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).
Just going to throw this in every one what’s 3 big FWDs but only 18 off them scored over 100 to 39 MF
Mata or Eriksen
Them numbers are rather misleading though Silverback 18 forwards from a pool of around 58 choices scored over a 100 points (30%) whereas only 39 mids from a pool of 225 (17%) managed the same feat is a better way of looking at it
, odds are always going to be in favor of choosing 3 high scoring forwards over 5 mids.
Yes I agree on that point but you don’t have to have 3 expensive Fwd their are a couple that cost 2m or less & play with 4 top MF who should get 200 if lucky
getting there ….
mannone krul
luis shaw rosenior wisdom target
toure ramsay siggi arnautovic albrighton
rooney costa dzeko
only concern is albrighton but as he’s 3rd sub what’s to worry about ( tho could do jovetic-dzeko for an extra 0.5) and also shaw is training on his own ???
Evening All,
This is my team #129
De Gea (mannone)
Simpson sagna wisdom (Drummett Bruce)
Mata fabregas Ramsey Sanchez sigurdsson
Giroud costa (bojan)
What you reckon?
Get Sagna out… now! Hahaha
in all seriousness, he’s far from nailed, surely? It is a brave, bold and potentially foolish move to go without RVP/RoonPig too.
Don’t think he will be in there come the start of the season just needed someone at that value! If vermalen goes to Man U I’ll probably go with him!
I was looking at at 3-4-3 with Rooney in there, just don’t know! The way I look at it I have a solid midfield!! I would class 8 of my players as high scoring players be it either goals/assists/pass completion etc.
Could even strengthen it with upgrading sigurdsson to eriksen and downgrading elsewhere or doing costa to Sturridge!!
I usually use my WC around GW 3-5 so I tweak it then if need be!!
How’s your tinkering getting on? I must have screenshot at least 12 different combinations, there are so many good options this season, you considering Jenko if he goes to west ham?
I feel the same way about my midfield! It’s too good to disrupt…
But I’ve gone for Hazard over Costa so I have Rooney instead and Sanchez is currently my only Arsenal player! But we have a rocky start so yeah… pretty happy with my team but a lot can change!
I hadn’t heard about this Jenko move..? Could be an option.
Yeah it looks like he’s on his way to west ham for a season loan!!
I have confidence in my arsenal 3!! Gulp!!!
Really think a lot of the points will be coming from midfield this season!!
Do you know if that trippier for burnley is a good player? I saw some stats for him and he’s suppose to have had 13 assists for last season.
From the sounds of it Trippier is a great player, but 5.0m for a promoted team defender is just too much for me… certainly to start with.
Hope we’re right about the midfleld points!
Mitro for Sagna see Clichy / Kolarov last season. Zabaletas far better so he’ll be no 1 but Sagnas there to give him a rest. And for the money.
Do you think sagna could be deployed at centre half or do you think kompany and demechelis have those positions secured?
What other decent defenders are there for 5.5?
Debuchy?
Sorry – you have 3 Arsenal. Maybe Jones?
He could be but again it’d be on a rotational basis only. Best stay away from him I think.
Davies?
Yep, gives 0.5 to upgrade a defender too
Yeah that’s not a bad shout!! Cheers
What’s trippier like?
Great prospect. Obviously CS’s may be an issue but he likes an assist. Think we featured him in one of the articles on the new teams.
The Burnley one obviously!
Ok think i am happier with this now even though i have no Chelsea defence
De Gea (Krul)
Bardsley, B.Davies, C.Davies (Wisdom) (Duff)
Hazard (c), Mata, Ramsey, Arnie (Siggy)
Rooney, Costa, Jelavic
Thoughts?
Either that or Hazard to Fabregas and Bardsley to Luis?
MH, really well balanced team, and having Siggy benched is impressive!
I’ve also opted for Jelavic, but in a 3-5-2, no Costa for moi – oh yeah – and Luis would be nice but I’d keep hold of Hazard.
Yeah Siggy only benched for the first game, plus him and Arnie rotate well. Will need to keep my eye on Bardsley to start as he doesn’t look like he’s proper match fit, maybe have to go for Pieters instead?
Bardsley should be okay, but yeah, keep an eye on it. Not really sure how they’ll lineup at the back… so many ifs and uncertainties!
MARK Hughes has named a strong starting line-up to take on Schalke 04 in Stoke City’s last friendly of their Germany training camp today.
New boys Mame Diouf and Bojan are both named in a team for a game as Hughes turns his attention towards performance as well as fitness.
Asmir Begovic makes his first start of the summer at club level after returning from his break after the World Cup.
Marc Wilson gets the nod at right-back, with Robert Huth alongside Ryan Shawcross in the middle.
Bojan is expected to play a wide attacking role on the opposite flank to Marko Arnautovic.
Diouf takes his place in the central striking spot.
Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Stoke-City-v-Schalke-04-Sneak-peak-choice-XI-Mark/story-22012542-detail/story.html#ixzz38tARxlqZ
Read more at http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Stoke-City-v-Schalke-04-Sneak-peak-choice-XI-Mark/story-22012542-detail/story.html#ymFRo8y3PikZolJk.99
Peter Odemwingie and Geoff Cameron, both regulars last season, are still to return from their extended breaks following international action.
Phil Bardsley could only manage a light training session yesterday while Jon Walters sat out completely and Andy Wilkinson nurses a groin strain.
Stoke: Begovic, Wilson, Shawcross, Huth, Pieters, Bojan, Whelan, Ireland, Nzonzi, Arnautovic, Diouf.
Subs: Butland, Muniesa, Teixeira, Shotton, Ness, Adam, crouch
I know the game is over but some insights nonetheless
Stoke lost 1-2. Bojan scored, Arnie missed a pen.
Smalling Cap against Inter
Ummm, the game is in like 3 hours?
I think he’s taking the piss with these capos for Utd! Must be a dare or a bet or something. Be Jones next time!