Liverpool finally signed talented youngster Fabio Carvalho in May 2022 having initially missed out on the attacking midfielder during the previous January transfer window following a late deadline day swoop.
The 21-year-old made a bright start to life at Anfield with goals in consecutive Premier League clashes during August, including the late winner against Newcastle United.
However, despite the early promise, Carvalho ended the season having made only 21 appearances across all competitions, amassing just 638 minutes in the process.
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With a midfield rebuild seeing Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo arrive, during the summer Carvalho joined Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig on a season-long loan and despite the German top flight being viewed as the perfect place for young talent to develop, the four-cap Portugal Under 21 gem has struggled to make an impact.
This has led to recent reports claiming Liverpool want to bring the former Fulham starlet back to Merseyside, perhaps with a view to loaning him back out for the second half of the campaign.
We spoke to Justin from the RB Leipzig Podcast (@RBLtalk) to get a sense of why the move hadn’t worked out so far…
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On the initial reaction…Justin said: “When he was originally signed he was seen as a replacement for Christopher Nkunku as he went to Chelsea and we needed him to fill that void.
“Carvalho has a lot of talent, nobody is questioning that but he’s not been able to show it. When he signed there was a lot of excitement, I for one was interested and I’m still interested to see what this young man has got and I believe we’re yet to see the best.”
On the lack of playing time…“It’s been a bit of trying him out seeing where he can play as he is so versatile. I know he’s predominantly a left winger but he can also flip onto the other side as well. However, with Marco Rose we don’t normally have wingers in our formation, we have two strikers who drift wide and use our wing backs.
“There’s a high press that is similar to Liverpool so I do think it’s a little unfortunate when you’ve got this young talent and he’s not being picked. He’s only started twice, his first was against Borussia Monchengladbach and the second was in the DFB Pokal Round One. He doesn’t have any goals or assists.”
On the chances of regular football…“I’ve said on my show from a Liverpool perspective I’d be pretty annoyed because Liverpool expected he was going to be playing football. Some people are saying now that with Emil Forsberg leaving he will take those minutes, but Forsberg isn’t a regular starter.
“I’m hoping that in certain games, for instance against Bremen who are down the bottom of the table – start Fabio. The report from Germany was that Liverpool are playing mind games, but to me, it’s pretty simple, the parent club expects them to play football so I have no problem with Liverpool recalling them if we aren’t keeping our end of the bargain.”
On what happens next…“I’m pretty clear-cut on this position because if he’s not going to get the minutes then Liverpool should recall him and loan him back out in January. I do want to see him playing in our system, it’s a very like-for-like system so for him to get minutes, even know the Bundesliga isn’t as difficult (as the Premier League), for a young talent if he isn’t going to be getting football then he’s wasting away.
“If Marco Rose and our director of football Rouven Schröder can’t say to Liverpool he’s going to be guaranteed ‘x’ of minutes for the rest of the season then you have to recall him. But, I really want to see him shine.”
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Hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by Jurgen Klopp at the back end of last season, Carvalho’s situation appears to be a difficult one for a player clearly with an abundance of potential, struggling to find a way of further developing at the top level.
With the Bundesliga set for a winter break, it seems almost inevitable that The Reds will move to bring the Portuguese youth ace back to Merseyside, despite the claims from Leipzig of a desire to keep him for the remainder of the season.
Whatever happens, it’s imperative a swift resolution can be found for both the clubs’ and the players’ sake so all parties can be satisfied and get their respective campaigns back on track.
