Portugal international Andre Silva has swapped Eintracht Frankfurt for Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig on a five-year deal.
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Portugal international Andre Silva has swapped Eintracht Frankfurt for Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig on a five-year deal. Silva scored a club-record and career-best 28 goals in 32 Bundesliga appearances for Frankfurt last season. He finished second only to Bayern Munich counterpart Robert Lewandowski in the scoring charts, which is an indication of his prowess. Silva was further on target against 15 of his 17 top-flight opponents last season. Only champions Bayern Munich and runners-up Leipzig managed to escape the 25-year-old’s radar.
“I’m really excited for the new challenge at RB Leipzig. The club have big goals and ambitions and I want to help them achieve those, ideally by scoring as many goals as possible. I want to play at the highest level and that is Champions League football – I have the chance to do that on a regular basis at RB Leipzig,” said Silva after the move was finalised and eventually announced.
The 25-year-old further expressed thankfulness towards Eintracht Frankfurt, having joined the club on loan from AC Milan in 2019, before signing a permanent deal with Die Adler a year later.
“I would like to sincerely thank Eintracht Frankfurt. I had two amazing and successful years there and was able to really develop as a player,” added Silva.
The Portuguese attacker scored 45 goals in 71 competitive appearances for Eintracht. This includes 40 goals in 57 Bundesliga outings. Only five players have managed the tally in fewer games.
Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell was full of praise for Silva, terming him as one of the best forwards in the Bundesliga.
“He is a good fit for our team and our style of football both as a person and as a player. Andre is a proper goal-getter, something his tally of 28 goals from last season demonstrates. He is a complete forward as well, though – he can finish with both feet, he’s strong in the air and he’s technically gifted. We have therefore been able to add a different type of player to our squad who makes us more versatile in attack, makes us less predictable and also carries a serious goal threat,” said Vivell.
Silva made three appearances as a substitute in Portugal’s run to the last 16 stage of Euro 2020. The attacker will enjoy assistance from Denmark striker Yussuf Poulsen. Poulsen will look to lead his nation on to the title.
Another exciting attacker signed in recent times is Brazilian forward Marcos Paulo. Paulo arrives as a free agent as his contract with Fluminense ended on June 30. The 20-year-old played 24 games for the club last season, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
Paulo can play as a left-winger although he’s right-footed, which is quite interesting. Despite being born in Brazil, he plays for Portugal under-19. This allows him to hold an EU passport. The attacker will be looking to make his presence felt for Atletico Madrid, considering the decision to loan out Victor Machin Perez ‘Vitolo’ after extending his contract with the club until 2024.
