West Ham chasing Fulham wonderkid Fabio Carvalho
By Alex Smith
West Ham are believed to be one of a number of Premier League clubs interested in Fulham’s 19-year-old star Fabio Carvalho.
The attacking midfielder has scored five goals and assisted another this season for the Cottagers, who are flying high at the top of the Championship .
The teenager’s contract expires at the end of the season and with many clubs interested West Ham might make a move in January or hope he is still available for the summer.
West Ham are considering a move for teenage sensation Fabio Carvalho, with his Fulham contract expiring in six months.
Who is he?
The Portuguese born, England youth international burst onto the scene at the end of last season as Fulham got relegated from the Premier League. Their then manager, former West Ham captain Scott Parker, gave him an opportunity in the first team, four appearances towards the end of the campaign and he scored one goal.
He has featured more regularly this season winning the EFL Young Player of the Month in August and he has continued to show his big potential.
Talks regarding a new contract have not progressed and he looks set to leave Fulham. The Hammers will face tough competition in trying to bring him to London Stadium with Southampton confident of a deal, with Tottenham and Liverpool also keeping an eye on Carvalho.
Why West Ham?
With the Hammers looking to bolster their attacking options through signing a striker, there is also rumours of another attacking midfielder being wanted, for example, Jesse Lingard.
Of course, a centre-back and a striker are the priorities but with Andriy Yarmolenko set to leave, a player like Carvalho would be a shrewd move in planning for the long-term future of the club.
Scouting Carvalho
West Ham boss David Moyes likes young and hungry players who have performed well in the Championship, see Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen, so a move for the wonderkid is realistic.
There have also been rumours about Keane Lewis-Potter from Hull City joining West Ham, he is similar type player to Fulham’s star.
Carvalho is a tidy agile dribbler with the ability to be creative making plenty of key passes and has composure on the ball. He is a direct runner and his stats show he is more of a goal threat than a creative force however. He needs to improve defensively but we know Moyes and his coaching staff work hard to install that in new signings.