Fabio Silva, Wolves’ record signing from 2020, has not been playing for Wolves during the last year. Signed from Porto as an 18-year-old, Silva had a very difficult time in Wolverhampton during the first two seasons — not playing regularly and struggling to consistently find the back of the net. In the summer of 2022, Wolves decided to loan him out to Belgian club Anderlecht and then to PSV in January 2023. It is fair to say Silva has had a better time on the pitch than the previous two years.
Given that Silva has been on loan to two clubs this season, in this piece, his time at PSV has been considered, as that is most recent. The below visualisation shows where the 20-year-old ranks for some of the key metrics when compared with the other centre-forwards in his current league.
He signed for PSV only in late January but has since been a regular part of the PSV XI. Still only 20 years old, Silva is a tall, strong and well-rounded centre-forward. His time at Anderlecht was successful given that he found the back of the net more times than during his two seasons at Wolves. He scored seven goals and had one assist for Anderlecht in his short loan spell.
Currently at PSV, he has found the back of the net four times in the league. He is always closer to the box and takes a high volume of shots as well — ranking 75th percentile for shots per 90. Aerially as well, he has won a number of duels and that has been one of his strengths.
Fabio Silva had a turbulent time at Wolves, but this season has been something of a refresher for the Portuguese youth international. Having represented Portugal in different age groups, Fabio Silva will be key to Portugal’s challenge in the U21 Euros this summer and hence, given that he is at an important phase of his career and looking to make that step — at Wolves or elsewhere — Silva is definitely one to watch out for at this summer’s tournament.
