West Brom should launch move to sign Brentford star - it can fix issue Tom Fellows left | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion should line up a move for Brentford attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho in January.

Clubs will be starting to begin their planning for the January transfer window in earnest in the next couple of weeks, and West Bromwich Albion should be actively seeking to land the coup of former Liverpool attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho.

In what was a very busy summer with a lot of change at the club, West Brom have started this season reasonably with rookie boss Ryan Mason at the helm at The Hawthorns.

The Baggies have slipped away from the top six and the play-off places in recent weeks with a lack of goals becoming a major issue, with their possession-dominant style becoming reasonably easy for sides to play against and nullify.

That said, there are bright spots for Albion supporters to cling to, to believe they will be able to put together a run of form that sees them launch a promotion challenge in the second-half of the season.

They require an extra spark or two in the final third of the pitch, though, and Brentford man Fabio Carvalho very well could and should be the man to provide it.

Fabio Carvalho would fill creative void at West Brom

Last season, despite playing for a side that eventually missed out on the top six, no player provided more assists in the Championship than West Brom winger Tom Fellows.

Fellows started this season well, too, before the England U21 international was sold to Southampton before the close of the summer transfer window, leaving West Brom with little time to find a replacement.

Samuel Iling-Junior was brought in on loan from Aston Villa but he is certainly a very different type of player to Fellows, whilst also lacking the efficiency and effectiveness in the key areas and at the key moments.

Fabio Carvalho is someone who can play off both flanks but predominantly plays in the so-called ‘number ten’, albeit that position won’t be up for grabs should Albion keep hold of Northern Ireland international Isaac Price, who is experiencing a brilliant campaign.

That is fine, though, as West Brom need improved quality on the flanks and someone who, like Fellows, can prove to be a regular provider from out-wide, whilst also having the technical ability to not just be someone who stays wide to get chalk on their boots.

Carvalho would also provide a subtlety to West Brom’s attack, capable of bringing further precision to an often laboured style, whilst being incisive in tight pockets against low blocks that Albion are becoming frustrated by this season.

Fabio Carvalho can relaunch his career at West Brom

Having come through the academy at Fulham, Fabio Carvalho began to make a name for himself for the Cottagers during the 2021/22 season as Fulham went on to win the Championship with 90 points and 106 goals scored.

Carvalho was at the heart of a lot of what Fulham did so brilliantly in the second-tier that season with the former England and Portugal youth international scoring ten goals in 36 appearances that season in the league.

A move to Liverpool followed and, despite making 21 appearances in total for the Reds, he struggled to have a massive impact, and the same was the case in the Bundesliga during a loan stint at RB Leipzig.

Back in the Championship at Hull City on loan for the back end of the 2023/24 campaign under the management of Liam Rosenior, who is keen on playing in a similar way to Mason, Carvalho began to thrive again with nine goals in 20 appearances for a middling Tigers side.

Again, his move to Brentford has been underwhelming and reports from Florian Plettenberg suggest that he will definitely leave the Bees in January with a permanent move even being considered.

That would likely price out Albion but if it was to be another loan move sanctioned then West Bron would be the ideal landing spot as he would become the out and out key man for a team seeking to push to the top six, reinvigorating Carvalho’s career once again.