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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Should I wildcard?
Foster Jakupovic
Terry Friend McAuley Amat Funes Mori
Hazard Redmond Alli Barkley Fletcher
Aguero Zlatan Gray
Hi Chris,
I don’t think you have that many problems that a WC is needed. We do still need to wait to hear of the imminent futures of Aguero and Gray of course but the wildcard choice is a personal one but as an outsider, I would stick it out a bit longer if that were my squad.
I could go either way. I want Alexis in, Funes Mori needs to be replaced as his place is starting place is not guaranteed. I also want West Ham and Man Utd defensive coverage. Alli concerns me too as well as Jakupovic
Why does Jakupovich concern you Chris?
Hull signed Marshall from Cardiff so he will most likely be 3rd choice
Quick one.
Ozil or Sanchez
BigP
Ozil for me. I like his consistency in comparison to Sanchez, the fact he doesn’t have to fly half way round the world for internationals and what else you can get for the money saved.
Although I acknowledge he’s a brilliant player, I think the last match at Watford has gotten people in a tizz about Sanchez.
The worst you’ll probably get is Sanchez maybe outscoring him across the whole season slightly. But it won’t be by very much I think.
I agree completely with GP, but I’m quite happy for my opponents to rip us their squads to get Alexis
But Cook, with you ranked outside of the first million, does it really matter? ;P
Sorry.
Peace offering.
ouch
Sanchez if you can afford but it looks hard to fit him , Kun & Ibra in same team.
Ozil every day, his assist record last year was fantastic.
So any word on Kun yet? How late are these hearings?
Hey Raz who you looking at if Kun , Gray get banned thinking Kane & Lukaku although form says that’s wrong , fixtures not 😉
Yeah, several players on my mind. Lukaku will come good for sure, matter of time. He needs his confidence back, once he starts score, that should be no problem. I also have the Lamela headache. Anyway, if I let go of Kun I will try to get Sanchez. 😉
This could be a good choice for 3rd fwd Crystal Palace have announced the signing of striker Loic Remy on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
Will he start?.
Why wouldn’t he . He always does a job for Che when asked 😉
I doubt he is match fit
Benteke.
Yeah he will play. Will probably be in a few weeks time though because I don’t think he’s in good shape
He could be a sub but Benteke no doubt will
Curious, nervous. Far too early to move, but is it worth -8 to save a WC? I’m worried that we won’t know where all the late acquisitions will fit or perform for several weeks past gw4.
Depends who you want to bring in?
ChrisOllie,
It’s not so much “in” as out. I’m looking at three potential suspensions (the main three suspects), as well as two minor injuries. I’d like Baines (for Walker), and probably Benteke for Gray, and am wondering about downgrading Stones to a 4.5.
I could sit out the “injuries”, as I expect both back for gw4, and the -8 would be Kane and Lukaku and probably Antonio for Lamela.
Good moves, I would WC
Perez signs for Arsenal.