New Signings – Fantasy Premier League 2016/17. Zaza, Boufal, Manquillo
The second of this week’s review of recent transfers might easily be renamed “The most pointless article of the season”. There is no Benteke to provide your 3rd striker solution, nor is there a Pereyra to get your juices flowing. Instead, we have West Ham’s new striker whose biggest claim to fame is to impersonate an English player in a penalty shootout while wearing an Italian shirt; there is an award winning African Frenchman who is injured but who still becomes Southampton’s record signing and last but very certainly least is the Sunderland defender who wasn’t even good enough to hack it in the Liverpool backline.
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Simone Zaza (West Ham – forward – FPL price 7.0mln)
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Losing Andy Carroll and Andre Ayew to injury so early in the season has at least given Slaven Bilic the opportunity to dip into the market to find a replacement while the window was still open and the Hammers have plumped for Italian striker Simone Zaza. If the name is not immediately obvious to you, then cast your minds back to the Euros and the penalty shoot-out between Italy and Germany – Zaza was the chap who made the bizarre run up only to miss his penalty. This was after he was brought on in the last seconds of extra-time to take a penalty in the shoot-out. So there is amusement from the start, which is always a positive. Zaza has found first team football hard to come by at Juve, making just five starts. He has represented Italy on 14 occasions scoring just the one goal and is described as quick, strong, versatile and hard-working, capable of playing both as a centre forward and off another player as a second striker. Time will tell if he can finally settle down and perform in a top division, but with the likes of Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini around, there should be plenty of creation behind him. Zaza has joined the Hammers on a season long loan and the club has an option to buy him permanently in the summer.
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Sofiane Boufal (Southampton – midfielder – FPL price 7.0mln)
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Having got rid of Graziano Pelle and Sadio Mane, the Saints decided that the purchase of Nathan Redmond wasn’t enough and have paid a club record £16mln to bring 22 year-old Sofiane Boufal from Lille. Boufal can either play as an attacking midfielder or a winger and last season scored 11 goals and made 4 assists in 29 league appearances for the French side, which prompted his call up to the Moroccan national team in March of this year. He has actually scored with 7 of his last 8 shots (for Lille, obviously).
Don’t get too excited quite yet as Boufal is recuperating from a knee injury sustained in May and is not likely to be available for at least another month or so. However, Saints boss Claude Puel knows the French league inside out and must therefore see something special in the player who won Best African player in Ligue One.
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Javier Manquillo (Sunderland – defender – FPL price 4.5mln)
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Manquillo has joined Sunderland on a season-long loan from Athletico Madrid. The right back is known to us from his brief time at Liverpool (again on loan) where he started under Brendan Rodgers but quickly dropped out of the first team after ten appearances and was sent back to Madrid a year early. With the Black Cats in dire trouble having lost Big Sam, Moyesie has been busy in the transfer market and Manquillo will compete with Donald Love and Billy Jones for the right back slot and made his debut in the weekend draw at Southampton.
Frankly a Sunderland defender looks like a strange desire for any FPL manager now that Big Sam has departed and with Lamine Kone’s future at the club in doubt. However, if the club can keep Kone and shore up the defence then maybe the likes of Manquillo may become a possibility if he can make the right back position his own. However, our favoured Black Cat defender remains PVA due to his attacking returns.
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Thanks for reading New Signings – Fantasy Premier League 2016/17. Zaza, Boufal, Manquillo This article was written by Cookie
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Thoughts on Rashford/the comments Mourinho made about him after this week’s game? Reckon he is close to a starting spot and who would he replace?
AT, he would come in for Martial, one would assume.
Think he will or not, Cookie? He looks great.
I reckon he will feature as a sub. I he starts, it will be ahead of Martial surely.
xaoc, Mourinho’s comments are so hard to interpret haha
AT, I think Mourinho likes having Rashford as a super sub and desperately wants Martial to succeed. But who know with Mourinho! His performance at Hull certainly sees him deserve a start in the derby.
Ok if Gray , Lam & Gray get banned are people going into WC mode ????
Gray, Lam & Gray?
Nah, only two players. no point :hippo:
Too many Gray’s there meant Kun so busy here last day an all :smiling:
Cookie,
You sold this article to me in the opening paragraph!
thank you for the coverage of the three latest newbies. Zaza was brilliant at Sassuolo hence why Juve snapped him up (believe he was one of these crazy half-ownership types) but is a victim of Juve stockpiling strikers. I could be interested in him in time.
Morning and cheers GP – it’ll be interesting to see Zaza in the Premier League, though I do wonder why the Hammers didn’t just splash the cash for Benteke.
Which striker are you looking at if Kun gets banned? Costa, Lukaku? Others?
Also, should there be info on the Lamela case today? I have both and need to take some decisions in order to fit Sanchez in.
Xaoc
I was gunna ask the same thing,
I’ve got Ibra so looking at options for Kun,
Tempted by Costa but he scares the hell out of me,
He always seems a split second away from getting sent off, he’s so angry all the time, suppose that’s his game tho, if he was Mr nice Guy I guess he wouldn’t be as affective.
Kane / Vardy / Giroud?
Kane don’t look 100% also lacking confidence (maybe poc should stick him on set pieces lol)
Vardy maybe an option however he needs Mahrez up for it to really get going.
Giroud, not a big fan TBH although he is a handsome fella, good fixtures and Ozil back might be tempting for a couple of weeks.
Sturidge…erm maybe not, him and Klop just don’t get on, plus his arrogance doesn’t suit Klops team ethic.
Anyone else?
Hey Big Kane , Vardy , Costa in that order if its only to cover ban 😉
I am not considering Kane, Sturidge and Giroud due to form and playing time risk. I will also get Sanchez.
Vardy is an option and within my budget.
I know what you mean regarding Costa, but hope he can deliver, although I will be doubling up with Hazard.
Lukaku has amazing fixtures coming up and I know consistency is his issue, but could be a differential.
xaoc if Kun gets banned I will take a chance on Kane Spurs , Harry have to come good soon 😉
Thanks Silvers, but my budget is 10.2 (10.8 if i ditch Barkley instead of Lamela), since I want to get Sanchez in.
Help needed guys.
A: Sanchez, Sterling, Shaw
B: Hazard, Ozil, Stones
What would you go with?.
I will go for A. Already have two of them even.
A for me AnttL 😉
What do we think of Deulofeu and Chambers out for Antonio and Holgate?
Hi photek,
Too early in the week for doing just now and I’m not sure on the return date for Coleman at Everton and you’d have to think that would impact on Holgate’s game time.
You don’t fancy Chambers at Middlesbrough? I reckon he could be a worthwhile pick-up.
As mentioned yesterday, there is a concern Antonio could find his way back to full back in that WHU line-up once the likes of Payet and Lanzini are back.
Holgate might not even play in the next GW as Coleman will be back soon. I really don’t understand the badwagon…
cheers guys, just looking at some early moves so i don’t lose more value on Dela and my defense doesn’t look good for this week.
Chambers game time has been limited, do you think he’ll start at Boro? If its possible i’m happy to leave him in.
Are McAuley or Collins out of your budget, photek? All Boro defenders bar Ayala are 4,5 m I think. Barragan is playing RB, correct (sorry, did not see any of their last games)? He should be a safe bet if so.
already have 3 West Brom but i can afford Collins yeah.