Rangers new player trading model kicked off in January when Nils Koppen helped Philippe Clement to bring a new profile to the club.
The three arrivals were all young but had the potential to join the squad and make an immediate impact at Ibrox too.
In Fabio Silva, Rangers signed a player who could have stayed at the club beyond the summer, however, he is now attracting surprising levels of interest despite his unspectacular spell in Scotland.
Fabio Silva has two teams chasing signature after Rangers exit
With six goals in 26 appearances, Silva hardly lit up football north of the border following his loan move from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Admittedly, he played most of his football on the left wing due to injuries, however, the nature of Rangers dominance on a weekly basis in domestic fixtures provides balance to this caveat.
At 21-years old, Silva still has a lot of time on his hands and, after looking bright on his initial appearances, his agent confirmed that Ibrox could have been a long-term destination:
“We have a long contract with Wolves but Fabio has to settle down somewhere. Is there a possibility of Fabio staying at Rangers next season if he does well, even on loan? I think so, yes. Listen, in four months many things can happen.
“But I hope Rangers can be champions this season which would be amazing for the club and also for Fabio.
“To play in the Champions League, that’s something Fabio has desired so much. He needs continuity in his career now. If Rangers are happy with him – and obviously the last word will be with Wolves – why not?”
Given his lack of success and reaction from fans to some of his extra-curricular activities, it wasn’t a surprise to see Silva return to his parent club without so much as a whisper of an extended stay.
According to Spanish football website Ojogo though, he has done enough to interest the likes of Sevilla and Valladolid.
Silva needs to mature if talent is to be realised
Reports of a £20m price tag seem exorbitant for those who watched him struggle to break teams down at the lower end of the Scottish Premiership, however, as a Portugal Under-21 international, clubs will hope to get the best out of him.
Silva never wanted to join Wolves in the first place and it has proven to be a transfer that he regrets and needs to almost start from scratch wherever he moves to.
He also needs to mature and realise that scoring goals in draws and defeats isn’t the sort of thing that fans appreciate being celebrated on social media.
Silva is talented and still has a long way to go, there is though, a sense that opportunities at the sharp end of European football are going to diminish if he repeats his Rangers form again.
