FPL Transfer Window New Player Analysis part 1
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[/three_fourth]It’s fair to say that Premier League clubs have been quick to spend their new slice of the vastly increased TV money. In this transfer window they managed to shell out a record £835m between them with no less than six clubs breaking their own transfer records. Manchester United lead the way with an outlay of £149m and were joined in the £100m club by Liverpool on £117m with Chelsea and Arsenal not far behind on £91m and £82m respectively. Over the next two articles we aim to provide you with a whistle stop tour of the major deals that were done in the last few days of the transfer window and hopefully give you an overview of who we feel may be of interest to you as a fantasy football manager.
Danny Welbeck – Arsenal
Position – Forward
FPL Price – £6.9m
While rivals Man Utd were busying themselves tying up a deal for arguably one of the best strikers in the world, Arsenal fans were left wondering if yet another transfer window was going to pass them by and see them have to ‘rely’ on the likes of Giroud and Sanogo to fire in the goals. With Arsene deciding that the best use of his time on deadline day was to referee a charity match in Rome it felt like their worst fears would be realised but alas they managed to cobble together no less than £16m to prise Danny Welbeck away from the lower reaches of the Old Trafford pecking order to spearhead their attack.
On the face of it this may seem somewhat underwhelming given Welbeck’s recent performances but it is worth noting that for both Man Utd and England he has been predominantly deployed in a wide role rather than his best position as the main striker. He will undoubtedly get the opportunity now to play in his preferred position and will surely add more goals to his career stats of 37 in 178 appearances. With the talent around him at the Emirates he should get chances aplenty and at just £6.9m he could be a fantastic ‘3rd’ striker should he nail a place in the Arsenal team which seems likely given that Giroud could be out for 3 or 4 months and Sanogo proving perpetually ineffective.
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Samuel Eto’o – Everton
Position – Forward
FPL Price – £6.0m
Having broken their transfer record to bring Romelu Lukaku to the club on a permanent basis it was perhaps little surprise that Roberto Martinez would be shopping at the cheap / free / loan end of the market from then on in. That usually equates to the odd journeyman footballer but it doesn’t often equate to one of the most decorated players in world football. With three Champions League winner’s medals to his name and having scored an amazing 108 goals in 145 appearances for Barcelona, Samuel Eto’o represents the epitomy of experience. How much of a role Eto’o will go on to play for Everton this season on the pitch remains to be seen but perhaps Martinez also sees his value off it being just as beneficial to the development of a relatively young squad. Eto’o came off the bench against Chelsea for a brief cameo at the weekend and showed enough to suggest there is plenty of life left in the old dog yet, looking sprightly and intellegent in his play he rounded it all off with a headed goal that oozed class in it’s simplicity. In FPL terms he’s very much a wait and see as he will surely be used from the bench, at least initially, but should anything happen to Lukaku then Eto’o could well become Everton’s main striker for a period and at £6m then he will come into consideration if that scenario presents itself.
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Niko Kranjcar – QPR
Position – Midfield
FPL Price £5.0m
Like Kevin Keegan and Shaun Wright Phillips some managers just can’t live without their favourite player by their side and so once again Harry swooped to bring his love-child back to Loftus Road on a season long loan deal from his parent club Dynamo Kyiv. Quite why Kyiv got involved in the love in is anybody’s guess as he’s ‘been there’ since June 2012 after they spent £7m on him but he’s made just 13 appearances for them in that time having spent the majority of last season at QPR making 31 appearances for them and chipping in with two goals. Predominantly an attacking midfielder, Harry will be hoping that Kranjcar can add some flair and creativity to his team and supply the bullets for the likes of Charlie Austin. As an FPL prospect he’d have to hit the ground running pretty quick to spark much interest beyond being a 5th choice filler in midfield.
