Despite edging towards the final stages of this January transfer window, it’s expected that Liverpool will continue to push hard to get a late deal done for exciting Fulham attacker Fabio Carvalho.
The 19-year-old featured four times for the Cottagers in the Premier League last season, although it’s in this campaign in which he’s gone on to be a revelation for the Londoners, scoring eight Championship goals and registering four assists.
Liverpool have tracked Carvalho for some time and have been impressed by his development this season working under former Everton boss Marco Silva.
At Craven Cottage, Carvalho usually plays as a number 10 inside Silva’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
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Although just 19, his ability to drop deep and receive the ball, often on the turn, in dangerous areas makes him a real asset for his team as they aim to play through the lines.
And once in these areas, Carvalho has a range of skills that allow him to cause serious problems for opposition defences.
Physically, he’s not the biggest and stands at just 5ft7in. However, he’s deceivingly strong and difficult to dislodge off the ball.
He also boasts pace and turn of speed, aiding his standout dribbling ability - this season he has averaged 4.4 dribbles per 90, with a success rate of 60%.
For comparison, only Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have averaged more dribbles at Liverpool on a per 90 basis this season.
He’s also got an excellent eye for a pass, even despite usually operating in congested areas of the pitch. This is a point is captured not only by his assist return but also by his average of 1.7 passes leading to a shot on goal per 90 this season.
His ability to thread dangerous balls into the box whilst also being able to run at and dribble through a defence make him a multi-faceted threat in attack, particularly when you throw in his own goal threat too.
All of this is why Liverpool will be keen to sign the attacker, especially given the nominal fee it could take to land him.
His current contract expires in the summer, meaning that today is the only chance Fulham will get to recoup a fee for his services. As a result, Liverpool may be able to sign him for a fee below £10million.
And based on his profile, he could prove to be a natural heir for Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino.
Although Carvalho has never played through the middle as a number nine, at Liverpool that centre forward role shares more characteristics with a number ten than a traditional striker. It’s why Firmino has better resembled a number ten than a nine for the bulk of his Liverpool career.
Even if Jurgen Klopp opts to change the formation in the years to come, Carvalho has a profile that could see him thrive in other roles if required, for example using his pace and trickery to play in a wider position, maybe replacing a Mane or even Salah who could move into a more central goal-focussed role in the not-so-distant future.
The youngster ticks many Liverpool boxes and it’s easy to see why the club are making an out-of-character late window push for his services.
