New Fantasy Premier League Transfers 2018/19 Liverpool Edition
Hello and welcome to New Fantasy Premier League Transfers 2018/19 Liverpool Edition! This is our year! Only joking I’m too much of a realist to get swept up in that stuff and I’m sure fellow Red and resident pessimist Kop would agree with me on that. Even though I do not feel as optimistic as the majority of fans, it seems that other fans from teams around the league are getting involved in and really feel Liverpool have made a great push to challenge defending Champions Man City. Liverpool have looked at some key areas of their team and improved immensely. They have spent £164 million this summer on improving weak spots which could prove money well spent if Alisson, Fabinho, Keita and Shaqiri hit the ground running. With this new level of depth in the squad Liverpool should improve on their performances last season and it should make having Liverpool assets a very smart move. Whether you choose an old player or one of these new ones it’s up to you, but I am here to give you the low down on the new boys, so without further ado…
Alisson – 5.5 mil
This was a must do transfer for Liverpool, but I’ll be honest I didn’t think it was going to happen! Klopp was giving his backing to Karius and defending him, so I feared we would be looking at Loris Karius between the sticks for another season but finally Klopp had enough of his compatriot who has had a horrid time ever since the Champions League final. Not only did he make the high-profile mistakes that night but Karius has made mistakes in nearly every friendly Liverpool have played this summer! Enough was enough and led Liverpool to splash the cash, returning to Roma where they grabbed the amazing Mo Salah, to make the Brazilian number 1 Alisson, the most expensive goalkeeper in the world. Alisson has been highly sought after this summer and in the last year or two. His stats can make you see why the young goalkeeper has demanded such a high price. Last season he played 49 games between Serie A and the Champions League where he kept 22 clean sheets; over the course of his entire career Alisson has played 120 games and kept 49 clean sheets. This is not bad reading for the fans of a team who have had problems after problems at the goalkeeping area; so with a new shot stopper coming in there is reason for optimism for plenty of clean sheets with the likes of VVD and the “best defender in the world” Lovren sitting in front of the Brazilian. Not only do they have a new goalie to protect the net they have two new mids to strengthen the defence who are…
Naby Keita – 7.5 mil
I’ll start off with a new addition that was technically bought last season, the Guinean Naby Keita. The robust central midfielder has earned a lot of admirers during the short amount of preseason he has had. Keita is very well-known for his meandering runs towards the opposition box and causing trouble. Keita scored 9 goals and grabbed 7 assists in all competitions last season which is decent returns from a central midfielder. Keita seems to have brought a bit of steel into a Liverpool midfield that really needed it as he is a young man who loves a tackle so I’d expect him to earn plenty of plaudits for his no nonsense style of play. The one downside to Keita is the act he’s a bit of a card magnet over his 5 year career he has received 31 yellow cards and 3 red cards in club football. 9 of those yellows and 2 of those reds came last season but I suspect that maybe have come from frustration at not being allowed to move directly to Liverpool and having to stay in a RB Leipzig side that struggled throughout the season. Keita is making his way into more and more drafts as an alternative to Firmino or as a 3rd Liverpool attacking cover so this could seriously pay off if he settles into English life quickly.
Fabinho – 6.0 mil
Another addition to the Liverpool midfield is the Brazilian defensive midfielder from Monaco who many feel should have been at the World Cup. Fabinho is the first proper defensive midfielder Liverpool have had for a while and have been calling out for. This should allow Henderson and Keita to get higher up the pitch with Fabinho providing the much needed cover in the deeper role. While Fabinho has been brought in to solidify that midfield he is also adding to Liverpool’s attacking threat as he has 33 goals and 23 assists so far in his career and grabbed 7 goals last term with 4 assists. Fabinho is not too shabby at penalty kicks which make up 19 of the 33 goals he has scored in his career. You would possibly think he might take over penalty duty but with the likes of Mo Salah, Bobby Firmino and Sadio Mané up top that might be a wait and see. Fabinho may turn out to be like his compatriot, Fernandinho, in the fact he can pop up with goals but at 6.0 mil there are likely to be better options out there.
Xherdan Shaqiri – 7.5 mil
Now onto yet another midfielder who is new to Liverpool but very familiar to us FPL managers, the little Swiss who is shaped in the weirdest of ways has proven he can do it on a rainy night in Stoke so a nice trip on the Mersey should be just right for him! Shaqiri has had a brilliant career playing for Basel, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and the mighty Stoke City so he has plenty of experience and adds more power to the already stacked Liverpool front line. I don’t see Shaqiri pushing his way into the team, especially not replacing Player of the Year and Egyptian God, Mo Salah, on the right wing. Shaqiri will probably be more of a sub player and someone who has been brought in to give the likes of Salah and Mané a rest. Shaqiri will also give Liverpool that little something they always missed when Salah was injured or rested; obviously the key players Mane, Firmino and Salah link up well but right now as I write this I am picturing a backup front three of Lallana sliding a through ball into Shaqiri who slides it across for Oxlade-Chamberlain or Sturridge (when they are fit!). Shaqiri has 66 goals and 63 assists in his career so with some very good players around him Shaqiri could flourish or flounder but it is definitely a wait and see for me as I don’t feel he is completely nailed.
