This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton have emerged as an interested party in Fulham attacker Fabio Carvalho, as reported by TEAMtalk.

The reports states that The Saints have been monitoring the 19-year-old's progression with The Cottagers for a few months now.

A FLW exclusive from four weeks ago outlined that Barcelona had also joined the race for the exciting teenager, whilst Mail Online have reported that Real Madrid are also in the running. 

 

 

Carvalho has also attracted the interest of several top-tier clubs across Europe, and with his contract expiring in the summer, it remains to be seen what his next move, or what the best move might be.

We asked three of our writers here at FLW to share their thoughts on Southampton's interest in Carvalho and whether it is the type of signing they should go for...

Marcus Ally

Fabio Carvalho looked an outstanding talent at the start of the season and was a huge part of Fulham’s rise to the summit of the division. The drop-off in form that has followed at Craven Cottage demonstrates just how crucial the youngster is to their promotion push.

The move may be a little less desirable for Carvalho if Southampton are in a relegation battle and are looking like they will be a division lower than Fulham come next August. The Cottagers do not need to cash in and will see Carvalho as a player who can develop and thrive in the Premier League where he is in the coming years.

It would be a terrific signing if Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men were able to pull it off but considering Fulham’s financial muscle it does not seem possible unless the Cottagers fell away from the Championship promotion picture.

Toby Wilding 

This does look as though it could be a very good signing for Southampton if they can pull it off.

Carvalho was impressive in the Premier League towards the end of last season with a Fulham side who were plummeting towards relegation, so you do feel he could make an impact in a somewhat more established Premier League side.

Indeed, the experience he has had since then with Fulham will no doubt have improved him further, and he could be brimming with confidence after becoming a key man for the Cottagers, potentially setting him up to do some damage in the top-flight.

At 19-years-old, there is of course still plenty of time for Carvalho to improve even more, meaning he has the potential to flourish in the top-flight in the future.

Add to that the fact that the level of interest there is in the winger would make this something of a coup for Southampton, and it does seem as though this is a deal those in charge at St Mary's should be pushing to get done.

Jordan Rushworth

This would be a brilliant long-term investment for Southampton if they were able to secure the services of Fabio Carvalho, with the exciting attacker having underlined his potential with his form for Fulham this season prior to his recent injury setback.

Southampton a few years ago were one of the very smartest teams in the country in terms of their recruitment with them finding a host of gems like Sadio Mane and Dusan Tadic. Doing so enabled the Satins to compete towards the top end of the Premier League and led to profits being generated on some of their additions.

However, recently the Saints have gone away from that and their recruitment has been hit and miss really. Carvalho is exactly the right sort of player for them to be targeting with him someone that is likely to develop into a quality Premier League player in years to come given his talent.

Considering that Carvalho is in a lot of demand, it is not going to be easy for Southampton to sign him. Having said that they could offer him the chance to get more game time in the top-flight than other interested parties perhaps could. While they also have a good record in developing young talents and that marks them out as an attractive proposition.