Fabio Carvalho says he wants to play "somewhere where you're wanted" after completing his switch from Liverpool to Brentford.
Carvalho, 21, has signed a five-year deal with the Bees after a £27.5 million ($35.1 million) transfer fee was agreed between the clubs. The Reds will receive £22.5 million ($28.7 million) up front for the Portuguese winger, with the rest of the cash potentially coming in add-ons, and have inserted a 17.5 percent sell-on clause in the deal.
The transfer ends Carvalho's difficult two-year spell on Merseyside. The promising talent signed for Liverpool after inspiring Fulham to the Championship title during the 2021/22 season but failed to replicate that form at Anfield, scoring just twice in the Premier League during his debut campaign under Jurgen Klopp.
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Carvalho joined RB Leipzig on a season-long loan for the 2023/24 term but return to Liverpool in January after failing to score in the Bundesliga. He then regained his form during a half-season spell with Hull, scoring nine times in the Championship.
That spell with the Tigers perhaps led to Brentford's interest, with a transfer now finalized. Carvalho was asked why he completed the move during his first interview as a Brentford player and appeared to make a sly dig at Liverpool.
"I just want to play football now and to do that in the best league in the world," he told Brentford's website. "As a player, you want to go somewhere where you’re wanted and somewhere where you’re loved - that's why I'm here. You want to be part of a family, part of a structure, and that's what Brentford is about. I'm just so happy to be here."
Those comments, and the transfer, suggest Carvalho was not part of new Liverpool head coach Arne Slot's plans. Despite scoring in preseason wins against Arsenal and Manchester United, the player didn't do enough to break into Slot's first-choice XI.
It's now up to Carvalho to prove Liverpool was wrong to sell him. "He has great abilities on the ball: he can go past players, slide a pass, create chances and get on the end of chances," added Brentford head coach Thomas Frank. "He's a type of player that we don't have many of in the squad so he will add that something extra for us.
"His ability and mentality to work hard in the pressure is also very, very good. That's along with him ticking all the boxes from a cultural perspective and being the right character. So we're very pleased to see him come in and push the team forward."
