Most popular buys and sells for FPL Gameweek 22

Halfway between FPL deadlines, let’s assess who are currently the most popular buys and sells ahead of Gameweek 22.

Plenty of new information is set to be received in the two-and-a-half weeks between Gameweeks 21 and 22. Results in the FA Cup and EFL Cup will help determine future Blank Gameweeks, with the return dates of Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min dependent on how Egypt and South Korea fare in these international tournaments.

Alongside this are January transfers, injury updates to popular players and the possible rearrangement of previously abandoned Bournemouth v Luton.

That’s why many managers are waiting before making their Gameweek 22 transfers. But over a million have already taken place, in anticipation of possible price changes.

POPULAR BUYS

With over five times the purchases of second-placed Cole Palmer, a now-fit Kevin De Bruyne is by far the week’s most-bought player. Man City’s maestro found time to score, assist and total 12 points at Newcastle – his first appearance since Gameweek 1.

Burnley (h) is up next for the champions, with Double Gameweek 25 already announced for next month. For those who can’t afford De Bruyne to cover those fixtures, team-mate Phil Foden is still popular despite Saturday’s lack of returns. Then again, he’s currently on more sales than buys heading into Gameweek 22.

Elsewhere, the extraordinary value of Palmer has yielded three double-digit scores over his last four outings. Attacking full-back Pedro Porro continues to record returns even though Spurs can’t keep clean sheets and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak has netted in three successive league games plus the FA Cup’s Wear-Tyne derby.

POPULAR SELLS

Meanwhile, the list of sales brings no surprises. All five are well-owned assets whose unavailability is either confirmed or uncertain.

Salah and Son are at AFCON and the Asian Cup – adventures that could stretch to Gameweek 24. According to Pep Guardiola, star forward Erling Haaland has had “a little bit of a problem” that may keep him out of Gameweek 22. It may be the final straw for managers who’d been patient up until now.

Early sales took place for West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, as he was thought to have suffered an ankle injury. Yet reports are now hinting he could make the weekend clash with Sheffield United.

As for Trent Alexander-Arnold, assistant manager Pep Lijnders recently declared the premium defender “will be out for a few weeks, so let’s see after that.” It could bring a Gameweek 22 return but many managers found this to be a convenient downgrade that then enables other moves.