Portugal Under-21 midfielder Fabio Carvalho, who boasted a phenomenal goal scoring involvement rate in the Championship during his time at Fulham and was a pioneer in attack, struggled in his position at Liverpool, often playing on the left wing.
Gradually, Jurgen Klopp’s faith in him waned and he spent half of last season at RB Leipzig and Hull City respectively. This season, after returning from loan, he played well in pre-season with new manager Arne Slot, scoring against Arsenal and Manchester United.
Southampton, who have been promoted to the Premier League, reached out to the young attacking midfielder, who continues to grow in value under the new regime, and made an offer of £15 million, but Liverpool rejected the proposal, according to The Athletic.
With left wingers such as Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo joining the team, it is not clear how the Dutch head coach will use him, but he is lively in situations where he plays in the middle rather than on the left side, bringing an effective rhythm to the attack.
Unlike other wingers, it is difficult for him to dribble through or compete with opposing defenders with his speed, but he could be a valuable option in games where that doesn’t come through, and he could also be capable of a top-down position, where he would have more games to play.
In any case, Liverpool will not give up on the former Fulham midfielder at this point and he is expected to compete regularly in the first team this season.
Will the 21-year-old midfielder prove himself in the Premier League and transform into a player who will go down in Anfield history?