Sometimes things just don’t work out.
Recognizing when it’s time to call it quits might be difficult at times.
Fabio Silva must be wondering if his time with Wolverhampton Wanderers is coming to an end after 61 appearances. After Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Sheffield United, Silva had to be consoled by teammates while home players celebrated wildly around him.
Silva’s commitment to his performances and the fortunes of Wolves has never been in doubt. And the 21-year-old attacker was unlucky to be at the center of the match-defining moment as Sheffield United secured a thrilling late win to punish Wolves for a poor second-half performance.
His ‘foul’ on Sheffield United’s George Baldock, by all accounts, should not have resulted in the penalty that lost Wolves a point and ended their five-match unbeaten run. Silva became the latest Wolves player to be undone by a highly questionable decision by match officials, one that manager Gary O’Neil described as “crazy.”
Yet it was tough to see his cameo, which lasted nine minutes plus the agonizing period of stoppage time, and not wonder if success in a Wolves shirt is simply out of the question.
His first act was to receive an unnecessary caution for barging Baldock over at the halfway line, and he also missed a free header in front of goal in a seven-touch appearance, though VAR would almost probably have spared his blushes with an offside call.
Then came the decisive moment. O’Neil and his players had every reason to be furious at the penalty decision, which was the latest in a string of harsh decisions against them. But, had Silva’s game management in stoppage time been more mature, he would have hammered the ball out of the Wolves penalty area before allowing referee Rob Jones and VAR Chris Kavanagh to deliver the home side their late gift.
After over three years and two successful loan moves, as well as 20 Premier League starts, the Portugal Under-21 international still doesn’t seem to be developing into the player Wolves had hoped he could be in the top tier of English football, more than three years after joining Wolves from Porto for a possible sum of £35 million.
His movement is obviously of a high caliber, and it has already earned him several significant opportunities this season, including two failed one-on-ones against Brighton and Everton.
However, he hasn’t yet reached the level of play he did on his loans at PSV Eindhoven and Anderlecht last season, which he routinely oversees for his country’s national team. Furthermore, his link-up play this season has fallen far short of what the Premier League demands.
In order to polish his skills before making a real run at the Premier League, he was sent out on loan the previous season, but he still doesn’t seem to have what it takes to be successful in many areas. According to his most recent appearance on Saturday, the more he attempts to influence things, the worse things go for him.
“It was evidently quite distressing,” an enraged O’Neil remarked. “I believe that at the end, everyone could see how sad he was.
And I wholeheartedly endorse him. Of course, nobody intentionally makes mistakes or continues to act in an unfavorable manner.
“However, I and the entire team deserve the defeat today, not Fabio. We have to improve. We handle that collectively.
It was encouraging to see the other players, especially fellow forward Matheus Cunha, come together in support of their man after his most recent setback and to hear O’Neil speak well of him. It’s becoming more and more obvious that the guy who Wolves signed as their record signing was vastly overvalued in one of the oddest trades resulting from Wolves’ association with super agency Jorge Mendes. As such, Wolves owe this player a duty of care.
However, they must now be getting close to the time when that duty of care includes assisting Silva in launching his career elsewhere, away from the team, where it is obvious that three years of hardship have had a negative impact on his wellbeing.
If not for the substantial transfer cost, he probably would have moved on by now, but finding a deal that works for everyone has become nearly impossible due to the £35 million price tag.
The moment may be ripe to look into every avenue to assist Silva in rediscovering his passion of football in a new setting, even if it necessitates another loan move with the chance of something more permanent next summer, given that Wolves is looking to add a new center-forward in January.
Under Matt Hobbs’ leadership, Wolves has evolved into a more realistic organization. It seems that the time is approaching to make a wise choice that will benefit both the team and, maybe more importantly, a young player who is unhappy and angry.
