After failing to get the required paperwork to FIFA in time to sign Adrien Silva in the summer transfer window, Leicester City were finally able to confirm the midfielder’s arrival from Sporting Lisbon on January 1.
Joining the Foxes in a deal worth £22 million, the Portugal international made his Premier League debut as a late substitute in the 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town on Monday evening.
Silva will compete with the likes of Wilfred Ndidi, Vicente Iborra, Andy King and Matty James for a starting berth in central midfield, but believes the competition for places can only help Leicester as they look to continue climbing the table:
“We have so much quality here, not only in midfield, but everywhere. We have a strong team to do good things. I think the competition between us is good – it makes us stronger and better players.”
The History
Born in France to a Portuguese father and French mother, Silva began his footballing journey at Bordeaux, before linking up with Sporting Lisbon’s academy in 2002 at the age of 13.
He signed his first professional contract in March 2007 and made his Primeira Liga debut in August later that year.
Silva continued to gain first-team experience over the following seasons, although he struggled to establish himself as a regular starter.
That led to two loan spells, the first of which came at Israeli side Maccabi Haifa in 2010/11.
But after only making six appearances, his season-long loan was cut short, instead joining Portuguese outfit Academica Coimbra in a temporary deal for the second half of the 2010/11 campaign.
The midfielder’s loan move was extended for the 2011/12 season and he starred for Academica as they won their first domestic cup in 73 years.
Silva returned to Sporting ahead of the 2012/13 campaign and became one of their leading performers over recent seasons, in addition to being handed the captaincy.
In 237 matches for Sporting in all competitions, Silva registered 39 goals and 19 assists.
Capped by Portugal at every level from U16s to U21s, Silva made his senior debut against Argentina in November 2014.
He has played 20 times for his country, with his only goal coming against Mexico last year.
The Prospects
While Iborra has been a steady performer for Leicester this season, it seems likelier that Silva was the man earmarked as the primary replacement for Danny Drinkwater, who left to join Chelsea last summer.
The Portuguese international boasts many of the same qualities as Drinkwater, who was a key component of the 2015/16 title-winning side.
Silva has impressive stamina, which is crucial given that Claude Puel has continued to play with just two central midfielders, similar to predecessors Craig Shakespeare and Claudio Ranieri.
He is very technically sound, possessing a wide passing range, and, as the years have gone on, has improved his tackling.
The former Sporting player has also got the knack of arriving late in the box and finding the back of the net, which, if he can replicate in England, can enhance his Fantasy appeal.
Handed the squad number 14 – the number of seconds by which his registration missed FIFA’s deadline – Silva played in a No 10 role earlier in his career. However, he has evolved into an archetypal “No 8”, and is likely to be competing with Iborra for a starting spot alongside the more defensive-minded Ndidi.
Looking at Silva’s underlying statistics from last season, he averaged a goal attempt every 54 minutes, which is similar to Iborra (47.5) at Sevilla in 2016/17.
But the latter has only averaged a shot every 105.8 minutes for Leicester this season, with the 4-4-1-1 formation meaning he has increased defensive duties.
That suggests there is also likely to be a regression in Silva’s numbers, with the higher standard of the Premier League something to also bear in mind.
Unsurprisingly, Silva’s shooting statistics fall short of Leicester leading midfield option Riyad Mahrez (39.3) and also Demarai Gray (42.3).
Silva is even less of a factor when it comes to creativity, averaging a key pass every 102.9 minutes last season.
While that is significantly superior to both Iborra (211.6) and Ndidi (243.9) this season, it lags behind Marc Albrighton (50.8), Mahrez (55.3) and Gray (66.1).
Given that Albrighton (5.5) and Gray (5.3) are both kinder on the budget than Silva, who has been valued at 6.0 in Fantasy Premier League, it is difficult to see the Portuguese midfielder emerging as a viable option.
Similarly, a price tag of 8.8 in the Sky Sports game is likely to limit his appeal.
That will certainly be the case if, as expected, Jamie Vardy remains the first-choice penalty taker.
Silva has scored 25 of his 29 penalties during his career, so forgoing spot-kick duties would be another blow to his Fantasy potential.
He is also an adept free-kick taker, but he’ll have to compete with the likes of Mahrez and Albrighton in that department.
Indeed, those two are the Foxes’ form players as they prepare for a schedule that looks very promising (WAT eve SWA mci STK BOU wba) once the Gameweek 23 trip to Chelsea has passed.
Mahrez has climbed into fourth in the FPL midfield standings, having produced attacking returns in seven of the last eight matches.
Yet with the Algerian setting you back 8.6 in FPL, Albrighton could be the value alternative – he has two goals, five assists and 11 bonus points in the last ten Gameweeks, bagging a season-high 14 points against Huddersfield earlier in the week.
Although there’s little doubt Silva will prove to be a quality addition for the Foxes, then, his potential as a Fantasy asset appears limited, even when he eventually cements a regular role in Puel’s line-up.
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