Silva admits Carvalho could be among players leaving Fulham

Fulham boss Marco Silva has admitted Fabio Carvalho could be one of a number of players to leave the club during this month’s transfer window.

The Whites, who are set to play their first match since December 20 when they visit Bristol City in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday, have the biggest squad in the Championship and are keen to offload players such as Cyrus Christie, Steven Sessegnon and Anthony Knockaert, who have made just four appearances between them this season.

Young guns Tyresse Francois and Carvalho are both out of contract at the end of the campaign and have yet to to accept new deals tabled by the club, who will listen to offers this month.

Silva said he expects to hear from Carvalho’s representatives imminently and hinted he fears the young Portuguese-born playmaker may have had his head turned after initially staying he would stay.

“I know his agent will have been talking to some other big clubs,” Silva said.

“But we are expecting something from Fabio and his agent – they know what they said to us.

“For me as a manager, our board are trying to take control of the situation, but I am waiting for Fabio to come and speak with me because his agent will speak to the club.

“Fabio knows what he said to me, and I expect to have an answer from him.”

Christie, Sessegnon and Knockaert spent last season out on loan and Fulham are hoping similar deals can be struck for the trio to again leave temporarily or preferably on permanent deals.

“We have a big, big squad and there is the possibility of some players leaving the football club, even in a Covid situation where we have a lot of games in a row,” he said.

“In Christie we are talking about a player who wants to play more, but he knew my feelings about the situation at the beginning of the season.

“I started the season with five right-backs and this is not a normal thing in a squad.

“There is Sessegnon, there is Christie, there is Kenny (Tete) and there is Denis (Odoi).

“I decided it would be Kenny and Denis as the first choices, but Christie wants to play more and that is a normal thing.”

Watford loanee Domingos Quina is also set to return to Vicarage Road after failing to make an impression on Silva during his season-long loan, having made just two appearances.

“Domingos Quina is a loan player and for us to have him, it just makes sense for him to be one hundred per cent involved and playing big minutes and on matchdays,” he said.

“He knows my opinions and I know his, it’s up to us as a football club to decide what we will do.”

Although keen to trim his squad, Silva insists he won’t allow proven squad players such as Michael Hector, Alfie Mawason and Josh Onomah, who have barely featured this season, to leave

“We have to have a squad that is competitive as we have to play Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday,” he said.

“There is competitions for places inside the football club, but they have to show me they are good enough to play.

“We want to have two players for each position, and at the beginning of the season we had injuries so some players played more, but now the situation is more clear.

“These players have to show me they are better than the guy that is playing, and they have to be ready for me when I decide I need them.”