Fabio Silva fact file: Who is Wolves' club-record signing?

Here's all the information you'll need about the latest addition to the wolf pack - in our very own fact file.

Details

Name: Fábio Daniel Soares Silva

Age: 18

Nationality: Portuguese

Position: Striker/secondary striker

Height: 6ft 1in

Preferred foot: Right

Previous clubs: FC Porto, Benfica (youth level)

Career stats

FC Porto (all competitions)

2019/20 - 24 appearances, three goals, two assists.

2018/19 (youth level) - 9 appearances, five goals, four assists.

What kind of player is Fabio Silva?

A pacey and instinctive finisher, Fabio Silva is one of the latest starlets to come out of Portugal - and is very much a player who looks to impact games with goals and assists, even at his tender age of just 18.

The youngster is a real poacher, who is able to act as a target man due to his height and physical strength, but can also run off the shoulder to get in behind his opponents using his pace.

The 18-year-old, who was previously linked with Liverpool, is in the mould of a complete striker, able to use his pace and agility to flummox defenders, has a killer instinct and is adept off the ball to make runs to stretch defences and cause opposing players serious problems in the final third.

He's able to use his athleticism to hold up play, not too dissimilar to current Wolves striker Raul Jimenez in that respect, and is credited with the ability to sniff out opportunities and take chances when in the position to score. Add to this a strong passing ability, in which he's able to play through fellow teammates when running at goal, and Silva is certainly a bright talent.

On top of that, Silva is also a hard worker too - willingly pressing opposition defenders when out of possession.

Whilst there are always questions posed of younger players, particularly those who have yet to fulfill their potential - it appears that Wolves could have a serious striker on their hands with Fabio Silva.

He's Porto's youngest ever goalscorer and starter (outdoing Wolves' own Ruben Neves), and has been prolific at youth level.

He's best utilised in a lone striker role, with wingers alongside him, which will suit Wolves should he be seen as another option to Jimenez.

Having only played a single season at senior level, it's tough to guarantee goals right now, but with three goals and two assists in just under 800 minutes of football (many of which came in substitute appearances) there are good signs being made by the youngster.

Will Fabio Silva suit Wolves?

On the face of it, it seems that Silva is well-suited to Wolves' footballing philosophies.

With an ability to hold up the play and use his strength to protect the ball, he'll fit in well with Nuno's 3-4-3 formation - particularly given his ability to play in a lone striker role.

His pace will also be particularly useful for Nuno, as well as his willingess to work from the front on the defensive side of the game.

Every team loves a goal poacher, and if Fabio Silva provides the goods, he'll be adored by the fans and his teammates at Molineux.

Should Nuno opt for a 3-5-2, it will be interesting to see where he places the youngster. He could play alongside Raul Jimenez, but is also thought to be capable of playing in a secondary striker role, providing a link between the midfield and the out and out striker.

What is Fabio Silva capable of?

The youngster hasn't played too much in terms of senior football, but he looks like a real talent.

Take a look at the video below to get a glimpse of what Fabio Silva could bring to Wolves.

Fabio Silva in quotes

Sporting legend Manuel Fernandes on Fabio Silva's potential:

"When Ronaldo was 17, he played as a centre-forward for Sporting's youth teams, I saw him doing things that I'm now seeing a boy from FC Porto do: Fabio Silva.

"He will be a hell of a player. In a short time, he will be an extraordinary striker."

Fabio Silva on comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo:

"He is an absolute inspiration and as a young player, it's so important to have a role model like Cristiano. But it is also a sign of responsibility and the trust people put on me.

"After listening to some of those comments from former players, it's just another push of motivation to write my own history.

"Everybody tells me the same. "I'm a wonderkid in the game!" It's good to know."

Fabio Silva on his dream to play with Ronaldo:

“He sent me a couple of shirts when he was playing for Real Madrid and recently also for Juventus. "

"I hope to meet him one day, but also to play with him. It would be great to play alongside the model for me and have advice from him.

"And we would be a nice attacking duo for Portugal!"

Silva's former coach Pedro Fonseca on the youngster:

"It was noted that there was something special, especially in relation to the ball."

"But he had a difficulty in that he hated to lose. He punished himself when he lost. Sometimes we did natural technique exercises at those ages, and he got bored. Why? It was easy for him to do them."

Former coach Marc Vieira on Silva's quality:

"Fabio was already advanced, at least that's what we detected. He always played above his age because he had the characteristics for it.

"He scored many goals and had an agility typical of the strikers. He had a lot of technique and an ease to finish in many ways even though he was a little boy.

"He had the typical calmness of a striker to receive the ball in the area and finish. There seemed no time left, but he could do it."

Sergio Pires, Portuguese football reporter for MaisFutebol on Silva:

"Fabio is something else - you don't see a 17-year-old bursting into Porto's first-team squad every day. "

"If you rewind a few years, you will struggle to find other cases like that. Ruben Neves stands out between them.

"Besides him, going back a bit further, we also have Sergio Oliveira [who is still at the club]."

Luis Cristovao, Portuguese football pundit, on Silva and his comparison to Joao Felix:

"I would say that Fabio and Felix are complementary players, not similar ones. Felix is clearly a second striker, finding space between the lines.

"Fabio, on the other hand, can develop into a centre-forward, a target man, a killer inside the box.

"For that reason, considering their playing styles, I think they can combine very well in the years to come."

Tomas da Cunha, football pundit, on Silva:

"He scores goals in every possible way and style, giving you the impression that he is always in the right spot.

"Inside the box, he can deceive his markers with his twists and turns, and he finishes with an out-of-this-world efficiency.

"He has also got the skills to play outside the box and link up too, but what distinguishes him from other forwards is his coolness in finishing. He does every move naturally. We're before a generational talent here."