A record €40m transfer arrived at Wolverhampton when he was just 18 years old, and Fabio Silva did not achieve the expected success. Compared to Cristiano Ronaldo from the age of 15, the young striker has not had the same success in England as his idol. In two seasons with Wolverhampton, he played only 62 matches in 25 matches, 4 goals and 6 performances. Preceded by Raul Jimenez and Hwang Hee-chan in particular, the striker knew he had to leave the English club to get more playing time in order to advance. Now, 20, Fabio Silva has joined Anderlecht on loan. The player, who was the youngest player to wear the Porto shirt, gave a glimpse of optimism within the Belgian club.
“Fabio is known as one of the most talented strikers in Europe of his generation. He combines physical strength, determination and the ability to score goals. Although he is just 20 years old, he already has two years of experience in the Premier League. Fabio’s arrival is important because We have a lot of matches to play in a short time and because we want to be competitive on all three fronts.” Mauves CEO Peter Verbeke explained about the arrival of the Portuguese. Wearing the number 99 on his back, Fabio Silva has already shown he has to be counted on. After entering 9 minutes against Ostend in his first league match, the Portuguese actually managed to secure a 2-0 win. His coach, Felice Matzo, was procrastinating a lot and didn’t want to give in to the flames: “Fabio Silva is still a bit behind physically, because he was not with us during the preparation. He still has work to do.” Two weeks later, the first evaluation was remarkable.
More goals in Anderlecht than Wolverhampton
He entered 45 minutes in the 1-0 defeat (the only one currently lost by Anderlecht) against Cercle Brugge, and became a key player alongside another young talent, Italian Sebastiano Esposito (20). Something that feeds the optimism of coach Felice Matzo: “Fabio Silva sets a first-class goal. But last week, Sebastiano was in the spotlight. It’s good to have one and then the other, because we will need everyone. Are they complementary? Yes, they can be. But Fabio just arrived. I don’t want Anything rush. We have to move forward quietly.” Promising starts are more and more assured… He scored goals in the four matches that followed, against Syring (3-1) and St Trond (3-0) in the league, and Estonia bae Linameskund in Europe. League Conference (2-0 and 3-0), the Portuguese already has 5 goals and two displays in 6 matches, which is crucial every 48 minutes. He has already scored more with Anderlecht than he has at Wolverhampton and is showing great promise for the rest of the season.
In any case, the main interested party is satisfied with the tournament and the team gives him more space to express himself: “I am happy with the three points and the role you played. But when you are surrounded by such players, it is not difficult. Take Rafailov for example. He is very smart, he always finds the spaces. You just have to make the right run and hit the ball. Besides Wolverhampton, we do not forget his potential and the fact that he is a dry loan. Coach Bruno Lagg was satisfied with his debut in Belgium: “I hope it will grow and become important to us next season […] I hope he goes the same path as Morgan Gibbs White. We loaned him to Swansea for six months and then to Sheffield United for a season. Today, at the age of 22, he is a standout player. Last year he scored no goal, now he’s scored four (now five, editor’s note). It’s about creating the best environment to continue growing, being happy, and achieving goals. Sometimes a different environment can help. Fabio left, but extended his contract. He’s still our player and we’re happy with that.” In search of lost time, Fàbio Silva has already won the hearts of the Mauves and will try to confirm all the potential that has been glimpsed for years.
