Wolverhampton Wanderers could be forced to accept a hefty discount on one man after he confirmed that he is keen to leave Molineux this summer.
Gary O’Neil working miracles at Molineux
Heading into the season, few would have put Wolves anywhere other than relegation candidates, and certainly not in the top half of the Premier League. After another battling win over the weekend though, that is exactly where Gary O’Neil’s side find themselves, with the Old Gold sitting ninth ahead of Newcastle and Chelsea meeting on Monday evening.
With European football a distinct possibility, a new contract is already being discussed for O’Neil, who has also been linked with the England job in recent weeks and who is likely to have bigger suitors than Wolves lining up should he continue his meteoric rise. But it isn’t good news for everyone.
Fabio Silva wants out
One man not feeling the love under O’Neil is Fabio Silva, with the striker having been sent out on loan by the Wolves boss in January. He headed to Rangers, where he has found his feet quickly, scoring twice in nine Scottish Premiership appearances this season as well as twice in three Scottish Cup outings.
Speaking ahead of the second leg of their Europa League tie against Benfica, which his side head into as slight favourites following the 2-2 draw in Portugal, Silva admitted that if it were up to him, he would make the loan move permanent already.
“I’m loving being here”, he began. “I don’t control these things 100%. It’s not 100% my decision to stay, if it was up to me then maybe yes. But I could say ‘yes’ and then you have a lot of things still to be taken care of.
“Perhaps I have the least input into whether I stay here but we have two months to enjoy the football, to win titles and I think after that, if we win trophies and everything goes well, Rangers and I will do everything for me to stay.
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“When you see me playing with a smile on my face, I think everything’s going the right way. I enjoy playing here, playing for the fans, the staff, my team-mates. It’s a pleasure to be here. I enjoy it a lot. I’ve been trying to get back my happiness and they’re giving me that.”
Given that Wolves signed him for £35m, they are unlikely to recoup anything like that fee for the Portuguese striker. He is currently valued at just over £10m by transfer site Transfermarkt, but even that would be almost a record fee for Rangers to pay to sign a player.
Rangers’ record signings | |||
Player | Left | Year | Fee |
Tore Andre Flo | Chelsea | 2000 | £15m |
Michael Ball | Everton | 2001 | £8.3m |
Mikel Arteta | Barcelona | 2002 | £6.8m |
Arthur Numan | PSV | 1998 | £6.5m |
Giovanni Van Bronckhorst | Feyenoord | 1998 | £6.3m |
Barry Ferguson | Blakburn Rovers | 2004 | £6m |
With that in mind, Wolves may have to accept a major loss on their initial investment should they grant Silva his wish and allow him to move to Ibrox this summer. Given his future at Molineux seems bleak, it may be the best outcome for all parties.
