidelined him for nine months. His senior debut arrived in January 2026, though all five of his La Liga appearances came from the bench, meaning he has never started a senior game of football. His 2025/26 season was largely spent back at Castilla, registering 16 goals from an attacking midfield role.
Where Garcia and Palacios fit in at Fulham
For Arbeloa to move quickly to bring both players with him from Madrid, there is clearly a plan in place. Fulham have just lost Harry Wilson, Raul Jimenez and loanee Samuel Chukwueze on free transfers, a trio who scored 22 of the club’s 47 league goals last season, leaving a significant attacking void to fill.
Xabi Alonso previously gave a strong character reference for Garcia: “I know Gonzalo very well. I’ve had many years working with him. This is a very young player with a lot of ambition, with a lot of capacity. He has pace, he has quality, he has everything that I need from a striker, so we are very lucky to have him in the team. I think it’s going to be a good season for him, and the fans will enjoy him.”
Garcia can operate as a winger, but Arbeloa deployed him as a first-team centre-forward at Real Madrid, suggesting he will likely be used through the middle at Fulham. He offers strong finishing, an ability to bring teammates into play and surprisingly good aerial quality for a player no bigger than 6ft. That profile does not bode well for Rodrigo Muniz, whose expected minutes in early 2026/27 FPL projections were high largely because he lacked any genuine competition. That competition has now arrived.
An anonymous Real Madrid academy coach gave further insight into Garcia’s mentality, speaking to The Athletic: “He works hard, he puts in a brutal intensity, he is focused, and he doesn’t give you a smile, whether you’re the coach, the physical trainer or one of the team-mates with more quality. If you don’t pass to him, he makes you see that you have to pass to him; if you don’t work well, he makes you see that you don’t work well. He doesn’t hold back. All that is in a good sense: he has personality and is very committed both to the team and to himself.”
Based on his inexperience, Palacios is more likely to contribute off the bench initially, either on the left wing or, more probably, in the number 10 role. Longer term, he may begin to eat into the minutes of Josh King, Emile Smith Rowe and Kevin.
Is Rodrigo Muniz still worth an FPL pick?
Both prospects have arrived at Fulham with little more than a fortnight before Gameweek 1, but they have already been training in pre-season with Real Madrid, with Garcia scoring in a recent friendly against Leganes. Palacios is not expected to walk straight into the starting XI, so interest in him from an FPL perspective can likely be shelved for now.
Garcia is a different proposition entirely. Muniz, restricted to just 10 starts and one goal last season due to injury problems, is currently fit and getting pre-season minutes under his belt, but Garcia’s arrival has clearly dented his Fantasy appeal. The biggest indicator of the pecking order will likely come from the final pre-season friendly lineup against Stuttgart on August 15.
Beyond the Muniz question, there is a wider case for caution around Fulham assets generally this season. Combined with an unforgiving opening five fixtures, the club have also made a genuinely risky managerial appointment in Arbeloa. At £6.0m, Garcia’s price point is competitive relative to other forwards, but there may be safer early-season options elsewhere.
Fulham’s fixture run does improve significantly by Gameweeks 6-8, when the Cottagers face three consecutive newly promoted sides, a run that could make a switch from a forward like Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) to whichever Fulham striker is established by that point worth monitoring.
Who takes Fulham’s penalties this season?
With Raul Jimenez gone, Fulham’s penalty situation is genuinely open.
Over the last two seasons, the club’s only non-Jimenez spot-kick scorer was defender Antonee Robinson, back in Gameweek 37. Both Muniz and Alex Iwobi have scored penalties in pre-season, though that carries limited weight this early.
Garcia did not play enough minutes at Real Madrid to take penalties for the senior side, but he did convert six of seven spot-kicks for Castilla in 2024/25. Any confirmation of penalty duties would obviously be a significant boost to his FPL appeal.
Gonzalo Garcia Fulham FPL FAQs
Is Gonzalo Garcia a good FPL pick for Fulham?
Gonzalo Garcia, priced at £6.0m, is a genuine threat to Rodrigo Muniz’s starting spot at Fulham after arriving from Real Madrid alongside new head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, who played him as a first-team centre-forward. His final pre-season appearance against Stuttgart on August 15 should offer the clearest indication of the pecking order before Gameweek 1.
Does Gonzalo Garcia’s arrival affect Rodrigo Muniz’s FPL value?
Yes. Rodrigo Muniz’s expected minutes for early 2026/27 were high largely because he lacked genuine competition for the striker role. Gonzalo Garcia’s arrival changes that, and his Fantasy appeal has taken a significant dent as a result.
Will Cesar Palacios start for Fulham this season?
Cesar Palacios is not expected to walk straight into Fulham’s starting XI given his lack of senior experience, having never started a senior game of football. He is more likely to feature off the bench initially, either on the left wing or in a number 10 role.
Who takes penalties for Fulham?
Fulham’s penalty taker is currently unclear following Raul Jimenez’s departure. Rodrigo Muniz and Alex Iwobi have both scored penalties in pre-season, while Gonzalo Garcia scored six of seven spot-kicks for Real Madrid’s Castilla in 2024/25.
How much did Fulham pay for Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios?
Fulham’s double deal for Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios cost around £42.9 million combined, with both players having previously worked under new head coach Alvaro Arbeloa at Real Madrid.
