In what proved to be a busier summer transfer than anyone expected, one of the more surprising deals was Wolverhampton Wanderers’ capture of Fábio Silva.
Their decision to pay €40m for the Porto youngster, who only managed three goals last season, certainly raised eyebrows, particularly when it was revealed there was €10m of agent fees involved.
The deal was very much presented as a Jorge Mendes masterclass, with Porto very much the beneficiaries of some classic Premier League overspending.
O Jogo definitely take that route today, explaining how Silva’s sale has helped Porto to get one over rivals Sporting.
That is something they both managed, but Porto were the clear winners, thanks to Wolves spending big on Silva.
They brought in €76.25m in transfers compared to Sporting’s €39.05m, and that was thanks to an 18-year-old moving to Wolves.
Indeed, Silva’s €40m move was worth as much as Sporting’s three major deals – Wendel, Acuña and Matheus Pereira – so long as you don’t look at the €10m agent commissions alongside the deal, which of course O Jogo aren’t.
In fact, it proved to be a very good summer of sales all round for the Portuguese giants, who needed to get close to €100m to balance their accounts and have practically done that.
It wouldn’t have been possible without that major sale to Wolves, though, who will now be hoping he proves to be worth every penny in the coming years so they can get as much happiness out of the move as their Liga Nos counterparts.
