Fabio Carvalho must jump at Brentford exit route as path to Chelsea stardom opens up
Brentford forward Fabio Carvalho should force a move away from the club soon amid transfer interest that could see him become a part of Chelsea’s first-team in the near future.
Fabio Carvalho‘s career has not gone the way many thought it would up to this point following his breakthrough into Fulham‘s first-team at just 18-years-old in 2020.
The England youth international netted in the Premier League at the end of his maiden season as a professional, and earned a £5million move to Liverpool in May 2022 after being a standout as Fulham won the Championship title.
Carvalho only played 21 times for the Reds’ first team in two years amid loan spells with RB Leipzig and Hull City, then moved to Brentford in 2024 on a five-year deal.
The last 14 months have seen him struggle to make his mark in West London under both Thomas Frank and Keith Andrews, and a new opportunity to move on that could arise soon is one that he must grab with both hands for numerous reasons.
Fabio Carvalho must prioritise Strasbourg move with potential to join Chelsea if he impresses
After starting just three Premier League games in his first six months at the club, Football Insider revealed during the last January window that Brentford had rejected a loan offer for Carvalho from Lyon.
Carvalho was soon demoted to Brentford’s B team, and his woes were compounded in March as he suffered a shoulder injury and missed the final two months of the 2024-25 campaign.
The 23-year-old remained with the Bees over the recent summer window after Frank was appointed by Tottenham and Andrews became the club’s new head-coach, but things have not gone as planned this season either.
Carvalho has only started one league game so far this term, despite Brentford’s lack of goals and creativity, and even a late equaliser against Chelsea on 13 September has not thrust him further into Andrews’ plans, with just three minutes played in the three league matches since.
Sky Sports (7 October) have now reported that Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg are one of several European clubs, including Lyon and Stuttgart, who are continuing to track Carvalho’s situation at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Strasbourg have reportedly been interested in signing him in the last two transfer windows, but Brentford were insistent that Carvalho was not available in the summer, yet a move away certainly seems possible if he continues to be overlooked.
The French side are owned by BlueCo, who also own Chelsea, and the two clubs share a close working relationship which has seen numerous players go between Stamford Bridge and the Stade de la Meinau.
Moving to Strasbourg should be a complete no-brainer for Carvalho in the January window, as they have championed young players in recent years and even recently achieved a European first by fielding a team composed entirely of players born in 2002 or later against Metz in August.
Impressing under Liam Rosenior would also open him up to potentially joining Chelsea in the windows to come, with Emmanuel Emegha recently agreeing a deal to leave Strasbourg for the Blues, proving that there is a clear path for players to Stamford Bridge when featuring for the Ligue 1 club.
What Keith Andrews has said about Carvalho’s future
Carvalho may well be open to leaving Brentford, but it remains to be seen whether the club will allow him to depart either on loan or permanently in a couple of months’ time.
Andrews’ side currently sit 16th in the Premier League table, and the Irish boss backed Carvalho to become a key man under his watch following his recent equaliser against Chelsea.
He said: “I’ve got a really good relationship with Fabio where he trusts me and knows that I believe in him. I think the key with players is that you’ve got to be constantly in communication with them whether they’re playing or not.
“When they’re not playing it’s obviously a bit more difficult, but you still have to communicate with them and speak to them about the game.
“With Fabio I’ve just asked for a little bit of patience because I truly believe he will be a big player for this club.”
It is clear that the Bees head-coach has faith in the 23-year-old’s abilities, but whether he is content to sit on the bench all season once again is unclear, and seems unlikely.