Transfer round up Part 5
We have allowed the transfers to settle a while having blitzed them all last week but it looks as though many teams have been adding talent since. Swansea have gone back to the tried and trusted and may have unearthed fantasy gold as well as adding someone to supply that gold with chances, West Ham have strengthened their attack once more and Stoke have decided to test the Barca theory (‘but can he hack it on a cold Wednesday night in Stoke…’). We are delighted that say that Bryan Munich has had his finger on the pulse of the transfer activity since our last update and here is his take on the latest signings in the top flight…
Gylfi Sigurdsson (Mid – 6.0)
Maybe there’s something in the air. Maybe it’s that Lego movie. Whatever the reason, nostalgia is the new future. Retro is the new modern. Premier League teams are going back to the future. If your club doesn’t have a new old face then you’re SO last year… oh… which would… actually make you retro, so that would maybe be OK… hey, can we go over the rules again?
Gylfi Sigurdsson, or ‘Siggy’ as he’s known in FPL circles by lazy typists, is firmly strapped into his DeLorean and turning back the dial to 2012, when he managed 7 goals and 5 assists in 18 games. In the blink of an eye, he now goes from being an unappealingly priced 6.0 squad member for Spurs to a bargain 6.0 figurehead for Swansea. Even with limited game time at Spurs, his 8 goals and 5 assists over the two seasons illustrate further that the Icelander gets the job done whenever called upon. A full season at the Liberty Stadium could make a mockery of his price tag.
Were the Swans’ opening fixture at a lesser side than a resurgent Man Utd, the Siggy bandwagon would surely be full steam ahead. From GW2 onwards, though, his appeal steepens sharply. Get ready for some Siggy stardust.
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Ben Davies (Def – 5.0)
The FPL site seem curiously keen on making sure we don’t call the London club ‘Tottenham Hotspur’. Nope, it’s just ‘Spurs’ this season guys. It doesn’t bother me, but it’s going to really wind up the OCD managers out there who’ll now have to re-alphabetize their DVDs.
Hi-fiving Siggy on the M4, coming the other way, Ben Davies will be keen to make a longer lasting impression at White Hart Lane. 3 goals and 3 assists in two seasons is arguably rather modest for a flying full-back, but we all saw what Pochettino did with Luke Shaw at Southampton. Ben Davies is very much in that mould and it should be an exciting season for the Welsh left-back under the visionary Argentinian’s management.
His pricing compares him favourably with other fullbacks at ‘big’ clubs. (Ivanovic 7.0, Zabaleta 6.5, Luis 6.0, Shaw 6.0, G. Johnson 5.5, Debuchy 5.5,) None more strikingly than teammate Kyle Walker, who will surely now struggle to covet our affections for Spurs coverage with Davies on the other flank and a full 1.0 cheaper.
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Jefferson Montero (Mid – 6.0)
This 24 year-old winger signed from Mexican club Morelia on a 4 year contract. The ex-Villareal flanker started all 3 of Ecuador’s World Cup games, though arguably only did himself justice against the Swiss. It would be easy to dismiss this transfer as yet another trendy post-World Cup knee-jerk purchase, but in actual fact the Swans had been courting him since March. He’ll be a like-for-like swap with the departing Pablo Hernandez, though he gives Garry Monk the added dimension of operating on either side.
Montero’s a small, but pacy and direct winger who loves to attack defenders. He’s not the finished product yet, as his final ball often disappoints. But you can expect him to give defenders uncomfortable decisions to make in the box, and he’s scored some spectacular goals at both club and international level to date. A Michu-spearheaded Swansea would have certainly helped his assist production, but Sigurdsson charging forward alongside him will somewhat balance things back out; and if Bony hangs around at the Liberty Stadium, all three Swansea players could well be a rich source of assists and goals.
It’s worth noting however that he’s been a bit of a journeyman despite his youth and playing in the Premier League will be a cultural upheaval for him. Whether he settles will determine how well gauged his price of 6.0 really is.