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Sandro – QPR
Position – Midfield
FPL Price £4.9m
As evidenced with Niko above, if Harry likes you, he likes you for life and will hunt you down and sign you again and again and again. With Harry you fall into one of three brackets – you’re either ‘a top, top, top player’ or you are ‘a proper footballer’. Or you are Niko Kranjcar. Let’s see where Harry classes his new £10m man Sandro. “Sandro’s a proper footballer and a top-class professional”. Yep, thought so. We won’t bore you further with much rambling about Sandro suffice to say that he’s a defensive midfielder who made 81 appearances for Spurs, scoring just 3 goals in the process. He’s very good at what he does and if he can stay fit he will add a great degree of stability to the core of the QPR team but he offers little by way of fantasy returns and even at £4.9m there are plenty of better options out there.
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Daley Blind – Manchester United
Position – Midfield
FPL Price – £5.5m
While United broke all records in the window, it may well be that the £14m purchase of Daley Blind mightjust prove the shrewdest transfer of all. United have struggled in midfield in recent seasons – Carrick, Fletcher, Anderson and Cleverley have failed to come near to replacing the likes of Keane and Scholes. The arrival of Ander Herrera sparked some optimism, until he got injured. But they still needed someone who could sit in front of the defence, break up play and turn defence into attack. This is where the 24 year old Blind fits in – the Dutch midfielder is no match-winner or game changer – he is the player who will win the ball and pass it quickly to Di Maria, Rooney or Falcao et al. Ronald De Boer, his ex-assistant manager at Ajax describes Blind as “a team player, who makes others around him play better”. Blind was named Dutch Footballer of the Year last season as Ajax won their fourth successive league title and of course he represented the Dutch side at the World Cup in the summer, under LVG, who he acknowledges as a big influence in his decision to move to Old Trafford. Blind can also fill in at the back, either centrally or left, but defensive midfielder is his primary and best role. In this respect, he is of great value to United, but not really as a fantasy prospect. However, as mentioned in the first sentence – he may be the cog which gets the United wheel turning again.
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Marcos Rojo – Manchester United
Position – Defender
FPL Price – £6.0m
The Argentinian defender cost United £16mln when he joined from Sporting Lisbon in mid-August, though he still has to make his debut due to difficulties in gaining a work permit, because of pending criminal charges in Argentina, where he is alleged to have battered a neighbour with a bottle. Allegedly. Reports are that international clearance has been received so the work permit should now just be a matter of time and Rojo is expected to be available to make his debut for United vs QPR in GW4. The defender is known of course for representing Argentina at the World Cup, scoring vs Nigeria and being named in the illustrious Team of the Tournament. His main position is left back, as per Luke Shaw, but Rojo can also slot into the left side of a central back 2 or 3 – it all depends on what system LVG decides to progress with – and of course the fitness of Shaw. A tough tackling, physically imposing defender, Rojo should not have any problems acclimatising to life in the Premier League and can be a threat going forward from set pieces. United defenders have not proved as lucrative an investment this season as many had hoped and we would advise caution in buying Rojo just yet – let the new players come in and settle and if United begin to look more solid, Rojo could well be worth the money.
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Loic Remy – Chelsea
Position – Forward
FPL Price – £7.4m
Remy joined Chelsea following Fernando Torres’ decision to join Milan – the Blues fought off interest from the Gunners for the French striker’s signature, though in fairness Remy would probably offer more fantasy interest if he had gone to the Emirates, where he would of been a certain starter, certainly until his mate Giroud returns from injury in the New Year. Anyway, it’s the Bridge for Remy and a whole load of splitting, pulling and occasional cameo appearances coupled with some Capital One Cup action, no doubt. With Diego Costa impressing and clearly Jose’s no.1, Remy’s opportunities will certainly be limited, which is a shame as his record in the Premier League is good – 14 goals in 24 starts for Newcastle last season and 6 goals for QPR in 13 starts the season before. At least he passed his medical I guess, something that he failed at Liverpool. Unless Costa gets a (genuine) injury then Remy is best avoided unless Mourinho gives him more starts than anyone expects right now.
