Transfer Story:
For the first, time ever since their fairytale 2015/16 campaign, Leicester City look to be in a decent position. The club has certainly benefitted from the appointment of Claude Puel early on the season and has steadied their ship with some decent performances altogether. Now as the summer arrives in a few months, the Foxes seem to be already preparing their targeted list of players. Rafa Silva of Benfica is someone who has been touted to make the move to Leicester soon by certain reports.
Player Profile:
Silva is a 24 years-old left-winger and has played 10 matches for Benfica in the league this season. Going by his qualities, the lad is very nimble footed and relies on his pace and agility on the wings. Benfica largely play on the counters and Silva’s pace and vision in the final third is quite useful in that. Rafa has a sense of game awareness and his decision-making in the final third is appreciable.
Silva is a very attack-minded player and hence is not one of those wingers who would track back to help the defence. He generally stays at the halfway line, waits for his midfielders to carry the ball before he links up with other forwards, and then devastates the opposition’s backline. However, one can still work on and improve his goal-scoring record, as they do not seem to be much impressive.
Silva is yet to open his goal account this season and scored just twice in the whole of last season. Inconsistency is an issue that the player needs to sort out soon. It has been noticed that he performs extremely well in some games, while absolutely fades out during other games. The player is still just 24 and needs some time to completely be termed as a developed winger.
Maybe some regular matches and good man management will do him good. EPL will serve a new challenge on Silva’s shoulders and that will be a true judgment of his character and temperament. So far, the lad has shown some flashes of his talent and then disappears for large portions of the season then. In the Premier League though, he will face better opponents and that will subsequently help him to raise the bar of his game too.
Verdict:
Puel has proven that he can develop players at Leicester, and Silva will potentially be a good signing for the team. With Riyad Mahrez’s exit looking certain with every transfer window, Leicester will need to add some quality on the wings. Wherever and whenever Mahrez departs, Leicester will surely have an amazing amount of money to invest in any other player. Rafa Silva will be a risky buy but can be worth it in the upcoming seasons.