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Enner Valencia (Fwd – 7.0)
Having now mastered the art of being perennially unavailable through injuries and suspensions, Andy Carroll has given Big Sam no option but to bring in strikers that, y’know, play. Supplementing fellow summer acquisition Mauro Zarate, the Hammers could well field a new look front two come kick-off.
As a boy, young Enner used to help out on his father’s farm, and legend (i.e. the Internet) has it that he sold milk to fund his first pair of football boots. When Allardyce was asked what drew him to the former milkboy’s talents, Sam may have retorted with this three pronged pun-fest, “He can skim past opponents; his delivery’s good; and he can go pasteurize in no time.”
Valencia, nicknamed ‘Superman’ for his power and pace, shined in Brazil with 3 goals for Ecuador. Whether the FA will allow him to wear his underpants outside his shorts has yet to be confirmed. Let’s hope not. West Ham are rumoured to have paid £12m, close to the club record £15m they shelled out for Carroll, so expectations will be high.
There’s every reason to believe the 25 year-old can indeed meet said expectations. He boasts an astonishing strike rate of late. His World Cup exploits took his international tally to 7 goals in 12 games; while last season he netted 18 times in 23 appearances for Mexican side Pachuca. If he hits the ground running, he could well become quickly in demand at 7.0.
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Bojan Krkic (Fwd – 5.5)
Eight. It took just eight words to set in motion one of the most unlikely transfers this summer.
“I will join if you sign Phil Bardsley.”
Bojan Krkic had unenviable expectations bestowed upon him at a young age. ‘The next Messi’. Come on now, even the current Messi didn’t have to cope with being called ‘the next Messi’. Such a label would have surely suffocated Lionel’s progress, and then there’s issues about time-travel, blah blah blah.
At 23, it seems rather unfair that Krkic’s image has already been tarnished as a disappointment in not reaching such unattainable heights. The flip-side is that Stoke may have landed a bargain to end all bargains. With a £3m price tag that will barely register on the Premier League’s hyperactive spendometer, the Potters could very well have on their hands a hungry young forward with a lot to prove and bags of potential still to surface.
Being categorized as a striker in FPL doesn’t do the Spaniard international too many favours. The winger wasn’t prolific in his loan spell at Ajax last season. 4 goals in 24 games doesn’t get the blood pumping and even his meagre 3 assists suggests he has work to do. He should benefit from the ‘completed dribbles’ aspect of the newly tweaked BPS system, though, as he’ll dribble more than an old man salivating in the front row of a beauty pageant.
At 5.5 strikers don’t come much cheaper, so if Bojan becomes an integral part of Mark Hughes’ reinvented Britannia brand, FPL managers may well be looking at their very own bargain; and Stoke City fans could soon be lauding a new Messi-ah. Or maybe just a very naughty boy (Hi, Python fans).
Here is my starting 11.
Krul
Shaw. Baines. Vlarr
Mata, Sterling, Barkley, Sanchez
Rooney, Nugent, Costa
Everton fixtures aren’t great so I would suggest you lose Barkley or baines or both.
Why?. Ime fairly certain Everton can hang with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal. They smashed Arsenal last season.
Ant – what’s your thoughts on LVG comments on Shaw today?
Baines isn’t popular on here due to fixtures. Sterling the same. Don’t like Nugent. How much is he?
I’d downgrade Baines, upgrade Nugent, maybe switch Sterling to Eriksen and stick with Barkley if you’re keen.
Evening all busy day & got to do some stuff tonight any one seen PvR on the site today trying to get hold off him
Silvers, no, did you get my return e-mail ?
Yes no probs Elle just not had chance to get on today
No probs mate, as long as you got the reply, cheers.
Ramsey/Sidwell or Carzola/Adam?
MH – suspect Caz would be short term, so what would be your plan then?