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Michael Keane – Burnley
Position – Defender
FPL Price – £4.4m
21 year-old Keane has joined Burnley on loan from Man United until January. With LVG now believing he has enough options in defence, first team experience at the top level was his desire for the centre back, who has struggled to force his way into the first team at Old Trafford and spent most of the last two seasons out on loan. Keane actually won the reserve Player of the Year at United in 2012 and has represented the England U21s 12 times, scoring 3 goals. While we’re not suggesting you should invest in Keane, it may well be that he gives intense competition to FPL favourite cheapie Michael Duff. Keep a close eye on Sean Dyche’s selection over the next couple of GWs to see if Duff can retain his place.
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Tom Cleverley – Aston Villa
Position – Midfield
FPL Price – £5.3m
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[/three_fourth]Poor old Tom. Well ok young Tom. But poor Tom, regardless. The kid was made a scapegoat for both Man Utd and England alike last season, taking the brunt of the Moyes era, he was almost a pariah and became the poster boy for all English football’s failings at one point it seemed, to the extent that there was a ridiculous online petition launched for his exclusion from the national squad. Woy played the diplomatic card and publicly slammed said antics. Then went away, thought about it and dropped him! Well we aren’t about to join the boo boys party at FF247 as we believe in Tom and wish him all the best on his new venture at Villa. There’s a player in there bursting to get out, of that we are sure and hopefully the temporary step down from the Old Trafford limelight may help him rediscover some much needed confidence. The reason for our optimism is two-fold and it’s all deep rooted in Utd culture – albeit past culture. Firstly, you don’t make it through the Utd ranks all the way to the first team with Fergie at the helm unless you have something special about you. And Tom did just that. Secondly and somewhat strangely, by joining Villa he’s passed an even more stringent test – Roy Keane. Keane may only be the no2 at Villa but let’s not kid ourselves – that conversation has happened and Keane has ratified the move himself and for someone who presumably spent many years watching Tom develop he’s seen enough to know that maybe with an arm around the shoulder, he and Lambert can coax Tom back to somewhere near his best and that when they do they have a great young talent on their hands. That said, in FPL terms, even at just £5.3m and dropping we would steer well clear of him at least for the time being – he may bring the odd assist but he’s crap at finishing! Good luck though young Tom, you don’t deserve the abuse you have endured over the past 12 months.
Thanks for reading FPL Transfer Window New Player Analysis part 1. This article was written by Cookie and Inittowinit
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This too top heavy or a good team?
Heaton – Krul
Moreno – Clyne – Taylor – Wilson – Taylor
Sterling – Fabregas – Sigurdsson – Schneiderlin – Boyd
Costa – Aguero – Falcao
No Arsenal cover?
I love the top3, same for me currently… but it leaves the rest a bit thin…
Don’t like it. Your midfield is a little weak because of 3 big forwards. Drop Falcao to Welbeck and upgrade your midfield with the £4m.
That was just to see what everyone thought. My current team is:
Lloris – Krul
Moreno – Clyne – Pieters – Taylor – Moore
Ramsey – Sterling – Fabregas – Sigurdsson – Boyd
Falcao – Costa – Welbeck
The mighty whites…
I liked ur first team, with the big 3 upfront..
Welbeck is not fit to lace Aguero’s boots..
His goal record is poor, & he’s not guaranteed to get any better at Arsenal.
Giroud will be back Xmas / Jan …so then what..?
See my stats on previous page ….Aguero outscores both Welbeck & Ramsey combined..?
Aguero is 12m for a reason …he’s FPL gold..!!
Mornin all – I’m settled on NOT using my WC but ready to take a -4. So many changes needed, would love some help on where to start?! Cheers.
1 FT, 0.2 in bank
DDG, Krul
Terry, Debuchy, Chester, Clyne, Duff
Ramsey, Mata, Sterling, Siggy, Barton
Roo, Costa, Bojan
Mata and Bojan to Henderson and Welbeck?
