MARBELLA (dpa-AFX) – Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund has made it clear to forward Fábio Silva and his agent that a departure this winter is out of the question, according to sporting director Sebastian Kehl. “There is currently no scenario in which we want to let Fábio go. The player knows this, and so does his agent,” Kehl told the German Press Agency during the training camp in Marbella.
Recently, rumors had circulated that the Portuguese striker, who was signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers for around 22 million euros last summer, was dissatisfied with his current role at BVB. The 23-year-old was mostly used as a substitute during the first half of the season and was unable to benefit from the underwhelming performances of first-choice striker Serhou Guirassy.
Kehl on a possible Silva departure: “Where is the added value?”
Kehl also indirectly confirmed that there have been inquiries for Silva. “It's nice that other clubs are fundamentally interested in our players. But if we were to let him go, we would need a replacement, who in turn would need time to settle in. That raises the question for me: Where is the added value? It makes no sense,” said Kehl, who also expects more from Guirassy in the second half of the season: “Of course we hope that he gets back into his flow.”
The Guinean has so far scored only five Bundesliga goals in 14 appearances. “Serhou is certainly not 100 percent satisfied with his season so far either,” Kehl added. “I've seen him incredibly focused in the training camp; he has plans for this year. I also believe that he reflected over the holidays and that he wants to prove himself and become more important to the team again—just like last season.”
In the previous season, Guirassy had also scored only six goals at this point, but finished the season with 21 goals./lap/DP/zb
