Fantasy Football: Which new signings are best to include in your Team?
The January transfer window has closed after a month in which Premier League clubs made significant purchases.
Fantasy football players certainly have their hands full this season. With fresh talent entering the fold and long-standing assets making unexpected moves, it’s an exciting time to see how rosters shape up.
As the cold winter chill hits, so does a unique opportunity for teams – both on and off the field. The winter window provides an important chance to refresh squads in preparation for their next challenge while also unlocking exciting new possibilities within fantasy football.
Investing in big-name players may seem like an attractive proposition, but without a solid plan to put them into the right position and role, it can often end up becoming simply money down the drain.
With five of the most anticipated signings this month, we’ll be using a special system to assess their performances: let’s see how they stack up.
Buy: Don’t wait – bringing in new professionals now can enable them to make a meaningful contribution over the next few weeks.
Monitor: Before hiring them, check to see if they can mesh with their new team. It’s a great way for everyone to get off on the right foot.
Avoid: Fantasy football players won’t find much to get excited about in terms of features and options.
Enzo Fernandez
Verdict: Avoid
Chelsea stirred the transfer window with a record-breaking signing of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica. The Blues paid an eye-watering £106.8 million for this stunning capture, and fantasy football players take note. The 22-year-old is no ordinary midfielder; in 17 Liga Portuguesa games alone, he scored one goal plus five assists.
Fernandez could be the perfect addition to Chelsea’s midfield this season, as his 1.8 key passes average per game is higher than any other player in the club. Although he has an equal amount of yellow cards and assists so far across all leagues, it isn’t hard to see why Graham Potter might want him on board, considering that defensive-minded players can offer up secondary assists from time to time. But unfortunately, that wouldn’t translate into fantasy points for those aiming for a spot at the top of their respective leaderboard standings.
Mykhailo Mudryk
Verdict: Monitor
Mykhailo Mudryk has already impressed with a promising performance in his Chelsea debut, scoring one shot and making three successful tackles. With an attractive £7 million price tag and some favorable upcoming fixtures for the Blues this season, he is gaining traction among fantasy football teams; at present, 2.3% of them have him on their watchlist.
It remains to be seen what further impact will Mudryk make during his tenure at Stamford Bridge – but so far, it looks very promising.
Georginio Rutter
Verdict: Monitor
Leeds experienced a huge transfer window in January, splashing out £75 million to bring the club into fighting form. Their biggest move saw them land 20-year-old Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim for their highest-ever fee.
His relative inexperience means his impact is yet to be seen, but with an FPL cost of just £5.5m, he could prove to be quite valuable. So far this season, Leeds has been strong offensively, sitting 11th for xGF and scoring 26 goals (28% above expected.) We’ll all wait eagerly to see where young prodigy Rutter fits into things going forward.
Max Wober
Verdict: Buy
Max Wöber has been the answer to Leeds’ defensive woes, playing both at left-back and, more recently, at center-back. What’s particularly intriguing about this transfer is his potential in set pieces, specifically direct free kicks.
His shot close range against Brentford shows promise that he could be a secret weapon for The Whites (not to mention his great price tag.) With significant fantasy football points up for grabs if it pays off.
Alex Moreno
Verdict: Buy
Aston Villa’s January signing, Álex Moreno, is showing early promise for fantasy football players with a clean sheet in his first two games. Not only that, but he has already contributed three key passes and racked up seven points across the matches, too.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering before joining up with Villa, he had 13 shots (for 1.33 xG) in 15 LaLiga appearances – displaying an eye-catching attacking prowess that could benefit midtable contenders Aston Villa this season if maintained throughout 2021.
In Summary
You’ll agree that the January transfer window was filled with thrills and chills, with quite several players joining squads across Europe. It’s normal to want to add to your team, and if you have some good fantasy football credit on your hand, you may want to go for the big-money guys like Enzo, which we feel is a bad choice.
However, we could be wrong; this is football – so chill a bit, watch the Philadelphia Eagles at the Super Bowl, win a few quid by betting on your favorite team, clear your heads, and see how these big signings do well for the first few games. All the same, may the odds continue to be in your favor, whichever choice you make.
