Leeds United have been linked with moves to sign Fabio Carvalho in the past, but the attacker’s decision to join Brentford might not be going perfectly to plan.
Daniel Farke’s Leeds side looks strong enough right now to be establishing themselves as the team to beat in the Championship, but the January window being a month away provides food for thought.
Where Leeds are looking to strengthen remains to be seen definitively, but an attacking midfielder wouldn’t go amiss.
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Leeds missed out on Fabio Carvalho as Brentford secured big-money summer deal
Former Liverpool forward Fabio Carvalho was a hot topic during the January 2024 transfer window, with virtually every side in the top half of the Championship alerted to his availability.
Hull City eventually won the race despite Leeds’ interest, as the Tigers were able to guarantee he would play as often as possible, while the Whites couldn’t.
After this loan, he was no seen as part of the plans under new Liverpool boss Arne Slot, and allowed to leave the club, as he moved across the Premier League to Brentford.
The Bees paid an initial £22.5million that could rise by a further £5million with add-ons in the future.
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Leeds should be on alert if Carvalho social media controversy leads to January move
The Portuguese attacker has struggled for regular playing time under Thomas Frank this season, starting twice out of his 11 appearances, that most recent start coming at the end of September – where he got an assist.
Since then, he’s managed just 56 minutes across Brentford’s most recent six Premier League games, prompting an eyebrow-raising comment on social media from his father, now-deleted, after their 0-0 draw at Everton where he was an unused sub:
“Son, you have to leave this club.”
Whether or not his father’s comments paint a fitting picture of the 22-year-old’s current feeling towards Brentford is hard to say, but his lack of playing time is alarming.
Should a January loan exit be under consideration by Brentford and Carvalho, Leeds need to be preparing to offer a solution.
Carvalho’s goals as a secondary forward behind the striker could be exactly what Leeds need, while also being more than capable of teeing up chances of his teammates too.
The fact of the matter is he’s not playing right now, and he could be an ideal solution for Leeds in the new year.