Newcastle: Should we invest in their new signings?
It was a busy transfer window for Newcastle United with the new owners able to invest in developing the squad for the first time.
With Newcastle spending big to secure their place in the Premier League for the 2022/23 season, who of their new signings should we look at in FPL?
Newcastle completed five new signings during the January transfer window.
- Kieran Trippier – £13.5m from Atletico Madrid
- Chris Wood – £25m from Burnley
- Bruno Guimaraes – £33m from Lyon
- Matt Targett – loan from Aston Villa
- Dan Burn – £12.5m from Brighton
Starting XI
What might these new signings mean for how the starting XI could line up in Gameweek 24 and beyond?
GK: Martin Dubravka
DEF: Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Jamaal Lascelles, Matt Targett
MID: Joe Willock, Bruno Guimaraes, Jonjo Shelvey
FOR: Ryan Fraser, Chris Wood, Saint Maximin
Of course it is likely when Calum Wilson returns from injury we will see a shuffle in the personal to accommodate him, alongside Wood and Saint Maximin.
Should we invest in FPL?
Keiran Trippier (£5.0m)
Trippier has already made two starts for Newcastle in the Premier League. He featured in the one all draw with Watford and then picked up 7 points with a clean sheet and a bonus point against Leeds in Gameweek 23.
During his last season in FPL, Trippier made 27 Premier League appearances for Spurs scoring 118 FPL points that season. Trippier has two Premier League goals to his name and 22 assists in the competition from his time at Spurs. He has also recorded 11 double digit hauls in his five previous seasons.
Defensively this season Newcastle have struggled, keeping just two clean sheets. However the transfer window has seen the Magpies invest in an almost totally new defence which should increase their defensive solidity.
Trippier attacking threat as well as an increase in clean sheet probability makes him a potentially good differential investment for managers on Wildcard or looking to replace a Chelsea defender.
Matt Targett (£4.7m)
Lucas Digne’s signing at Aston Villa saw Matt Targett lose his spot in the starting eleven and therefore it was unsurprising to see him loaned out for the rest of the season.
At £4.7m Targett is cheaper than new teammate Trippier. Ahead of his deadline day move Targett had returned four clean sheets, a goal and an assists for Aston Villa.
Targett is in his eighth Premier League season making 109 appearances of over 59 minutes and in that time he has registered three goals, 13 assists and 33 clean sheets.
Alongside Trippier, Targett will help to provide more defensive security as well as offering attacking threat to the 2.1% of FPL managers currently invested in the Newcastle loanee. Targett could make a great new signing for FPL managers as well as Newcastle over the coming Gameweeks.
Dan Burn (£4.4m)
Burn was the last transfer that Newcastle managed to complete during the January window, with Burn returning to the club he supported as a boy.
Since Gameweek 15 Burn has played every match for Brighton in the Premier League and has returned a goal for the 0.2% of FPL managers who own him.
Whilst Burn has two Premier League goals to his name he doesn’t have the same FPL appeal as new teammates Trippier and Targett. Burn has no assists to his name in the competition and has never returned a double digit haul in his 83 Premier League appearances.
Even without the attacking potential Burn does make both Trippier and Targett better options as he will help to increase the potential for clean sheet points. He could also be a good enabler at just £4.4m for FPL managers who don’t want to risking paying the more hefty price tags of the wingbacks.
Bruno Guimaraes (£5.0m)
Guimaraes gave Newcastle a taste of what they can expect of him when he can off the bench for Brazil in their World Cup Qualifier and returned an assist.
An attacking box-to -box midfielder, Guimaraes captained Brazil to their gold medal at last year’s Olympic Games and he has been compared to Kevin de Bruyne, something which would be very exciting for FPL managers especially considering the differences in their price tags.
Already transfered in by 5376 managers Guimaraes would be the ultimate differential if FPL managers move early on Newcastle’s new signing.
During the 2021/22 season so far Guimaraes has four assists from 20 appearances in Ligue 1 as well as two assists in the Europa League in five matches. Whilst Guimaraes underlying stats for goals don’t quite live up to the De Bruyne hype yet he will be pivotal in providing the midfield attack that Newcastle need to stay in the Premier League.
Chris Wood (£6.7m)
With Calum Wilson out until March with a calf injury Newcastle were desperate to bring in a forward as one of their new signings this window.
Chris Wood has 50 points so far this season and is currently owned by 1.5% of FPL managers so would be another differential for FPL managers to invest in.
Wood has made two Premier League appearances for Newcastle since moving to the club from Burnley earlier on in the window. Wood has made 153 Premier League appearances in his career so far, 123 of those for over 59 minutes. In that time Wood has recorded 50 goals, eight assists, 77 bonus points and eight double digit hauls.
FPL forwards are currently a huge talking point for FPL managers with many struggling for who to invest in. At £6.7m Wood is significantly cheaper than many of the other options for FPL managers, however with only three goals so far this season he isn’t attracting much attention.
Old side Burnley have only returned 16 goals all season and have had numerous games postponed through a combination of factors including snow and Covid. Burnley have also struggled with injury and a lack of attacking threat supporting Wood.
With the signing of adventurous wingbacks and a new box-to-box midfielder, alongside the creativity of Saint Maximin and Fraser who were already at the club Wood should have plenty of service moving forward.
The new Newcastle forward isn’t a player that FPL managers need to move on straight away. Fpl managers have the luxury of watching him over the next couple of Gameweeks. However, Wood could be a nice differential if managers are looking to move money out of their frontlines and in to midfield when players like Salah return from AFCON.
