Liverpool was right to cash in on Fabio Carvalho transfer after his sly dig

Many Liverpool fans may have raised an eyebrow at the news of Fabio Carvalho's transfer to Brentford on Monday after producing such an impressive pre-season under Arne Slot this summer.

The 21-year-sold sealed a $35.2million (£27.5m/€32.2m) switch to the Bees this week following just two years at Anfield , signing a five-year-deal with Thomas Frank's side with the option of a year extension.

Some Reds supporters may be angered by the sale of the Portuguese attacking midfielder, and they'd be well within their rights to following the youngsters impressive performances during pre-season in the United States.

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Carvalho started all three fixtures against Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United while Stateside, bagging against the Gunners and the Red Devils to help Slot's side to 2-1 and 3-0 victories, respectively.

However, if you take everything into consideration, then perhaps Liverpool was right to cash in on the former Fulham star this summer. Having signed him for just $6.3m (£5m/€5.8m) in the summer of 2022, the Reds have made a $28.7m (£22.5m/€26.3m) profit two years later - and inserted a 17.5 percent sell-on clause in the deal.

It is also great money for a player who's never hit the heights in the top flight - both in England and Germany. Following a remarkable Championship campaign with Fulham in 2021-22, scoring 10 and assisting eight, Carvalho struggled to replicate that form with Liverpool.

Granted, two goals in back-to-back games in his first five Premier League fixtures for the Reds was promising, yet that would be his only contribution for the remainder of the season, manging just eight more top flight games throughout his debut campaign.

At the start of last season, Carvalho signed a season-long loan to German outfit RB Leipzig. After making just nine appearances in the Bundesliga, however, he was prematurely recalled in January and loaned out to Hull City instead.

Carvalho took to his return to the Championship like a duck to water, grabbing nine goals and two assists in 20 appearances and earning himself the Player of the Month award for April in a season where the Tigers narrowly missed out on a play-off place.

While Carvalho's performances should be applauded, the fact of the matter is that he couldn't replicate them in the top flight with either Liverpool or RB Leipzig. Having left Anfield with just three goals in 21 appearances in all competitions, such a fee should not be sniffed at.

There is also the small matter of the youngster's sly dig at the club following his departure to Brentford. When asked why he completed the move during his first interview as a Brentford player, Carvalho said he just wanted to play "somewhere where he's wanted" .

The sly dig has certainly been taken in poor taste, with Carvalho never frozen out from the Liverpool squad during his time at the club. Even if he was not first-choice for Slot this season, the Dutchman has given him opportunity to impress by starting in all three games in the US.

Those comments, and the transfer itself, however, suggest Carvalho is perhaps better suited elsewhere, away from Anfield. And if he didn't do enough to break into Slot's first-choice XI this summer, then it's a move that works out best for all parties involved.