Fabio Silva is amazing Wolves boss Nuno
Nuno Espirito Santo has hailed Wolves’ record signing Fabio Silva as ‘amazing’ and says the 18-year-old still has a big part to play moving forward.
Wolves have bolstered their strikeforce with the addition of Willian Jose from Real Sociedad, but Silva is still likely to be leading the line at Chelsea tonight.
New Brexit rules – signings from Europe now requiring a work permit – have delayed Jose’s arrival and he is not expected to feature at Stamford Bridge.
So, £35million Silva will be looking to build on his first Premier League goal from open play against Albion last time out, with Wolves hoping to win at Chelsea for the first time since 1979.
And while the teenager’s best years should arrive a while down the line yet, Nuno said: “In Wolves’ present, he’s a big part.
“I don’t recall one moment where Fabio was not ready to improve, to listen, to help.
“The way the boy works on the pitch, it’s amazing. We are pleased with that.
“We didn’t expect to have so many youth players at the same time, but we are.
“Fabio is not for the future, he’s for the present. He’s working really, really hard for the team.”
Also in attack, Nuno believes star man Raul Jimenez will be back involved before the end of the season.
Patrick Cutrone, meanwhile, has been the subject of talks between Wolves and Italian club Udinese over a potential loan.
Nuno, though, says he is ‘not looking at that situation’.
On what Jose can bring once available and trying to make sure he is ready to make a quick impact, Nuno said: “It’s about how he can link up with his team-mates.
“Like any player that joins Wolves, the first issue we try to improve is his dialogue.
“Of course, it’s easier in the beginning to speak in his own language, but he has to learn English as soon as possible.
“Those conversations we have, team talks, are always in English.
“You just look at our schedule, it has to be a fast adaptation.
“We rely on his experience and his knowledge of the game for that process to go faster than a young player.”
In terms of fitness, Nuno could welcome Daniel Podence and Romain Saiss back into the squad as they are both ‘getting better’.
Podence has spent a month on the sidelines while Saiss missed the narrow win over Chorley in the FA Cup last Friday.
Morgan Gibbs-White still remains in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19 while Fernando Marcal is thought to be a couple of weeks away along with fellow defender Jonny Castro Otto.
Nuno said on Podence: “He’s improving. Also, from the previous game, Saiss was out and is getting better.
“Morgan is out with the positive test, but Daniel is better.”
Chelsea, meanwhile, have had a disruptive couple of days going into tonight’s clash.
Frank Lampard has been sacked and Nuno says it is a ‘sad’ situation, but it won’t change Wolves’ approach.
“It’s sad news, sad situation. But it’s a realisation that this is football,” he added.
“Historically, English football, you see managers staying at the club for many, many years.
“There are many examples of fantastic managers staying at their big clubs for numerous years and you can see what comes after due to their efforts. It’s a sad moment.
“We’ll approach in the same way as the situation has happened over a short period of time. We approach it in the same way, realising it’s going to be tough and demanding as we are facing an opponent full of quality.”
