New Signings – Fantasy Premier League 2015/16. Cedric, Stekelenberg, Fuchs
Before we get into previewing the latest batch of international superstars joining our beloved Premiership, I want to say first how great it is that the new fantasy season is nearly upon us. The excitement is really building.
It’s been brilliant reading the boards over the last couple of weeks as the regular names/faces return to the site after their long break. And some new faces too! It’s like spring time. The snow has gone and the little green shoots are starting to appear. The little baby rabbits are emerging from their holes. What’s this? A wonderful new world? A time to start a fresh? Such a wonderfully positive time. Do I dare to dream that this could be the year? The year I’ve been laying in my hole thinking about all winter (summer).
So full of optimism. What will the season hold? Will this be the year I make it across the road to that wonderful field of lush green grass? Will this be the season I win my mini league? What to do first? Eat some grass? Pick my team? Eat some more grass? Study the fixtures? The possibilities seem endless and the optimism sky high. The planning. The hope. It’s beautiful.
Statistically, however, that rabbit will be dead within a month and most of us will never see the top 1,000. But we can dream dammit. We can dream.
Let’s talk football. .
The Southampton Two.
Cedric Soares
Southampton
Age: 23
Position: Defender
Signed from: Sporting
Fee: £4.7mln
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With Nathaniel Clyne following the well-trodden path up the road to Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers has already taken the unusual step to announce that the player he sees as Clynes long term replacement at Anfield is Cedric Soares, a promising young German born Portugal international from Sporting Lisbon.
Whilst the £4.7m fee Southampton have paid for Soares won’t turn heads, the right back looks to be the starting option in one of last season’s best defences.
Priced at 5.0m, he’s 0.5m cheaper than the two remaining defenders from last season, Bertrand and Fonte. If we assume that 4.5m Yoshida isn’t going to claim the starting spot alongside Fonte, and that Alderwiereld’s replacement will be priced as at least 5.0m, then Soares will most likely start the season as the most attractive route into the Southampton backline.
The alternatives at this 5.0m price range include the likes of Janmaat, Lescott, Shawcross and Alderweireld himself. It may be a close call choosing between Tottenhma and Southampton, but I definitely fancy a Southampton clean sheet over Newcastle, West Brom or Stoke.
There are a couple of concerns with Soares however. His stats last year (1 assist and 0 goals in 34 games) aren’t in line with the attacking full backs we’ve grown accustomed to over the last few years at St Marys. He also appears to be somewhat of a yellow card magnet. Cedric picked up a booking in every 3 games he played last season, including 3 bookings in 5 Champions Leagues games and a red card in the domestic Cup Final. You have been warned.
Fantasy view: Potentially a cheap route into a historically good defence. Disciplinary concerns. Possible anger issues linked to the fact he’s called Cedric. (Apologies to any Cedrics reading this).
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Maarten Stekelenberg
Southampton
Age: 32
Position: Goalkeeper
Signed from: Fulham
Fee: Season-long loan
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Former Dutch international (and World Cup finalist) Stekelenberg has signed on a season long loan from Fulham, to provide cover for Fraser Forster who is currently expected to be out until March 2016.
Although on paper he faces competition for the number 1 shirt from Kelvin Davis, you’d have to expect that given his pedigree and his history with manager Koeman (he gave Steky his debut at Ajax), he’s a strong favourite to start at least until Forster returns. As mentioned above, if last season is any sort of guide, this could prove to be a decent defence to invest in, with a CS in every 3 games played.
The “But”….. It’s early days in pre-season, but his ownership currently stands at just 1.4%. A sign that fantasy managers are perhaps nervous that with three out of five from the Southampton backline either leaving or injured, the defence might not be as solid as last year.
Add to that, the fact that keepers are priced lower this year. For an extra 0.5m you can have Courtois or Hart.
Fantasy view: Doesn’t offer the value of previous years. Better keepers for the money elsewhere.
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The Leicester One.
Christian Fuchs
Leicester
Age: 29
Position: Defender
Signed from: Schalke
Fee: Free transfer
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F*** off!!! I beg your pardon?! I said Fuchs’ off. Off to Leicester. Oh. Well that’s alright then.
Leicester City have made their first signing of the summer with the free-transfer capture of defender Christian Fuchs on a three-year deal.
The 29-year-old Austria international left-back, has 66 international caps and made 99 career league appearances for Schalke With 2 goals and 4 assists in 20 starts last season, he appears to offer some pretty good attacking potential. The problem is that last season he was part of a 6th place team pushing for a place in the Champions League, whereas this season he’ll be part of a team near the bottom, pushing Paul Konchesky for picking-the-ball-out-of-the-net duties.
The downside (as well as the fact he plays for Leicester) is that he’s priced at a ball busting 5.0m! How did they come up with that?! Rumours are that the early ownership of 0.7% consist entirely of managers who either live in Leicester, and /or want a player with a rude sounding word in their team.
Fantasy view: Monitor pre-season. If he gets the nod to start every game, to play as a striker, take freekicks, and penalties, I might be tempted.
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Cheers chaps.
Yeah, the Cedric disciplinary record worries me. Clearly he struggles against the top players, and it’s not like he’s got a great attacking record/ stats to offset the YC risk. I’m going to avoid for now i think. Especially given all the changes in that back line.
