Wolves are ready to cash in on Fabio Silva as the striker continues to thrive away from Molineux.
Silva is expected to leave Wolves for good in the summer transfer window once his time at Las Palmas has concluded.
With 10 goals in La Liga for the relegation-threatened side, Silva has been making the headlines during his loan spell, paving the way to his Molineux exit.
The Old Gold haven’t seen anywhere near the level expected from the forward during his time in the West Midlands following his record £35m transfer in 2020, despite his ability to shine elsewhere.
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Bruno Lage wanted Fabio Silva to follow in Morgan Gibbs-White’s footsteps
The Portugal U21 international’s failure in England hasn’t been solely his fault, as Wolves have seen a host of managers come and go over the years, each of them unable to unlock Silva.
Silva was an admirer of Nuno Espirito Santo, who signed him from Porto, but only had a season to work with his countryman.
Bruno Lage replaced Nuno, and in 2022, the coach sanctioned Silva’s first loan away from Molineux, a move to Anderlecht that the Portuguese manager had high hopes for.
After Silva’s exit, Lage revealed his desire for Silva to put together a strong campaign in Belgium before returning, prompting the striker to take inspiration from Morgan Gibbs-White.
“It’s about the opportunity to find the best space to continue to grow up, improve, be happy and score goals,” Lage said of Silva in 2022.
“I want to look at the end of the season and see the same as what happened with Morgan. He goes, grows up, and now he can be an important player for the team and me. That’s what we want from Fabio.”
Lage was left inspired by Gibbs-White’s transformation on loan at Sheffield United, a single season that had the former manager wanting the same from Silva.
Gibbs-White’s loan was a success for Wolves
Wolves watched Gibbs-White go from an academy-produced fringe player to a talent ready to become a Premier League regular.
The levels the midfielder showed in the Championship with the Blades paved the way for his Molineux exit, a transfer that added £42.5m to Wolves’ budget.
Though Gibbs-White is not a popular figure at Wolves, the playmaker’s loan was considered a benchmark for success for others to follow, highs that Lage wanted from Silva.
The Englishman caught Nottingham Forest’s attention with his 22-goal contribution season at Brammall Lane, as he flourished in a starring role away from Molineux.
While Silva went on to excel over two loans in 2022/23, representing Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven, the striker was unable to transform as Lage had hoped, returning as a player still shy of hitting Premier League standards.
To this day, Gibbs-White’s loan at Sheffield will be considered an inspiration to those who leave Molineux in search of building an identity, being proof that time away sometimes holds the answers.