If Fabio Silva had told you he'd have more goals than Serhou Guirassy at the start of the new season, you'd have probably laughed him off. But that's exactly what has come to pass: the Portuguese forward has struck twice in the new season, with the Guinean bagging only once.
He opened his account for the 2026-27 campaign in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup loss to Bayern Munich after replacing the anemic Guirassy, before getting on target once more in their 5-0 drubbing of HEBC in the first round of the DFB-Pokal earlier this week.
Make no mistake, neither of his goals were spectacular. Both were simple-yet-confident finishes from inside the box, which demonstrate how clinical he can be when serviced properly. In fact, Silva is now just one goal shy of matching his tally from the entirety of last season.
Quite some improvement, this.
Signed on a €22.5 million transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2025, the forward certainly came in with a lot of expectations. He'd just wrapped up a 10-goal season with LaLiga side Las Palmas, whom he had joined on loan from the Premier League.
At Dortmund, the forward was supposed to aid and abet their No.1 choice striker Guirassy by offering an additional, menacing attacking outlet. But even the best laid plans of men and mice oft go awary. So did Silva's.
Not only did the 24-year-old struggle for gametime, but was also left a lot to be desired in those rare opportunities where he led the line. Short on confidence and desperately lacking in a killer first touch, Silva just didn't seem like he's ready to become their new goalscoring talisman yet.
Just three games into the 2026-27 season, and that perception already appears to be changing. He's scoring goals, he's involved in the proceedings, he's moving at a faster pace than ever before - just what Dortmund fans had been waiting to see from him.
Sure, he doesn't dribble his way through intricate defenses like Karim Adeyemi did, or unleash long-range strikes like a certain Jude Bellingham. What Silva offers is predatory instincts inside the box, driven by his positional awareness and excellent reading of the game.
The former Porto man has mustered nine shots in two matches he's played in, scoring in both. He's become more pro-active that way, taking the game to opposition with his refreshing directness and aggressiveness.
If he's able to turn this early goalscoring run into a ruthless streak going forward, we'll know the fast start to the season was no fluke. With Guirassy also enduring a sluggish start, this is Silva's chance to make a case.
Strike while the iron is hot.
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