Thanks for reading New Fantasy Premier League Transfers 2018/19 Liverpool Edition. This article was written by MattX
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PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES
Usually we run an article and ask people to get involved and cover the friendlies with any info they can gather. And it’s usually fun but in all honesty it’s usually also a bit messy and difficult to refer back to. This season we have one link that you will need need for all such info, courtesy of Mito –
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It’s been a busy summer already with Arsenal, Everton, West Ham and Chelsea appointing new managers, Manchester City adding to their already dominant squad, Man Utd continuing to splash the cash and Liverpool trying to protect Karius by beefing up their midfield. Spurs may even have a new home soon.
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In your e-mail could you please supply:-
Your name.
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Hi Everyone,
I am following this site since a few years, I think since it was ‘fantasyfootballcheat’…..Always nice to get information like the defenders valued at 4.0 and likely to start, the good budget options, rotation analysis, etc.
Great Job!
Hey KD the good old days on FFC well not all good to see you on here , lots of good info & help on this site , welcome mate
Welcome to the site KD. Glad you enjoy the site and hopefully you get fully involved this season.
Welcome, KD. Great to see you become a member!
Thank You everyone! Feels great.
Lucas Moura taking anyone’s fancy? Are Lamela and Moura likely to both start? Moura looks an enticing prospect at £7.0m for the opening few games, I’m just concerned about game time.
Literally just wondering the same. Who would their attacking 3 be when all are back and available? Kane flanked by Son and ?
I’m not sure he starts too many games. If he does become nailed then I will definitely consider him because he’s got electric pace so he should latch onto long balls and through passes.
But when Son is at the Asia games, does he get the nod? Very difficult to tell at the moment!
How many games does that cover? I thought I read somewhere it only covers something like 3 games so that’s not much to take a punt on a player. I would say Lamela gets the nod over Moura though just because he is more experienced in PL but it’s really a 50/50 call. Their last friendly will hopefully offer some insight.
Just checked and it looks like he’ll miss the first 4 games so maybe worth a punt if you play the WC early but I don’t really like planning a transfer so if Moura doesn’t work out then you have to get rid of him fairly quickly.
Cheers, Matt!
Anyone know of any decent 4.5 rotating defender combo’s?
Southampton and Cardiff seems to be a good one. Everton, Leicester and Bournemouth seem to rotate well between the three so you might be able to get 2 to rotate nicely out of there.
I just knew the answer would include bloody scumampton 😉
I’m currently considering at a 4.0 one with two 4.5 rotating. Tightarse I know, but trying to squeeze Kun, Auba & Salah in!
Is there any info anywhere yet about rotating teams?
Yeah I knew you’d love the Southies. 😉
I haven’t seen anything yet but I am currently looking at rotations myself. Mito just stuck a decent but below.
Mito does have a decent butt….
Not necessarily great all of these, but when looking for rotations these appear to be the best teams to combine these with. These are two team rotations now, not 3 team. Just giving you the first option and the second.
Brighton with Palace or Bournemouth
Bournemouth with Palace or Fulham
Palace with Cardiff or Saints
Fulham with Saints or Palace
Huddersfield with Palace or Saints
Newcastle with Palace or Saints
Saints with Palace or Fulham
Watford with Palace or Saints
West Ham with Palace or Saints
Wolves with Palace or Fulham
This is over the first 8 GWs. I didn’t include teams where I couldn’t see a 4.5 starter on there yet.
During the last 4 seasons:
Saints has 49 cleanies
Palace has 31 cleanies
That’s 18 more cleanies for Saints!
It’s a great thing to let a personal dislike for a certain team to interfere with fantasy footie, innit? 😉
Thanks Banjo, you are too kind. My wife better not read that Butt compliment though, she is a bit jealous. 😉
Mito, you’re so fluffy too, really hard to resist for many of us here…
:winktongue:
Zed? wtf, “Mito, you’re so fluffy too”, he’s not a bloody candy floss, unless you mean the Potter version, the unholy trinity fits
Palace and Cardiff or Saints rotate well based on fixtures. Would work better with Burnley or Leicester but there are no 4.5 options there that I know of on those two teams.
Palace and Cardiff would get you.
ful – a
New – h
hud – a
SOU – h
hud – a
NEW – h
BUR – h
WOL – h
Palace and Saints
BUR at home or ful away
eve -a
wat -a
SOU – h
BRI -H
NEW – h
wol – a
WOL – H
Awesome! Thanks so much, Mito.
I’m liking that run with Palace & Cardiff.
Burnley & Leicester might work of Mee is out? Not sure the extent of that one. There’s certainly value at Palace, Tomkins especially. Cardiff would scare me slightly!