At face value, prob Caz and Adam unless it looks like Ireland will play in Adams position.
Really wanted a better option than Davis from Southampton as my 5th mid and also want a decent option for gw1 as i will bench Siggy. Stoke rotate well with Swansea so this is my conundrum!
Any chance FF247 can put a link up top for all the likely Free kick, Corner, Penalty takers from each team? Could be helpful
Madhatter, we certainly will be doing that mate – we are in the process of building it. Obviously it takes some working out with some of the teams and new players coming in, so we can only really get accurate info as we see the more serious preseason friendlies.
Good man Cookie!
I was the first to join mate lol
Forgive him Hatter he’s getting on a bit now 😉
No you weren’t, I was but point taken (walks off quietly) !!!
Guess so many joining, it’s hard to keep track.
Exactly Hatter, that’s the excuse I was looking for !!!
That wasn’t me mate, go to bed!
Told you. He’s going blind now as well
Shit, I think I need to! I’ve had a shocker tonight
Just in, Shaw is going back to Southampton.
Raz – Southampton sold him again already
Who is Justin Shaw ? :big-lol:
Evening all. So 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 just wondering how many forwards you all trust? Almost feel like I can find five good mids before I can find 3 forwards I truly feel good about to start the season.
Last season my mids didn’t do anything for me till GW7 or so. Start of the season was defender heaven iirc.
Is hard to gauge sometimes Raz. I remember 2 seasons ago everyone switched to a 3-5-2 with Mata- Bale and company. Last season seem to favour 4 defenders at the start. Hoping to avoid the start you got last season. You put yourself in a huge hole.
3-5-2 here. I want 6, arguably even 7 midfielders, so that’s how I’m playing it.
Have my WC planned for GW4 so if things aren’t working out I can adapt.
This 3-5-2 means no Costa for me though… my main worry.
Anyway, loads of strikers that will do well this season. Expensive ones are: RvP, Sturridge, Rooney, Costa
Cheap ones that should get you points are: Giroud, Pelle, Bony, Lambert and Remy.
Forgot about Dzeko. City hasn’t been on my mind lately. Unsure what will happen there.
Evening. I was going with a 3-5-2 at first but have reverted back to ye olde faithful 3-4-3. As long as you don’t go too cheap or too expensive, there are great options up front.
Will always be a 3-4-3 from me, depending on injuries and suspensions I only change when I have to, I don’t like locking too much team value in one area of my team as if something goes wrong elsewhere or a bus opportunity comes along it normally means taking a hit to fix it/get on it. I like to spread the cash into all areas just in case.
I’ve not investigated the new BPS system properly but at first glance (to me anyways) it seems to favor both defenders and forwards over the mids so I’m not overly convinced by the 3-5-2 yet.
The only forward I really trust is Rooney. I have Dzeko alongside him, but it’s still too early to make a judgement concerning City strikers. Seeing many people worrying about Jovetic replacing him, but they really are quite different players with Jovetic being a more natural replacement for Nasri, Silva, and Aguero (Dzeko is a CF, Jovetic is a SS/AM). Had Bony in a 3-4-3, but went for Sigurdsson over him instead and changed to 3-5-2. Don’t really trust Costa either.
Tekno I want to play 3-4-3 but I am with you on having trust issues. Rooney and who else?
Will Costa adapt right away and not suffer from rotation.
Dzeko or Jove
Sturridge fixtures
Giroud….well he is Giroud
Ideally I want Roon-Costa- City forward but not very confident on it.
Costa had problems at Spain because of the style they play. He would’ve been much better for Brazil. Anyway, Mourinho is a smart guy, if he buys a striker like that he will build the team around him.
Aaah yes, I think the Athetlico and the Chelsea type of play will make Costa excell.
Remember that Aguero will return to City rather late due to Argentina being in the WC final, and with him struggling with injuries in the WC, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dzeko and Jovetic start together with Aguero on the bench the first 1-3 matches.