“I’ll be honest. I didn't want to join Wolves," Fabio Silva says, three years after making a club-record £35 million move to Molineux. "It wasn't the right time to leave Porto. I wanted to stay for one or two more years. I felt like that was the best thing for my career."
At his home in Portugal, the 21-year-old striker has decided to sit down with SPORTbible to speak about the past three years of his career in what will be an open and, at times, brutally honest interview about being "pushed" to join Wolves and the knock-on effect it had.
Fresh from his six-month loan spell at Rangers, Silva begins by taking us back to Constituicao Park – the training facility of FC Porto.
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At the time, one of Portugal's top prospects was attracting interest from a number of top European clubs. Juventus and Milan were keen after watching him become the club's youngest-ever starter and goalscorer in a competitive fixture, ironically surpassing then-Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves
Things, however, would take a significant turn in the summer of 2020. He remembers it well.
“I trained with Porto in the morning, went to dinner with my family and my agent called me," Silva recalls. "He said, 'Tomorrow we're going to travel to England.'
"They pushed me in the direction of Wolves. I didn't have a choice. Maybe the other clubs would have been better for my development – a league that would allow more time and patience.”
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He goes on: “I was told if I said no to Wolves, then I wouldn't play for the first team at Porto. I was only 18 when a team decided to offer £35 million. At the time, Porto weren't in a great position financially but I still didn't have a say in the matter.
"They called me saying, 'You have a flight tomorrow.' And that was it. The club knew the love I had for them. They said, 'You have a chance to give your club £35 million. You can help out financially.’ I couldn't say no."
A deal between Porto and Wolves was soon agreed and in the blink of an eye, the West Midlands side had smashed their club-record transfer fee to sign an 18-year-old who had only scored three goals in 24 first-team appearances.
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Like he has been throughout our chat, Silva is refreshingly honest about that period.
“The last few years have taught me so much in life but at that moment, Wolves wasn't the best move," he says.
"I needed to be with my family. I needed to play more in my country. I needed to make mistakes and learn from them. Instead, I went to the best league in the world and the pressure was on. Everybody expected Fabio Silva to hit the ground running and score 35 goals in my first season.
“I feel more prepared for everything now; for what people are going to say about me but back then, I knew I wasn't ready for the Premier League, even before I moved.
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"I remember standing there thinking, 'I'm not prepared to be here. I need more time.' As I said before, I didn't have control over anything."
For all the negatives involved in the move, Silva agrees that playing in the Premier League has also been a blessing in disguise.
“I had to learn quickly, which was good because I got to play against some of the best centre-backs in the world," the striker says.
"When I went out on loan to PSV and Anderlecht, I think I was more prepared for the challenge and that’s down to the Premier League. Every team is so good. You can play against the bottom clubs and lose.”
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Silva would go on to make 37 appearances in his debut campaign at Wolves. He scored six goals in that time frame; a far-from-perfect start to life in England's top flight, but he feels people don't give him enough credit as he adapted to working under Nuno Espirito Santo – a manager he greatly admires.
"After Nuno left, more and more coaches came in. Sometimes they liked me, sometimes they didn't," he reflects. "You can't control that. This is why I want to be at a club that really want me. The coach, the sporting director and my teammates.
"This is why when I go to a club, I always ask for a meeting with the coach because I want to speak with him, to see what his ideas are for me. I like people to be clear.”
Silva continues: “I have a saying; if things don't start well then they probably won't finish well either. I like Wolves and I love the fans, who message me on Instagram all the time. The coaches have helped but I still don't feel 100 per cent there and that’s why I’ve gone elsewhere, to try and show my passion and be happy.”
After a frustrating spell in Wolverhampton, a loan spell at Belgian side Anderlecht would provide some much-needed game time. Three goals in his first four games followed. In fact, Silva has impressed on his travels at PSV Eindhoven and more recently, Rangers.
"When I moved to Anderlecht, PSV and Rangers, I looked into their eyes and said, 'Yes, I feel like this is the project for me'.
“For me, it's all about confidence. I felt like people really believed in me during those loans. I think I’m a completely different player when I play with a smile, and when I play with joy and feel that people really love me, then I take my football to another level.”
Scottish Premiership side Rangers, meanwhile, provided another challenge. He hit the ground running at PSV and Anderlecht but Scotland proved to be an "intense" experience.
“Rangers fans are crazy," he laughs. "They love their football. Those Europa League nights were special. It was great to be in that environment. The coach was very important for me. He was always open and we shared ideas. I played on the left wing but it's important for me to play in different positions. It was great.”
When asked if he would change anything about his time at Rangers, the 21-year-old pauses for a good few seconds.
“I don't have regrets in life," he says. "Everything happens for a reason. I enjoyed playing at Rangers. I feel more complete after playing in a few different positions. I wouldn’t change anything. It's a new country with new teammates. Rangers are a big team. I liked it."
One thing he had to deal with at Ibrox was the significant amount of negative comments from supporters on Instagram. As a teenager, those words would have impacted his entire week.
But now, after being through so much in his short career, Silva has learned to deal with the so-called haters.
“I've felt the impact of that in the last month-and-a-half," he admits when touching on the negative comments. "When I post something, or the club posts something about me on social media, the people really criticise me."
He continues: “In the beginning, when I was 18 years old, I'd go home and look at the comments to see what everyone was saying about me and my game. I'd look at the news as well.
"I've experienced a lot since then. I don't have time to waste on things like that. The most important thing is the opinion of my family, my agent and friends.
"I've already lived through so much. I've had a lot of pressure on my shoulders, so I don't focus on the negativity because these people don't have any idea about what it’s like to be a football player, and to be living away from your family. They have no idea how I feel."
Now, as he prepares for another year in Europe, Silva is looking forward.
"I’m trying to relax with my family and friends right now, but eventually I want to try and move to another club," he admits. "I don't know if it’ll be a transfer or another loan but everyone at Wolves knows my thoughts. And the coach [Gary O’Neil] has the same opinion. We're going to try and do everything to get a move."
One for thing is for certain; his decision has nothing to with the Wolves fan base, who have mostly been supportive since day one.
“It's nothing to do with the Wolves fans," repeats Silva. "In the past, and I understand where they’re coming from, people remember that I scored 35 goals in a season when I was younger, and I cost £35 million, so they expect me to score all the time.
"I understand this point but I’ve got to the stage now where I don't care what some people say because I know, deep down, that I need to time to grow and experience different things. The club don't have a lot of patience with me. I need time. This is why I tried to go to other places, to give me that time.”
So what's next? "I would like to play in Spain," he smiles. "I love the country. I love the culture. I love the language and the way they speak. So, yeah. We'll see.”
Topics: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Premier League, England, FC Porto, Rangers, PSV, Anderlecht
Jack Kenmare