WOLVERHAMPTON Wanderers fans plan to unfurl a banner in support of injured striker Raul Jimenez at Molineux on Saturday ahead of the West Midlands derby against Aston Villa. And manager Nuno Espirito Santo will be tempted to account for the Mexican striker’s absence by unveiling, ahead of schedule, his 18-year-old star in waiting.
It is perhaps indicative of both the dizzying wealth of Premier League clubs and the transformation of the transfer market into an arms race for the latest talent that Wolves’ record signing is a teenage unknown quantity. Eyebrows were raised when the Black Country club forked out a reported £35m in September to sign Fabio Silva, who had with only 21 senior appearances and three goals to his name for Porto.
Despite the clamour to know more about the costly Portuguese under-19 international, Wolves have been prepared to be patient with their teenage striker. But a combination of Jimenez’s injury – a result of a frightening head collision in last month’s win over Arsenal – an impressive performance from the youngster for the club’s under-21s in an EFL Trophy victory against Doncaster Rovers last month and the failure of last week’s striker-less line-up to trouble Liverpool in a 4-0 loss could see Silva’s planned progression accelerated.
“Today was a very good day because I need to play and I need to score goals,” Silva said after netting twice at Keepmoat Stadium, his first goals for his new club, “but I think the most important thing was to help the team."
“That was the most important for me, but the two goals will give me confidence before the next games for the first team.
“Whether I play here or play for the first team, I have to do my job, I have to do the same; work every day and trust in the process to help the team.
“Today, it was with this team, and in the future it’s the first team.”
️ Fabio Silva reacts to scoring 2 goals for Wolves tonight and going through to the knockout stages of the Papa John's Trophy#WWFC #TheWolfpack pic.twitter.com/VxKFlqcVp1
— The Wolfpack (@_TheWolfpack) November 10, 2020
Last year, Silva began to generate excited whispers in European scouting circles when he became the youngest player to play and score for Porto. The Portuguese club had, at one stage, thought they’d lost the prodigious scorer to rivals Benfica, with Silva spending two years with the Lisbon giants in his teens. But he returned to Porto in 2017 and was fast-tracked into the first team at the Estadio do Dragao last year after a near goal-a-game record at under-19 level.
An out-and-out No.9 who links play intelligently and, as his EFL Trophy brace demonstrated, finishes confidently when in sight of goal, Silva has the attributes, if not the experience, to fill the Jimenez-shaped void in the Wolves XI.
Silva has thus far only featured as a substitute in the Premier League, coming off the bench six times for a modest total of just 144 minutes and no goals. Nuno elected not to throw the 18-year-old into the starting line-up against Liverpool last week, instead opting for an attacking trident made up of wingers Pedro Neto, Adama Traore and Daniel Podence, bringing Silva on for the last 28 minutes.
A miserly three shots on target – for an expected goals total of just 0.33, according to understat.com – was all Wolves could muster against the champions. As such, the Wolves boss might be tempted to feature Silva, a more traditional threat down the middle, prominently in the months until Jimenez’s return.
Fábio Silva in the last year:
UEFA Youth League winner
FC Porto professional debut
Youngest scorer in Porto history
Primeira Liga winner
Hat-trick for Portugal U19s➡️ Future star? #WWFC #Wolves pic.twitter.com/t4kfo5SWYg
— FIVEYARDS (@FIVE__YARDS) September 5, 2020
“Fabio has been involved in some games in the Portuguese first division with Porto and did well, but he doesn’t have enough because he’s very young,” Nuno said in October of Silva. “So, he’s in a growing process but the physicality, he felt it, especially in the game against Stoke [in the Carabao Cup].
“Now he’s getting ready, realising with our help what he has to do to take advantage of his talent.”
Wolves have enjoyed tremendous success with Portuguese stars in recent years. A tidy profit was turned on versatile forward Diogo Jota after his summer sale to Liverpool; Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves have forming a central-midfield partnership the envy of many Premier League clubs; Neto and Podence are impressing in attack; and Rui Patricio is reliable and occasionally spectacular between the sticks.
In terms of sheer talent, Silva has the highest ceiling of them all. Patience is required if the teenager is to fulfil his potential, but Saturday’s visit of Villa presents a perfect opportunity for an extended glimpse into the future of Wolves’ front line.