Why the sudden love for welbeck ? I get he’s a cheapish option but Arsenal have a few tricky fixtures coming up,he already has Ramsey and who’s to say he will start initially or play down the middle ? Sanchez may play down the middle with welbeck out wide ? Just my thoughts.
Er, the sudden love for him is due to the sudden change in his circumstances. He was cheap at United due to being third choice striker, but now he’s first choice at a different club. He scored 6 in 6 last season while playing in a more central role while RVP was out, and is a potential bargain playing for a top side for only 6.9. He could flop, but so could anyone?
It’s possible Sanchez plays centrally and Welbeck out wide as you said, though I doubt it. Sanchez didn’t play centrally while Giroud was on the pitch, and Welbeck was surely brought in as cover for Giroud as he’s out for a few months.
And what does him having Ramsey have to do with it really? Plenty of teams have doubled up on either Mata & Rooney, Fab & Costa, Silva & Jovetic etc. Doubling up is only particularly risky if it’s in defence as when one loses a CS so does the other, but having two attackers from the same side has no significant downside. Also just my thoughts, nothing set in stone and no-one need heed them
Calvin C..
Are you bringing in Welbeck..?
If so who for ..?
No as I can’t afford the upgrade from Naismith, but if I was WCing then definitely.
Brookyboy..
Hear u there Bro..
Can understand the Welbeck bandwagon, it’s mainly based on price….the same bandwagon for Bojan has lost its appeal ..
He’s cheap for a reason, he’s Crap..!
If he was any good he’d be playing upfront for Man Utd, he’s been there long enough to establish a regular pick.
I’m Not buying this “he’s been played out of position! that’s why he ain’t scored much BS”
He was played out of position for a reason, cus they where better players to choose from upfront…
Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice guy & all, but if your an honest Arsenal Fan, deep down you know he ain’t no Ian Wright or Thiery Henry….
“He was played out of position for a reason, cus they where better players to choose from upfront” – Absolutely right, which is why I never had him last year. However there aren’t any better players to choose from now are there?
Calvin..
I reckon Campbell & Sonogo are better options..!
Ok I’m gunna leave it now….
Lol
Colriles – How about Mata&Bojangles out for Fabregas&Naismith?
Actually, just the Bojan move would suffice, i think.
Colriles, i took out Terry last week to upgrade Bojangles to Jovetic.
I thought he was too much money for what i was getting from him plus a brief look at Chelsea fixtures swung it for me with City Arsenal and Manu in the next 6. I thought the money was better used elsewhere.
just my thoughts
Thanks everyone. A lot to chew on. Was thinking about freeing up cash for the long run and dumping at least 2/3 of my ManU lot, so had thought about DDG > Elliot or some way to go Mata > Fabregas. Bojan > Naismith for no hit prob seems the safest move for now.
Ow noes, it’s the American. Hide your kids and call doctor Phil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m calling in the troops now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yessir….’Murica!! (Sorry for the weak pic, best I could do on short notice
All monkey pics are cool. MWAHAHA. Though, I prefer real ones. 😉
Last one was against my principles to be honest because I don’t do photoshopped monkeys, just monkeys in their natural habitat.
Points up, or should I point down? Anyway, Doctor Phil to the rescue.
Yes anything can happen and good luck to the lad i hope it works out for him.My opinion is maybe a wait and see attitude would be better.As regards “doubling up” your right there is nothing wrong with it but my point was arsenal have a run of tough fixtures so maybe now wouldnt be a good time to do that.Week 8 onwards would probably be better when their fixtures ease up.I’d do Bojan to Naismith for now
Oh and he definately aint worth a hit !!! lol
In reply to comments above !!
Who is the best 4.5mil midfield options? Bench cover justincase.
King, of Leicester, for me.
