Liverpool sent clear message from £27million man after Arne Slot decision
The ex-Liverpool man has slightly struggled this season but has maybe hit form at just the right time for his club
Former Liverpool star Fabio Carvalho scored a brace for Brentford B team as his current club and former employers prepare to face off at the weekend. The 23-year-old has struggled for minutes this season under Keith Andrew', but his ominous performance against Luton Town could strike fear into Liverpool, his former club, with Brentford set to host the Reds on Saturday evening.
Carvalho joined Brentford in August 2024 for just over £27million. His big-money move came after a tricky time at Anfield where he was loaned out to RB Leipzig in Germany and then Hull City, after signing for the Reds from Fulham in the summer of 2022.
Slot's side are undergoing a severe dip in form of late and have lost their last three Premier League games in a row. Liverpool's Dutch boss will no doubt be weary of Carvalho hitting form in the 6-1 reserve team victory just as the Reds make the trip to the Gtech Community Stadium.
The Portuguese star has featured five times for Brentford this season, although most of his appearances have come off the bench. However, he did net a late equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea in September. He also featured 23 times last season.
Speaking ahead of the new campaign, Carvalho said: "I'm just taking each day as it comes. I want to be able to play as many games and get as many goal contributions as possible."
READ MORE: Premier League put on notice over £30million man who'd 'get into most teams'READ MORE: Ajax chief opens up on ex-Liverpool star Jordan Henderson's move to BrentfordHowever, while he, so far, hasn't hit his target of playing as much as he'd like, he may be feeling there is a point to prove against Liverpool following his disappointing spell on Merseyside. On signing for Brentford, he opened up leaving Liverpool.
"I'm not going to just sit on the bench because what's the point?" he told Sky Sports in the summer of 2024. "I want to play football and show the world what I'm capable of, and why I train so hard every day. I'm not going to be able to do that by sitting on the bench."
Carvalho even scored in Slot's first pre-season with Liverpool, netting against Arsenal and Manchester United. Yet, his stay on Merseyside was short-lived under the Dutchman, after being signed by ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Elaborating on his pre-season showing in 2024 and showing a steely determination, he said: "You get that feeling where you know certain players aren't back. When they come back, things change. As soon as you get that feeling, you're like, look, this is the real deal. I'm not just going to stay at Liverpool as much as I love the club.
"I can sit here and say, 'yeah, I should have played more', but things happen for a reason, and I'm sure they were meant to happen that way. I've learned so much from just being there, being around the great players that are there and just having that experience of training with them every day, which ultimately fuels me to want to reach that level."
Speaking of his relationship with Slot, Carvalho was highly complimentary. He said: "The short time that we had together, it was good. He's really honest, really straightforward. He knows what he wants from his players."
However, Carvalho will no doubt be looking to heap more misery on his former employers when Brentford welcome the reigning Premier League champions to their home on Saturday evening.
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