@Banjo, didn’t Mee finish the game out?
No idea mate! I just read somewhere he picked up an injury.
On the assumption Maguire goes to United, how does this look? Tomkins and Bamba to obviously rotate. Too heavy up top? Too crap a bench?
Hey Banjo, the more RMTs a see the more I realise that my advice is largely based on what I would do / am doing, and who’s to say I’m better placed to judge than you?
So with that in mind here are my thoughts ( for what they’re worth!)
I do think that your frontline is top heavy. I’ve based a lot of my selections on value this season. This of course follows the assumption that player value will closely mirror last season’s, which of course may or may not. All that being said, premium forwards did not offer value for money across the season, of course players like Aguero and Aubameyang will get you big numbers but you may be better off spreading that money further back ( I’m looking at your defence)
So who scores more:
Aguero + Lovren
Or
Bobby + Azpilicueta
Well last season it would have been:
169 + 110
Vs
181 + 175
So if you had went with the latter you would have been 77pts better off.
Now I’m not saying switch to those players specifically, what I am saying is that picking the right premium defenders can make a huge difference to overall score.
Obviously the captaincy plays a part but you can’t captain both those players and Salah every week, so does owning multiple £11m+ players actually do more harm than good across the season.
This has turned into a bigger reply than you were probably looking for, and of course is subjective, but then all RMTs are by virtue always going to stray into subjective territory!
I do like your team, it could do better than a more balanced team, but for me spreading the risk across multiple players is a safer strategy in my humble opinion!
In FPL, we are dealing with future as we are trying to predict which players score most points in the future, so it’s all rather subjective isn’t it? There’s no empirical objective data considering the future, all we can do is make predictions based on prior data…
Anyway, I agree with your point of too many 11m+ players, perhaps two is enough in order to have two captain choices, and that’s enough! And if Salah scores anywhere near what he scored last season then he’s a good choice for a permanent captain maybe, and at least in that case 3 premium players might be too much! The value is somewhere else, perhaps in the 7-9m mids…
Thanks for the detailed thoughts, Rosco. Initially I had a couple of top priced defenders in there, but IMO the Chelsea guys simply aren’t going to offer the same returns as last year. A few iterations ago my team looked liked this. My concerns with this were primarily only having one City attacker. Now the obvious move was Auba for Kun, but then I’ve a feeling Auba could be huge this year, so I explored options to keep him too. My gut feeling is that it’s probably a little top heavy too. But then if Maguire is at United he’s absolutely a premium defender. Ederson could be the highest scoring keeper and Liverpool might actually defend this year, in which case Lovren could score big. In which case I’ve only really got one budget defender playing each week. I’m sure it’ll all change a lot in the next couple of weeks!
I think this might be an excellent point Rosco. It’s what I never do I always go too top heavy
Looks very good actually, although Lovren won’t start the season so Bamba (who is he? 🙂 ) and WB would need to come in, which isn’t ideal I guess! Easy to downgrade one of Auba/Kun if necessary to make upgrades in midfield/defense though…
How does this team look for a 3-5-2?
Not a massive fan of the idea of playing Austin, Jota and Richarlison week in, week out, particularly as your defence doesn’t contain any premium players (Azpi, Davies, Robertson, Walker etc..) to justify this.
It looks like you’re effectively playing with 4.5 premium players (i’ll count Bailly as a half because his lack of attacking potential is a huge weakness imo), and 6.5 budget players which is a huge gamble.
Also, Douglas is off to Leeds.
I think you can come up with a better team Constantine. Mr Bean makes some good points. Prob either Sane or KDB needs to go to give it a bit more balance
Cheers both. Was just toying with the idea of fitting both the city mids. Guess that’ll take a toll on the whole team. Thinking of having strong back 4s, strong mid 3, one okiesh 4th, one 11m striker witj Firmino up top..
Something like this:
Yep, I like this structure a lot better, the defense especially is a lot better where a lot of the value is in the game! Also like Ramsey, he’s rested and some talk been around that Emery really rates him!
Personally I’m going for a 7m striker instead of Firmo as I really fancy the 2.5m saved and like someone said here if Sturridge features it might push Firmo to a deeper role…
Even if Maguire goes to United he won’t start the season right? 5.5m is very interesting though
He shouldn’t from the off, but 5.5 would be real nice when he does get in.
Yeah I’d want him though so might take the risk he only misses one game if that. We still don’t know it’s possible some World Cup players play just unlikely
Maguire at United would be an absolute steal. My current problem with United defenders in the lack of ‘additional’ points – assist, goals, bonus etc.
Smalling had an abnormally good year with 4 goals in quick succession and Jones was a BP magnet, but i’m not sure if the same trends will follow, plus they’re both more expensive this season. With Bailly still there (who offers no attacking threat whatsoever), not sure who Mourinho plays either.
A defender who can grab a couple of goals/assists is such a threat, especially at a team like United.