What 7 people have said about Liverpool-bound Carvalho in 21-22

Fabio Carvalho has caught the eye with his brilliant performances for Fulham this season, helping them return to the Premier League and sealing a move to Liverpool this summer. 

Carvalho scored his maiden Fulham goal against Southampton in May 2021, although they’d already been relegated by this point, and has kicked on this year in the Championship.

The young attacker has scored 10 goals and provided eight assists as Marco Silva’s side have swept all before them in England’s second-tier and Carvalho’s form has attracted attention from across Europe.

A move to Liverpool fell through in January, but Jurgen Klopp said: “We are still interested – it would be crazy if we were not. It was late, the window closed, it did not work out. We’ll see what happens.”

And the 19-year-old will move to Liverpool this summer, linking up with some of the best players in world football.

We’ve collected the views of seven people – coaches, pundits and supporters – about Carvalho’s performances for Fulham this season and what Liverpool can look forward to.

Marco Silva

“Fabio has natural talent, and when you have natural talent, that is the first big step to have a big career and to get to the top,” Silva said in January 2022.

“Fabio has other things that are really important. He comes in every day to work really hard, with the right mindset to learn, and he’s humble.”

And, as Fulham wrapped up the Championship title, Silva said: “I think he has a brilliant career in front of him. He is a top top talent in my opinion.

“There were many clubs around him, a lot of rumours around him, and it was really tough for us to renew his contract. It is not normal for a boy of 19 years old, from the first two months of the season, to have a lot of rumours around him from clubs around Europe.

“He never lost the focus, he let other people take care of it, and he really helped our football club to get promotion, to be champions.

“For a boy of 19 it is a fantastic sign and I believe that he has all the qualities to perform at a high level and to keep improving.

“Unfortunately he will not be in our shirt next season but I wish all the best for him.”

Aleksander Mitrovic

“What can I say? Amazing. To be honest, I cannot find the words to describe him,” Mitrovic said after Fulham walloped Luton Town 7-0 in May 2022.

“I know he’s a little bit shy and I’m not going to praise him too much, but he’s an amazing young boy.

“He loves football so much, enjoys every training session, works so hard, puts in a lot of effort off the pitch, he always wants to learn, he’s so calm.

“There’s a big future ahead of him. We’ll see what happens, but I hope we play a few more games together. I’ve enjoyed this season playing next to him.”

Fabio Carvalho with a massive goal for Fulham.

He is joining Liverpool at the end of the season. pic.twitter.com/N0QfsHqqIc

— The Anfield Talk (@TheAnfieldTalk) April 15, 2022

Ali Maxwell

“He’s pretty sensational. He’s the player we’ll look back on and think it was pretty crazy that he ever played in any second tier,” Championship pundit Maxwell wrote in Scouted Football.

“He reminds me a bit of Emile Smith Rowe. Carvalho is more about pure efficiency; doing the smartest thing at any given moment. It’s more about the speed of thought and the combination play.”

Sam Parkin

“He’s incredibly talented, I love his ability to go beyond people,” former Ipswich striker Parkin told talkSPORT in May 2022. “The skills, the finishing, the technique, but it’s the awareness too.

“Sometimes you see a 17, 18, 19 year old and you think ‘how does he understand the game at this tender age?’ But my goodness he does. He doesn’t give it away, he can use his body physically.

“He’s the real deal, he’s as good as I’ve seen in the Championship for a long time. I think he’s totally capable of coming on and changing the dynamic of a Premier League game.”

READ: Fabio Carvalho’s dribbling skills are just ridiculous – get hyped, Liverpool

Fabrizio Romano

“In my opinion, it’s a really, really interesting one,” transfer guru Romano told FIVE when asked about Liverpool’s new signing. “I really like Fabio Carvalho.”

“Many players are telling me that he’s not just super talented as we can see on the pitch but also really professional and really serious.

“I’m sure Jurgen Klopp is the perfect manager for him.”

Greg Cuttwell

“A while ago he said ‘I want to win the Ballon d’Or’. You’d think for any player saying that, ‘Come on, get real’. It would come across as big headed,” Cruttwell told The Athletic in January.

“But the thing with Fabio is he is as humble as they come. He’s got a huge inner confidence and belief which will make him one of the best players in the world.

“If he’s training with Salah, Mane, Firmino and Diaz he’ll learn off of them and he’ll naturally show them huge respect, as you should do.

“But inside he’ll be thinking ‘I’m going to better you on the training pitch today, I’m coming for your shirt’. Much like Steven Gerrard once did.

“He (Gerrard) admired the players ahead of him but was also thinking, ‘I’m going to take your shirt’. I wouldn’t be daunted for Fabio. I think if he does make that move, he will take it in his stride.”

James Andrew

“This season, Marco Silva has come in and almost built the team around Carvalho in the attacking midfield role,” wrote FourFourTwo editor and Fulham fan James Andrew.

“Although he did have a spell out of the team with injury and illness, when he has played he has made a difference with both goals and assists.

“He is not the biggest player, but he is strong. Traditionally the rough and tumble of the Championship might not be the league for a slight, creative player to thrive.

“But Carvalho has shown he is more than up for the fight and happy to take some of the biggest centre backs on head-on.

“There are no guarantees in football, but I believe Carvalho is good enough and will get better with games and age to cut it at the very top of the game.”

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