‘Fabio Carvalho to want Scott Parker at Brentford after Thomas Frank departure’
Scott Parker will already have one Brentford player wishing for his appointment following Thomas Frank’s move to Tottenham.
The current Bees manager has long been linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and with Ange Postecoglou sacked by Daniel Levy, an announcement looks imminent in North London.
During his time at the Gtech Community Stadium, Frank won 43 per cent of his matches in charge, not just becoming a much-loved figure by the supporters, but also immersing himself in the community.
Fans will be desperately upset to see the 51-year-old move on this summer, but one player who has struggled to make the expected impact under his leadership is Fabio Carvalho.
Fabio Carvalho to breathe sigh of relief at Brentford
Since arriving from Liverpool on a £27.5million deal last summer [BBC Sport], the 22-year-old has made just three Premier League appearances, while recording three goals and three assists in 24 total outings.
With Man United-bound star winger Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Kevin Schade, and Mikkel Damsgaard all impressing in the final third, it has been a tough past year for Carvahlo, especially having sustained an injury in March.
Many supporters will admit that the former Liverpool playmaker has not reached anywhere near the heights he experienced during the 2021/22 season, in which he bagged 19 goal contributions for Fulham.
After bursting through the academy at Craven Cottage, he quickly became the biggest rising star at the Cottagers’ disposal, and Parker will know absolutely everything about the player in question.
The campaign was an incredibly successful one under the current Burnley manager, winning the Championship title by two points before he joined their promotion rivals, Bournemouth, in the summer.
It was also Carvalho’s final time appearing in a Fulham shirt, earning a £4.17m move to Liverpool [BBC Sport], but the Portuguese star will now be hoping for a reunion with his former manager.
Scott Parker to Brenford to be given green light by current outcast
According to Fabrizio Romano (11 June), Parker has been named on a three-man shortlist to potentially succeed Frank at Brentford, though he is currently understood to be happy at Turf Moor.
That is not to say a move will not materialise over the coming weeks, and if Carvalho’s last season under the 44-year-old’s guidance is anything to go by, his career could be revolutionised next term.
As the Cottagers won promotion from the Championship in 2021/22, the 22-year-old led the line as an unconventional makeshift striker, notching 11 goals and eight assists in 38 appearances.
He even kept Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has been linked with an Everton move from the Saudi Pro League, on the bench for a lot of the campaign, sometimes moving out wide when called upon for a different tactic.
There are no doubts over the player’s abilities, but with Frank preferring other players at the Gtech Community Stadium, it has been a massive struggle for the midfielder to break into the side.
It is unlikely to be a coincidence that Carvalho’s best season came under the leadership of Parker, and with the Bees now desperate to replace Frank ahead of the 2025/26 season, the manager seems like the ideal candidate to improve the player’s situation.