Sylvinho enjoying life

He may not be getting the starts he hoped, but our new(ish) Brazilian appears to be impressed with what he has seen so far:

"I would definitely like to remain longer, the project to make this club one of the best in Europe and the world cannot be completed in six months or a year and I would like to be part of it for as long as possible.

What really pleased me was finding how big this club was already and that everyone around it is working hard to make it even bigger. We have a lot of good players and an intelligent and good man in manager Mark Hughes but the key is to make sure the mentality in the dressing room is right.

"Every minute of the day in every week has to be geared towards thinking about winning three points in the next game.

"We need to make people believe that we can do that. It is very important. Mentality is very important. Whatever we are aiming for, be it, top four, top three or top two, it is going to be difficult but easier if the mentality is there."

The feeling is clearly mutual with Mark Hughes equally speaking highly of the player:

"We do our homework on players and obviously his ability is not in question but we also knew that he is not only a good footballer but a fantastic individual.

"I can see him as a coach when he stops playing. He spends quite a bit of time speaking to guys during training sessions, passing on his experience. He has the personality that lends itself to a coaching role."

Despite his limited action since his arrival, he turned in a competent enough display on debut and has enough quality and smarts about him to suggest he could put pressure on Wayne Bridge for a starting role over the course of the season.