If last season proved to be a fruitful one for so many of Liverpool's young hopefuls, for Fabio Carvalho, it was a decidedly mixed bag
Loaned out to RB Leipzig last summer on the back of a campaign that saw his game-time increasingly marginalised
the Portugal Under-21 international started only once for the Bundesliga outfit before he was brought back for another Championship stint with Hull City.
It was in England's second tier where Carvalho started to catch the eye of the decision-makers at Anfield, at an upwardly mobile Fulham side
After a medical was undertaken in London on transfer deadline day back in January of 2022, the Reds ran out of time to conclude a deal but were always confident they would get their man.
So much so, in fact, that then manager Jurgen Klopp took the unusual decision to speak openly about Carvalho when asked in his first post-deadline day press conference in February.
“We are still interested - it would be crazy if we were not," said Klopp. "It was late, the window closed, it did not work out. We'll see what happens."
Carvalho was a victim of circumstances more than anything else in his debut campaign with the Reds
His arrival coincided with a widespread dip in form for a squad who were struggling to emerge from the long shadow cast by the 63-game marathon just a few months earlier
A winning goal in a pulsating 2-1 victory over Newcastle in August was an early highlight but a defeat to Nottingham Forest in October was his final Premier League start of the term
Just three substitute appearances and one start came in the entirety of 2023 before his loan to Leipzig.
On both of his loan switches last season, officials at both Leipzig and Hull talked up the technical ability of Carvalho, with Leipzig's then managing director for sport,
Max Eberl, saying:
“Fabio is an outstanding talent - not least the signing by Liverpool shows that. Fabio is fast, agile, tricky and creative. He tries to finish himself or can set the scene for his team-mates perfectly."
Hull boss Liam Resenoir said after his January move:
"There's certain players who understand the game differently in a No.10 position. Allied to his pace, athleticism, his bravery to take the ball and finish actions are the reasons Liverpool signed him."
Back at the club under new head coach Arne Slot, however, Carvalho has the next few weeks to capture the trust of the new-look setup at Liverpool
Still just 21, he has all the tools needed to be a success at Anfield and if no decisions are being made yet on any incomings or outgoings
Carvalho has a real chance to stake his own claim in the coming weeks. A settled position in the Slot system will be needed
the efforts Liverpool went to land him means they are in no mood to discard the player too soon and despite a difficult couple of years on Merseyside, Carvalho returns to the AXA Training Centre with the cleanest of slates this summer.
Comments