What Liverpool can expect from Fabio Carvalho – “A player destined for great things”

Fabio Carvalho is officially a Liverpool player, and will complete his move from Fulham on July 1. But what can fans expect from the 19-year-old Portuguese?

Less than 24 hours after the heartbreak of a Premier League title defeat, Liverpool announced their first signing of the summer transfer window.

Carvalho joins from Fulham in a deal worth up to £7.7 million, with an initial £5 million potentially added to by a further £2.7 million in performance-related bonuses.

It is a testament to the club’s faith in Carvalho that they sought to agree a fee with the Championship winners even though the teenager is out of contract this summer, avoiding a costly tribunal process.

Despite his young years, the new Reds signing arrives with a burgeoning reputation, having scored 10 goals and laid on eight assists in 36 games on the way to the second-tier title.

But he still remains a lesser-known talent to many supporters on Merseyside.

To get an insight into Carvalho’s time at Fulham and how he could play at Liverpool, This Is Anfield spoke to Sammy James (@MrSammyJames) of the Fulhamish podcast (@FulhamishPod).

 

What roles has Carvalho played at Fulham and where is he best?

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 7, 2022: Fulham's Fábio Carvalho during the Football League Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Fulham FC at Bramall Lane. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Fabio has pretty much only played in the No. 10 role behind Aleksandar Mitrovic, and has flourished with the freedom that role allows.

 

Klopp often changes positions for new signings – where could you see him playing at Liverpool?

Fulham youngster Fabio Carvalho was linked with a move to Liverpool (Adam Davy/PA)

I do think he potentially has the ability to play further back in the midfield as a No. 8 if he wants to.

Despite being quite small, he’s very tenacious and isn’t afraid of a tackle. He’s also able to carry the ball brilliantly too.

 

Is he good enough to step into Liverpool’s first-team squad straight away?

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 7, 2022: Fulham's Fábio Carvalho during the Football League Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Fulham FC at Bramall Lane. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Hard to know, obviously your squad is pretty good! I would imagine he’ll be a great rotation option at first while he adapts.

My hunch from watching him, though, is that he has the ability to go to the very top.

His control and touch were just miles ahead of anyone at Championship level, and the fact he’s got a brilliant end product surely means he has all the capability to succeed at a high level.

However, when we sold Ryan Sessegnon at the same age a few years ago we assumed he would rise to the top straight away, and it’s taken him a while to break into that Spurs team, so I guess there’s always a chance he will take a few years to adapt.

 

What can you tell us about his personality off the pitch?

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 7, 2022: Fulham's Fábio Carvalho during the pre-match warm-up before the Football League Championship match between Sheffield United FC and Fulham FC at Bramall Lane. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

He seems like a really down-to-earth lad who appreciates where he has come from.

He has regularly paid homage to his original club Balham FC, and even when the speculation of his move was rife he has managed to keep his head down and concentrate on the football, which has to be admired.

 

And who do you see as having the higher ceiling: Fabio Carvalho or Harvey Elliott?

Fulham's Fabio Carvalho celebrates (Image: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo)

For me, I think Carvalho.

They’re both hugely talented, but Fabio just feels like a player destined for great things.

Most of the greats have both talent and work ethic, and Fabio has both of those in spades.


• Thanks again to Sammy James for his insight into Carvalho. Follow Sammy on Twitter @MrSammyJames and Fulhamish @FulhamishPod.