World Cup stars who could be your FPL salvation in 2023
One thing that happens in the immediate aftermath of any World Cup is the immediate transfer merry-go-round that rewards players who have performed well over the previous month with big-money moves. Over the years there have been plenty of notable examples in the Premier League: Marcel Desailly landed at Chelsea shortly after winning the 1998 World Cup with France, while Spurs harvested a bulk-buy of Romanian internationals in 1994 after the Eastern European side were the most exciting team of that tournament. This year, the World Cup is followed almost instantly by the January transfer window, combining two of the most effective shop windows in all of football. So how will you make sure that your FPL signings are more Ilie Dumitrescu than Stephane Guivarc’h?
(If you’re under 35 and not from Newcastle, ask your dad).
Below, we’re going to look at some of the players currently tearing it up (respectfully) in Qatar, and evaluate what they could bring to your FPL side. While we can’t guarantee their success. or even send you to ukonlinecasinoslist.com with a sure bet that they’ll end up in the Premier League, we can confidently state that they’ll be more effective than Thomas Brolin was when he arrived at Leeds.
Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)
Gakpo was backed to do big things at this tournament, and by scoring in each of his country’s group games, he’s done exactly that. There have been questions about his consistency, as he’s been under the microscope since the summer, when he was linked with a move to Leeds. They’re going to really wish they had got him then, because the PSV forward has now reached Manchester United levels of hype. It’s to Old Trafford that many people feel he will be headed after the tournament, but there is a non-zero chance that Newcastle will gazump their top-four rivals by dipping into their unlimited funds once more.
Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)
Any Premier League team with a bit of cash to spend and some ambition should be interested in Kudus. He believes he could well be as good as Ronaldo, and definitely looked better than his Portuguese counterpart as Ghana pushed their opposition close in their opening group game. Kudus is highly versatile and probably a more complete player than CR7 was at this stage in his career. He’s also an exceptionally hard worker, which is likely to ensure he succeeds in a league more elevated than he’s currently experiencing with Ajax.
Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)
Yes, he’s already at an English club, but if you’re a Premier League manager, you look us in the eye right now and tell us you don’t think it’s worth bidding what it takes to peel him away from Watford’s promotion push. Sarr is, not to put too fine a point on it, far too good to be a Championship player, as has been proven by him taking over the mantle of leading Senegal’s attack from Sadio Mane. It’s not a knock on Watford, who managed to scout him, sign him and keep him this long, but if Sarr can get Senegal through another round or two at this World Cup, he can pretty much write his own contract come January.
