What to do with Son and Salah in FPL

In this article we take a look at what to do with Son and Salah in FPL. This is because like Salah and Son many will be leaving to join their nations for the Asia Cup and African Cup of Nations so managers within the community aren’t sure what to do with them.

Knowing what to do with Son and Salah in FPL will be crucial in the weeks ahead. Both players come in at hefty price-tags but are also two of the most consistent assets in the game. With that in mind having a plan for both could be key for rank and mini-league position.

When do AFCON and Asia Cup start and finish?

The African Cup of Nations starts on January 13th and concludes on February 11th. The Asia Cup commences on January 12th and ends on February 10th.

How many Gameweeks are Son and Salah going to miss?

Both Egypt and South Korea are favourites to win their groups which means it is highly likely that Son and Salah will miss Gameweek 21 and Gameweek 22. It then depends on the progression of both South Korea and Egypt on how much longer they miss after that. There is a chance that both players miss the next four Gameweeks.

Son and Salah

Firstly it is worth highlighting how good Salah and Son have been in FPL this season. At the time of writing Son sits as the second highest scoring player in the game with his 136 points mostly coming from a huge 12 goals and five assists. Salah on the other hand sits top of the pile with 140 points – bagging 12 goals and seven assists.

As we can see Salah and Son are the top two highest scoring players in the game which reflects their form and consistency this season.

It may also be worth looking at their fixtures, both in terms of the ones they miss and the ones they could return for.

Salah and Son fixtures

Below we can see the Fantasy Football Scout fixture ticker. We can see that the teams with the easiest fixtures sit at the top and the teams with the toughest fixtures sit at the bottom.

It is highly likely that Salah will miss his sides fixtures against Bournemouth and Chelsea. Salah could then return for the match against Arsenal but if not then likely for the game against Burnley. (depending on how far Egypt progress in AFCON). Liverpool then play Brentford, Luton and Nottingham Forest.

Son on the other hand is likely to miss out on meetings with Manchester United and Brentford. There is a chance he makes his back for his fixture against Everton (again depending on his sides progression in Asia Cup) and if not likely to make the Brighton match. After that Son then has fixtures against Wolves, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

In conclusion, based on form and fixtures managers will want both Salah and Son back if they choose to sell them.

Value

The value of Mohamed Salah (£13.2m) and Son Heun-Min (£9.9m) is also a huge factor. For those that bought both at much cheaper prices than their current price-tag it is important to know that you will have to pay full price for them if you sell them.

Should we sell Son, Salah or both?

Although keeping both is something many managers will want to do, it may not be a wise move. Firstly there are plenty of other midfield options we could switch to during the time that both Son and Salah are with their national sides which is one factor.

We also have to take into account that Erling Halaand could return. If that is the case then selling one of Salah or Son could be an ideal way to raise the money to bring the Norwegian into our teams. Haaland has maintained some of the best attacking stats in the league this season and is the standout captain in the absence of Salah and Son which is why he is a priority if fit.

With the above in mind, the fact that Egypt are one of several favourites for AFCON and that Salah costs so much more than Son, he is the player we could be looking to sell.

It could be unwise to sell both Salah and Son for the period ahead. This is because we will likely want them both back in when they return so we are effectively using four precious transfers to sell and buy them back, when those transfers could be used on other assets.

However, for mangers planning on using their wildcard before or after Salah and Son leave with their nations, then selling both could be a good move.