New Signings – Fantasy Premier League 2015/16. Milner, Ings, Firminho
Liverpool were poor last season, actually they were worse than that but for the sake of our younger readers let’s stick with poor! Their defenders made a catalogue of errors over the course of the season, while up front they struggled for goals. It therefore comes as no surprise that Brendan Rodgers has been busy in the transfer market, although as we’ve seen in the past this is not necessarily a good thing! They’ve replaced Brad Jones with Adam Bogdan whom unsurprisingly we won’t be covering in one of these articles, 18 year old centre back Joe Gomez has arrived from Charlton and as he’s likely to be one for the future we won’t include him either. We took a look at Nathaniel Clyne in an earlier article and today we’ll focus on James Milner, Danny Ings and Firmino.
James Milner
Liverpool
Age: 29
Signed From: Free agent (previously Manchester City)
Fee: Free[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]
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Why has James Milner left Manchester City? A club with whom he won two league title and will challenge again this season, and who offered him a four year contract worth up to £165k a week. It is likely that he has been assured of his game time at Anfield, but where Brendan Rodgers will play him is not immediately obvious, although reports have suggested that he will be handed his preferred role in central midfield. One possible scenario would see him played alongside Jordan Henderson with a more defensive minded player behind them or they could form the defensive base of a midfield three with a more attacking player ahead of them. Should he be offered a somewhat attacking role from central midfield position he could prove to be an interesting fantasy option, particularly as he’s priced at just £7.0m. During his time at City he spent most of his time operating in a wide role, a position from which his influence is limited and his lack of pace exposed. However in his final season at Villa, the last season in which he was a consistent starter he chalked up 184 points thanks to seven goals, 12 assists and 35 bonus points. One thing is for sure and that is that wherever Rodgers chooses to play him Milner will give everything for his new club and while he should not be viewed as a replacement for a certain Steven Gerrard his experience will help fill the leadership gap which Gerrard’s departure has created. Finally, while Milner has been handed Liverpool’s famous no.7 jersey, I wouldn’t expect him to hit the heights of those who have worn the jersey in bygone years!
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Danny Ings
Liverpool
Age: 22
Signed From: Burnley
Fee: To be decided by tribunal[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]
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Is Danny Ings the next Rickie Lambert? Liverpool fans will certainly be hoping that the answer is no! In the two seasons prior to joining Liverpool Lambert scored 28 goals in 75 Premier League appearances for Southampton, while in his only season in the Premier League Ings scored 11 in 35 games for Burnley. Both Liverpool fans and FPL managers will be hoping that Ings has more of an impact at Anfield than Lambert managed last season. I’m not going to compare the two but one big difference is that Ings is only 22 and will surely continue to develop as a player, whereas Lambert was 32 when he joined the club. So what can we expect from Ings? It will all depend on how he himself handles the move. While Liverpool can no longer be considered a top 4 club there will be still be an awful lot more pressure placed upon him at Anfield than there was at Turf Moor. Currently Liverpool have five forwards (I use the term loosely!) in Sturridge, Lambert, Borini, Balotelli & Ings himself, actually there’s six, how could I forget Divock Origi. With Lambert, Borini & Balotelli all likely to leave the club over the remainder of the transfer window and Sturridge unlikely to be fit for the start of the season, Ings could find himself as the clubs only recognised striker come August 8th. Obviously the club continue to be linked with Christian Benteke, and it seems highly unlikely that another will not be brought in before the window closes. One thing is for sure and when he is given his opportunity he will work endlessly for the good of the team. He can hold the ball up well, win aerial duels and can finish with both feet. He has the ability to link up with the midfield and wide men which would see him fit into either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system, both commonly used by Rodgers. Should Rodgers choose to play two up top Ings could also be effective. Just like Lambert last season Ings has been priced at £7.5m. Is this good value? I would advise you to wait & see how Ings settles into life at Anfield, this will also allow you to assess how Liverpool’s new signings gel together.
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Firmino
Liverpool
Age: 23
Signed From: Hoffenheim
Fee: £29m[three_fourth padding=”0 20px 0 0″]
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Let’s be honest, Firmino is one of those players who the vast majority of us had never heard of back in May. It wasn’t until the papers linked him with a move to United that most of us took any notice of him. He began his career with Figueirense in the second tier of Brazilian football before moving to Hoffenheim in 2010. It’s said that he initially struggled to adapt to foreign climes, which is good news for Liverpool, and he took three seasons for his talents to emerge. Since the start of the 2013/14 season he has weighed in with 23 goals & 21 assists, and has been one of the stand out performers in the Bundesliga. It remains to be seen where Brendan Rodgers plans to play the Brazilian, at Hoffenheim he spent most of his time playing directly behind a striker in something of a free role, although he is also capable of leading the line. He is a great dribbler, has excellent technique and as his recent stats demonstrate, he can finish. In 2013/14 Liverpool adopted a high pressing approach but the loss of Luis Suarez meant they struggled to press teams last season. Firmino is not only a flair player, he is also known for his work rate and his arrival could see Liverpool get back to playing on the front foot. Liverpool will be hoping that he and his compatriot Philippe Coutinho form an immediate understanding on the pitch and if this is the case, Firmino could very well prove to be an interesting FPL prospect, particularly if Liverpool have a striker knocking in the goals on a regular basis.
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With Toby sold you guys reckon Yoshida could be a starter this season?
That could help us out if Yos is a starter 😉
Pretty sure Soton will sign a CB.
It really depends on the next guy through the door Raz, I’ve never really liked him as a CBS but I think he did turn in a couple of decent performances last season, the Saints bubble has to burst sooner or later though, no way can they keep on affording to lose 3 or 4 key players every season.
