Should We Buy Kerkez in FPL?
Should we buy Kerkez in FPL? It’s a question many will be asking when the season arrives.
Two early transfer trends of this summer have involved a) Bournemouth’s defence being picked apart and b) champions Liverpool strengthening while in pole position. Blending both of these is the confirmation that left-back Milos Kerkez has joined the Reds for around £40m.
That follows on from the capture of wing-back Jeremie Frimpong and attacking sensation Florian Wirtz. Add-on fees could see the latter become a British transfer record.
So, after a fruitful time at the Cherries, what Fantasy Premier League (FPL) impact will 21-year-old Kerkez have as a Liverpool player?
We’ll take a look during this Moving Target piece, including data and images from our Premium Members Area.
THE HISTORY
Born in Serbia, the Hungarian international began as a young teenager in Austria with Rapid Wien, before moving to Győr aged 16.
It didn’t take long for him to grab Paolo Maldini’s attention, and a phone call from the iconic AC Milan legend was all it took to convince Kerkez to join the Rossoneri in early 2021.
| SEASON | CLUB | DIVISION | STARTS (SUB) | GOALS | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | Bournemouth | Premier League | 38 (0) | 2 | 6 |
| 2023/24 | Bournemouth | Premier League | 22 (6) | 0 | 2 |
| 2022/23 | AZ Alkmaar | Eredivisie | 33 (0) | 3 | 1 |
Seeking first-team action, he switched to AZ Alkmaar 12 months later, though the first few months were about integration.
This means that Kerkez has only played three full seasons, helping the Dutch side to a fourth-placed Eredivisie finish plus a run to the Conference League semi-final in 2022/23.
It thrust the youngster onto the radar of many big clubs, but he wisely decided that Bournemouth was the right move for him, under the guidance of Andoni Iraola.
2023/24 ended with a low 59 FPL points due to a lack of attacking output and starts being shared with Lloyd Kelly. An own goal didn’t help, nor did the red card that brought a three-match ban.
However, last season’s 134 points ensured Kerkez was the game’s sixth-best defender (see below). He started all 38 occasions, accumulating two goals and six assists despite an expected goal involvement (xGI) of just 3.17.
Both goals in a 2-1 win over Manchester City derived from him, going on to assist in three successive matches between Gameweeks 27 and 29. This run saw him spend some time in over two million FPL squads.
