On the final day of the January transfer window, Fulham finally managed to get a deal for Chelsea striker Armando Broja over the line after pursuing him for much of the month. Broja has joined on loan until the end of the season after Chelsea agreed to reduce their fee demands from £5m to a maximum of £4m, depending on performances and appearances.
The Albanian wasn't the only forward the Cottagers chased last Thursday, though. They also made contact with Lyon to check on the availability of Rayan Cherki after they signed Said Benrahma on loan, but they were unsuccessful.
Elsewhere, it was thought that Fulham made an "informal" enquiry for Stuttgart winger Silas, only to be told that the Bundesliga club didn't want to sell him. Now, though, a different version of events has emerged.
Fulham actually made £17m offer for Silas
According to Sky Sport Germany's Florian Plettenberg, Fulham's interest went much further than an enquiry. Instead, they made a "late" push to sign him, proposing an initial loan with a €20m (£17m) obligation to buy.
Rather than being opposed to a sale, Stuttgart merely insisted that they receive that £17m sum immediately. That wasn't suitable for Fulham, but they're "still pushing" to sign Silas when the summer transfer window rolls around.
Fulham right to push for key AFCON figure Silas
Silas joined Stuttgart from Paris FC in 2019 and has gone on to make 120 appearances for the club, scoring 33 goals and providing 19 assists. He played 19 matches in the first half of the current campaign before heading off to join DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations and notched nine direct goal contributions (five goals, four assists).
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While his overall output – detailed in the table below – doesn't look spectacular, the underlying numbers offer more encouragement and take into account his limited minutes. Silas ranks seventh in the Bundesliga for expected goals per 90 minutes (0.61), and sixth for xG per shot (0.23), which shows that he gets into high-value positions and takes top-quality shots. That's a formula that should, in the long-term, lead to a healthy goal return.
Games played
16
Starts
8
Minutes played
726
Goals
3
xG
5.0
Assists
1
At the international level, meanwhile, the 25-year-old has been an important player off the bench at AFCON, scoring in the 1-1 group-stage draw with Morocco that helped DR Congo squeeze through and then providing an assist in the 3-1 quarterfinal win over Guinea. He'll face the hosts Ivory Coast in the last four on Wednesday.
Come the summer, when that tournament is in the rearview mirror, Silas will be able to focus on his future, and that's when Fulham will hope he puts pressure on Stuttgart to let him move to the Premier League on favourable terms.