Hey gang, how’s it going? So after a grueling all-weekend slog I finally got through all the articles and comments and feel like I’m caught up on things, phew! Now I have a couple of general questions for you if anyone is about. I’ve seen a lot of 1st draft teams with Deeney in them, which is tempting due to his price and his great record in the Championship the past few years. But I’m worried that starting off with a 5.5 striker is risky as it will be hard to upgrade him if he struggles in the premier league- much like Bojan was last year. A few Q’s :
1 – Would it be smarter to have Ivan in defense and Deeney as a 3rd striker, or would you grab Azpi instead and use the extra money to have Berahino/Vardy/Diouf/Sakho up top?
2 – What are your thoughts on going with the popular cheap route of Ruddy/Rudd in goal? Is it worth the extra .5 to have someone like Krul to rotate w/ a Norwich kleeper?
3 – Is anyone planning on going with Depay from the off? Or would it be smarter to grab Cazorla/Ramsey for that price and see how Depay does in the first few matches?
1- If I’m being honest I’m not sure about including Azpi and Ivan is just a lot of money. So I’m thinking of Vardy and then a cheapish defender like Fonte then use the extra money elsewhere.
2 – Currently I have Ruddy and Rudd but I could still go with Krul and Ruddy and have the two starters.
3 – I’m not too sure about Depay but I’m not sure about Ramsey either. Cazorla could be a good buy though.
Hey Red here’s my two pennies worth
1. I’m trying to fit one of these in Berahino/Vardy/Diouf/Sakho it would be hard to change him but fixtures are good to start with worth considering.
2. I’m not a lover of the Ruddy/Rudd combo but it seems popular.
3. I like the look of Depay at the moment I will start with him.
Thanks Matt and Silver, much appreciated fellas. I know it’s waaaay early but I’m a glutton for punishment and I’ve missed FPL so much that I’ll admit to tinkering with a squad already! Still miles away from anything yet and anxiously awaiting the pre-season matches, but it’s good to get everything on paper to look at balance and see what will fit with our initial budgets.
Howdy Red. All is well here mate, how have you been?
1. I’d rather have Ivanovic/Terry than Azpilicueta. Try and draw funds from elsewhere maybe?
2. GK’s are overrated, for me. Cheap as chips, decent save point returns and the odd cleanie will do me fine.
3. I really want to start with him but Sterling going to City is throwing a spanner in the works.
Not a big fan of the price they paid for Sterling, it’s like English players are always worth the double. He had a shite season, shows bad attitude and all sorts of crap and still they pay this amount of money? You create diva’s in the EPL.
That being said, right after the move I decided to go with Sterling myself. He has more speed than Silva and Kun and will probably end up with loads of goals/assists. Will be awesome.
Put 4.5 defender Denayer at City on your watchlists lads. Might see gametime this season.
LMAO TEKS. He needs to play every game, I don’t care about playtime. 😉
If Kompany, Mangala, Demichelis get injured or plays poorly he could be a starter. He recently signed a contract after being told that City regards him as a potential first team player, so there’s every reason to keep him in the back of your mind.
Okay, put him in the back of your mind. Right behind Jose Enrique. :p
Right, i need a 4.5 defender to come in for Vlaar. Who should i get? Current defence: Azpilicueta, Clyne, Cedric, ______, Prodl
Russell Martin (Norwich). Decent fixtures and has a goal in him from time to time.
RedVT,
Excellent questions, all of them, but I’m not sure they aren’t really dilemmas.
1. I think Azpi + a higher-valued strike. Aside from the difficulty of moving up on the third striker later, Deeney has a temper, and issues. I know a lot of folks are picking him just on the numbers, but Ighalo might be a better pick at that value.
2. My observations, FRTW, is that you need two keepers. I’d go for Krul. Plus, the gametracker under Tips (thanks a million, guys), suggests another 4.5/4.5 prospect in Guzan/Myhill. And if you’ve got the dosh, Courtois/Schmeichel (might be an alternative on
Azpi).
3. Dunno. Like to, but I’ve been burned many times at season’s start. Problem is, LvG is so unpredictable. Is his talk really about Depay as a sub for Rooney? Is Depay just guaranteed a spot until de Maria is fit? Dunno, dunno.
Best,
Anyone else think Depay wont start ?????????
i’m thinking the same thing Silver
Thanks Ki, I appreciate your thoughts. I feel it’s best to not take too many risks with our opening squads, so I doubt I’ll start with Depay unless he’s starting every pre-season match and scoring loads of goals. I’m going to try and get a good spine of consistent starters with BPL experience and then be ready/able to bring in guys like Depay/Firmino etc if they start off well and are bringing in points.
Come on guys this has me worried will Depay be a starter thoughts on a post card please 😉
Let them go on the tour first, today. Hearing DDG might stay at United if Madrid don’t make a proper offer ”TODAY” he’s going with United on tour and they’ll let him play every game as well. 😉
It’s a bit early to start worrying about who’s gonna be starters, Silvers. With Mata, ADM, Depay, Schneiderlin, Schwein, Carrick, and Herrera someone obviously has to be benched, but maybe wait until the friendlies so we’ll have some idea who’ll be preferred.
Also depends on the formation they will play. I was think 2-7-1. 😉
:big-lol:
Only wide players to me are ADM, Depay, Young and (very unlikely but used to) Valencia. Mata could I suppose but it would be wasting him. From that list (ADM may not even stay!) I can’t see how he wouldn’t play every game.
And Januzaj, lol.