+1 although I generally prefer a strong midfield (my cheapest is Siggy, and I’d have been ready to pay more for him if necessary) and to use cheaper strikers. That said I’m tempted by HBA (probably in place of Mata) and already have 2.4m in the bank so could afford to upgrade elsewhere
cattermole gets games most weeks
This is Cattermole’s ninth season in the top flight. In that time he has managed just 5 goals and 7 assists, which is pretty awful. Over the same time period he has picked up 57 yellow cards and 7 red cards.
he can only get better then
Haha. He could do with getting some more red cards! Even those figures out a little 😉
Top scorers in FPL this season predictions…??
Top forward?
Top Midfielder?
Top Defender?
Top Goalie?
Shep –
GK – Courtois
DEF – Baines
MID – Fabregas
FWD – Costa
Nin,
GW – Courtois
Def – Ivan
Mid – Fab
Fwd – Aguero (if injury free, else then Costa)
Chelsea to win the league…
Yeah, i don’t see any team being within 10 points of Chelsea come the season end. I’d favor them for the Champions League too, along with Real Madrid.
More interested in when United will kick on and start gelling… hope its not too late in the season to make a top4 finish…
But next year I expect them to have a good run at the league.
Shep – Unfortunately, i think a top 4 finish is already gone. Our squad is all over the place really. Rooney was an awful choice as (c), for me. Absolutely awful.
@ Nin
Iva already 27 points ahead of Baines. Baines just on 3 points, lol. What miracle you think is going to happen? 😛
Nin,
Who would you have made club captain?
LVG said he needs 3 months… I think thats too late. But when the do get firing it will be great to watch…
27 points is nothing at this stage. Baines is always in or around the top few defenders. He’ll be top of the pile come gwk 15, i have no doubts about that.
@ Shep
If van Gaal is given time they’ll make it top 4, no doubt. Takes time though.
Even though United were really bad in their first 3 games they actually could’ve and maybe should’ve won them all. I remember ARsenal having a crappy day versus Crystal Palace I think it was first gameweek. They could’ve lost it and if they did they’d be at 2 points like United. Just at 5 now. Reason why I’ll be hanging on to my United coverage is that they have nothing else to play for, lol. Just the EPL and the FA cup now? Arsenal has FA Cup, CL, Darling Cup (or whatever you call it) and so on. Top 7 is traveling Europe, except for United that is.
On that note, I also figured they’d do much better their first 3 fixtures. And ummmm Rooney could be an OK captain but from FPL perspective his captaincy is a nightmare.
Shep – To be honest, if it were up to me then Rooney would have been sold. I would have given it to van Persie or a new arrival. The only change i see in Rooney’s game now is that he’s pointing more often, which is utterly useless. He’s not (c) material, for me.
Aguero
Fabregas
Ivan
Courtois
Here is a weird one, could Paul Dummet be back in the starting 11 in 2 weeks? He’s been invited to play for Wales and in all honesty Newcastle sucked with Haidara (or whatever he’s called) and conceded 3 goals against a side that managed to score just 1 goal before that match.
I think he should be first 11 all the time. He looks a good player and as you say, Haidara is dodgy. So is Santon, to be fair.
The fans don’t like him though, and when I say they don’t like him I mean they really don’t like him, lol. Funny, I watched the second Newcastle match and I think the reporter voted him man of the match.
Anyway, heard stuff about him before that the fans were always asking for another player to be played instead of him, singing Haidara’s name. Is there a reason why they don’t like him? I mean what has he done? Don’t they like the Welsh in Newcastle?
Since I have him googled his name to see if there is any news on him, came on some Newcastle forums where they were saying he’s shite.
Really? I didn’t know that. Cant see why they wouldn’t like him.Toon fans are bonkers anyway, haha.
On the forums they were like, finally Alan Pardew knows he sucks. Would Pardew be pressured by fans?
Let me rephrase that, would he let himself be pressured by the fans?
Possibly. They’re an awful crowd to have against you, that’s for sure. I remember them laying into Sam Allardyce when he was there a few years back, for no reason whatsoever, that i could see anyway. He didn’t last long.