..Although, i do remember a lot of us having similar concerns last season when Southampton lost a lot of players. Koeman did a pretty good job of replacing them with relative unknowns, so maybe i should have more faith that they’ll be ok.
Fuchs and Stekenwotsit i’m not going to touch though. Maybe if Fuchs was at 4.5m as he does have good attacking stats. But at 5.0m, you’re ‘avin a larf.
Many thanks Chins! Beautifully written article that offered everything that anyone could want. Heck, you even gave us a touch of fantasy help.
Just. *coughs, sorry I meant many thanks Chins, lovely stuff as ever. Some writers we don’t need actual fantasy related stuff from, it’s just fun to read. Superb as ever.
Good article chins. Don’t know what happened with Stekelenburg after WC2010, he was legendary that WC. After that he failed miserably everywhere he went though. Literally everywhere.
Agreed Raz he was awesome and I think we all expected he’d be the next van der Sar and go to a big club and kick on to be a world beater. Guess if anyone can help recapture that then he’s in the right place.
Raz, i’ve not been paying a huge amount of attention and hadn’t heard that. – I did wonder what happened to him though.
How far has he fallen? Are you predicting a lot of errors from him this year?
Well in 2014-2015 he only played 1 game for Monaco. Think he started out as their second goalie and later was their thirds behind the terrible Argentinean goalie United are trying to get (Sergio Romero). I want to see him succeed but he messed up. Never found his confidence or form since he left for Italy.
I don’t expect anything from him to be honest. Everything positive would be a surprise so I really hope he can surprise me. 😉
:hippo: funny you say that about Romero, I have been saying the same about him behind the scenes when asked about him. Long story short he is :poop:
Yeah, he is shite and going to United. They have to pray he doens’t become their first goalie, HAHAHA!
Good team name potential though – Stekelenmockingburg 😛
Evening all,
Haven’t really been feeling the FPL Love for the past few weeks but today I seem to have gone into full tinker mode. Currently have this team on my page but am unsure over 1striker and 2 mids.
So…..
Which striker out of Rooney and Costa to pair with 2 midfielders out of:-
Theo, Ramsay, depay or sterling
Any help appreciated
Considering you have Haz, I think I would go Rooney. Sterling instead of Depay that way you get some City cover in there. I kinda like the team it seems that it has the money well spread out.
hammers, good to see you on the forum mate. I like this team as it is actually, but would prefer to see Costa in place of Rooney. Seems like getting in Aguero, when the time comes, shouldn’t be an issue as you’ll have a few routes to take.
Cheers guys,
NIN Which 2 mids would you prefer with Costa? Still sterling and theo? Got a feeling I might need to find 0.5 by downgrading Toby for that one.
They are two excellent picks. Finding 0.5m shouldn’t be a problem either as you’ve rounded the squad out nicely. Up to you which way to go, i kinda like both ways to be honest. Not much help there, i know.
Changed it round a bit to still have decent defence cover but with a non playing 2nd keeper.
Hi hammers, I’d get a cigar on. That’s the first team anyone has liked!
It’s taken a while to put it together innit.
Looks a lot like mine from a week ago, I had Hennessey as second goalie though. :p
Cheeky monkey
..
Do I say cheers HUMAN? CHeers HOMOSAPIEN? WTF is wrong with you? Show a little respect.
Lol Raz
I have missed your pictures whilst I haven’t been on here
People never miss me. What do they miss? My pictures. :rant:
Where’s the violin
Watch it, or I’ll drag along my ”homie”.
Indeed. It’s worth taking note of this squad for anyone who is struggling to find a good balance/mix. Nice work hammers :thumbup:
Definitely feeling the FPL love now
NIN, you got that balance sheet thing you posted handy? May be worth throwing it up again. I took a pic of it but I fear I deleted it in a mass deletion exercise!
Chins
S’alright this . .
Ta mate.
init – I don’t have pic, but here it is again..
GK
4.5m, 4m
DEF
5.5m x2, 4.5m x3
MID
Hazard, 8.5m x2, 5.5m x2
FWD
Aguero, 8.5m, 6m
Should note, it’s not necessarily the exact values to go for, it’s intended more as a starter guide to what a balanced squad would be in or around, tweaked to your liking :thumbup:
Mr Bean ^^^ 😉
Only saw it after I’d posted and the lack of a delete button makes me look a bit silly now… :thumbup:
Not at all mate, the comment should really be under the bloody original post anyway! Not to worry.
NIN,
The 4.5/4 mil goalkeeper option is very risky in my opinion.
Looking on paper, choosing Speroni/Guzan/Panti last year would only have been 30/35 points behind the highest scorers but it requires immense patience to stick with one of these players for all 38 weeks and you never really know when their good patches are going to come.
You could just have easily chosen Krul/Green/Schmeichel and you’re dropping 50/60 points. In the same way, choosing Costa for the whole season would lose 60 points on Aguero but gives you 2 mil to spend elsewhere.
I feel at least a 5 mil keeper is required if you are keeping a keeper for the season – it’s only 0.5 extra and will be worth 30-50 points for the season.
Mr Bean, great points there. I’m looking at Courtois. That seems fabulous value at that price. No real rotation risk. Happy to have him for the season and know I have Chelsea CS’s covered at a cheap price. Whether I back him up with the cheapest starter there is I don’t know but that depends on how tight the budget gets but as I say I’d be happy to go with him and not even think about the keeper dilemma every week.