Hull City: Oxford United ace could be long-term Fabio Carvalho replacement: View | OneFootball

Hull City’s play-off hopes suffered a big blow on Wednesday night, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Middlesbrough.

The Tigers have taken many by surprise this season in terms of being the side mentioned in regard to the play-off race.

But a stuttering run of form in the last few weeks has meant the chances of finishing in the top six have become more difficult, and the draw at home to Boro has now made that task even harder.

Obviously, Hull not making the top six will mean they are playing Championship football again next season, but it could also affect the club’s transfer plans.

It seems that unless the Tigers are promoted, it looks unlikely they will be able to retain the services of Fabio Carvahlo, who joined the club on loan in January and has been an excellent addition.

Hull were very active in the January transfer window, and one deal they impressively got over the line was signing Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool on loan for the rest of the season.

The 21-year-old has been with the Premier League side since 2022, and while he did feature for the club in his first season, before this 2023/24 campaign, it was decided he would be sent out on loan.

The midfielder joined RB Leipzig in the first part of the season but returned to Liverpool in January, and it was then announced he would be joining Hull for the rest of the campaign.

Since joining the Tigers, Carvalho has grabbed seven goals in 15 Championship appearances, instantly becoming a key player in their attack.

Obviously, Hull will hope he and the rest of the players can get the club into the top six, but if not, you feel that the Championship side will be unable to re-sign Carvalho again next season.

Therefore, the club may need to soon start looking at possible replacements, and Oxford United’s Tyler Goodrham could be an ideal candidate.

Oxford United's Tyler Goodrham could be the perfect Fabio Carvalho replacement for Hull City

As just mentioned, it seems a lot has to happen before Hull City can consider having Fabio Carvalho at the club once again for the 2024/25 season.

So, with it not a guarantee, Liam Rosenior’s side needs to be looking at replacements, as it is important that they do replace the Liverpool man, given how important he has been in this second half of the campaign.

One player who could be an ideal candidate to do just that is Oxford United’s Tyler Goodrham, who has been linked with the Tigers before.

TEAMtalk in January that Hull, as well as Middlesbrough, Coventry City, and Bristol City, were all interested in the winger.

Goodrham is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the English Football League, and in January, it seemed he had caught the eye of these Championship teams.

A move didn’t materialise, but given how he has continued to perform and will likely still be looked at by these sides, he could be a perfect long-term replacement for Carvalho.

Goodrham came through the academy at Oxford, and it was last season when the winger broke onto the first team scene.

The 20-year-old scored three goals and grabbed one assist in 36 League One appearances, but in this campaign, he has dramatically improved on those numbers.

So far in this term, Goodrham has scored eight goals and chipped in with four assists after playing the same number of games as last season.

This is impressive, given that Goodrham isn’t a regular starter for Oxford - he's only started 19 games and is averaging just 51 minutes on the pitch, as per Sofascore.com.

But that hasn’t stopped the 20-year-old from impressing - he’s averaging a goal every 230 minutes of football, as well as taking 1.1 shots per game, with 0.5 of those on target.

Goodrham has an impressive goal conversion rate of 21%, but as well as being in the goals, he has also been important in his creative ability.

The winger has created three big chances for his team-mates this season, whilst also averaging 0.7 key passes per match, recording four assists in League One this season, as per Sofascore.com.

Goodrham is still in the earlier stages of his career, so if Hull did look to sign the player, there shouldn’t be too much pressure on him to fill Carvalho’s shoes right away.

However, he looks to have all the makings to become a very top player, and this is why Hull should take the risk and sign the player, as he could add something to their team now but can also become even better in the years to come.