I’m gonna do something I don’t usually do in these articles: I’m going to ask you guys for help. Specifically, I need you to explain to me how this transfer rumor makes sense, because I certainly don’t understand it.
For context, multiple sources, including The Athletic, are reporting that Borussia Dortmund are close to an agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers for Fabio Silva, a 23-year-old Portuguese striker. The fee would be somewhere around €25-30 million. Silva spent last season on loan with Las
Palmas in La Liga, where he scored 10 goals in 24 appearances. Las Palmas finished second-to-last in the league and got relegated.
We’ve been hearing for months how ludicrously strapped for cash Dortmund are. After they signed Jobe Bellingham, the sum being tossed around was €30 million, that being the total budget the club had for the remainder of the transfer window. They followed that by spending €25 million on Carney Chukwuemeka.
Fabio is a striker, and striker is not exactly a priority position for BVB at the moment. Serhou Guirassy is a baller and should start every game when healthy. Meanwhile, Maxi Beier and even Karim Adeyemi are capable of playing the position. It appears that Fabio Silva will serve as a backup for Guirassy, at least initially, although according to Patrick Berger, his contract will run until 2030.
It’s not that I hate this move. I’d be lying if I said I ever watched Silva with Las Palmas, but between watching his highlights and accounting for the fact that he scored 10 goals on a team that was one of the worst in La Liga, he looks like he’s got some level of talent. It’s more that this move is completely incongruous with any of the messaging that has come out of the club in the past 2 months, and completely divorced from the actual strengths and weaknesses of the current squad.
Just off the top of my head, BVB could use an attacking midfielder, a left or right-back, or a winger over another striker. Even with Aaron Anselmino joining on loan, another center-back wouldn’t hurt. With BVB’s offer to Toulouse falling short for Charlie Cresswell, Leverkusen #gazumping them for Claudio Echeverri, and other moves that BVB’s restricted budget has jeopardized, it seems that every extra penny spent counts. So going out and spending so much money on a player that seems like such a luxury is something I find baffling.
Or maybe they’re cooking and in three months I’ll look like a total idiot for writing this? I sure hope so.
