Wolves have a decision to make in the summer when it comes to the future of one star signed by Nuno Espirito Santo, he’s cost the Old Gold millions since his arrival.
It’s been an impressive first season at Wolves for Gary O’Neil, who has already exceeded expectations purely by ensuring that the Old Gold didn’t become relegation candidates.
At the point of the Englishman’s arrival, the club were in tatters due to financial restrictions and the prompt exit of Julen Lopetegui, leaving the squad short of numbers and quality just days before the 2023/24 season opener.
For all the struggles that the manager has combatted throughout the campaign, his work will not get any easier at the end of the footballing calendar, with a host of decisions to make over the future of players at Molineux.
One figure whose future has been contemplated recently is Fabio Silva, who was signed for an eye-watering £35m in 2020 by Nuno Espirito Santo.
The future of Fabio Silva at Wolves is now ‘unlikely’ ahead of the transfer window
Santo felt it was necessary to break the club’s record transfer fee at the time to acquire Silva, who at just 18 years old had shown glimpses of luxury at Porto.
Almost four years down the line Wolves are yet to see the full force of Silva, whose future now looks to be far from Wolverhampton, as relayed by journalist Liam Keen on The Keen & Judah Show.
Speaking about the future of Wolves’ players on loan, Keen shared his verdict on Silva, who is currently on loan at Rangers.
“I think it’s unlikely if he plays for the club again if we’re being honest.”
It’s been a tough time for the 21-year-old since leaving Portugal, with matters not getting much better in Scotland, where he earned the label of “embarrassing” for his diving antics by pundit Chris Sutton.
With four goals in 17 for Rangers, it’s also unlikely that the Scottish Premiership side will want to keep hold of the Portuguese forward, posing the question of how much Wolves will get for him, and who will sign him.
Read more here on the price Wolves have named for Fabio Silva
How much Fabio Silva has cost Wolves amid transfer talk
It was always going to be a gamble to spend £35m on a teenager who had only 21 senior appearances to his name at the point of his arrival, but Nuno saw something in the striker.
Over his four-year association with Wolves, Silva has made 72 appearances for the Old Gold, as well as spending time at Anderlecht, PSV Eindhoven and Rangers on loan.
In his 72 appearances, the forward has found the net just five times at senior level, making for concerning reading when working out how much he’s cost the club over the years.
Fabio Silva career at Wolves
- Weekly wage: £80k
- Yearly wage: £4.1m
- Apperances: 72
- Goals: 5
On top of paying £35m to sign him, Silva has picked up over £8m in wages from Molineux, earning a staggering £80k-a-week when at the club over the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns, as per Capology.
In a ballpark figure, adding the transfer fee to his wages, Wolves have paid Silva around £8.6m per goal he’s scored at senior level for the club, reinforcing the need for Fosun to offload him in the summer.
It’s a great shame for both player and club that things haven’t worked out for the youngster, who never seemed quite ready to play at Premier League level.