Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Arbilla began his senior career in 2004 with CD Basconia, Athletic Bilbao's farm team, and made his debut for the reserves in the Segunda División B later in the same season. After another two full seasons there, he had no real prospect of displacing Andoni Iraola in the first team and even with the departures of Unai Expósito and Iban Zubiaurre, the younger Eneko Bóveda was installed as understudy to Iraola and Arbilla was loaned out by Athletic to another Segunda B club in the Basque Country, Barakaldo CF.[3]
Arbilla moved to Polideportivo Ejido (also in division three) for the 2009–10 campaign.[4] The following year, he had his first experience in the Segunda División, joining UD Salamanca[5] and starting in 29 league games as the Castile and León team suffered relegation.[6] In late August 2011, Arbilla moved to another side in the second division, Hércules CF, for a €200,000 fee.[7]
Arbilla reached La Liga in January 2013, after arriving as a free agent at Rayo Vallecano.[8] He made his debut in the Spanish top flight on 10 February 2013, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 home win against Atlético Madrid.[9] He started in eight of his 11 appearances as the Madrid outskirts club eventually retained its league status. Arbilla scored his first goal for Rayo and in the top tier on 8 February 2014, his team's second in the 4–1 victory over Málaga CF also at Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas.[10] He joined RCD Espanyol in 2014 and established himself as a starter in the second part of his first season in Catalonia, but the second was ruined by a serious injury to the Achilles tendon of his left leg which eventually required surgery.[11]
Now recovered but out of favour at Espanyol, on 30 August 2016 he signed a three-year deal with SD Eibar of the same division.[12] Having been at other clubs for a maximum of two years he became settled at the Armeros, eventually becoming club captain, and in April 2026, aged 38, reached the milestone of 300 appearances spread over a decade (five seasons battling relegation in the top division, then five challenging for promotion in the second tier).[13]
