Which new signings should FPL managers invest in?
The Premier League clubs spent £274m during the January transfer window making it the second highest on record. Now FPL managers have a wealth of new signings available to them ahead of the second half of the campaign. Who should they be targeting?
The guys over at Fantasy Football Scout have taken a look at the Transfer Deadline day signings. You can read that here.
Defenders
Which of the defensive new signings make the best FPL investments?
Lucas Digne £5.1m (Aston Villa)
Digne’s move from Everton just ahead of Everton parting company with Benitez and appointing Lampard suddenly put him back on the FPL agenda.
In his four seasons in the Premier League for the blue side of Merseyside Digne returned four goals, 23 assists, 35 clean sheets, 61 bonus points and 10 double digit hauls in 115 appearances. Digne offers FPL managers an attacking wingback playing in a solid defensive unit with one of the best Goalkeepers in the league behind him.
With a squad full of talented attacking players at Villa and with Digne likely to be on a number of set pieces he could be the perfect new signing for FPL managers. Especially for FPL managers looking to move on their Chelsea defenders ahead of Blank Gameweeks 24 and 25.
Matt Targett (£4.7m) Newcastle
When Digne arrived at Aston Villa it relegated Targett to the bench which was disappointing for a player who had kept two clean sheets and returned a goal and an assist in seven matches since the arrival of new manager Steven Gerrard.
Targett’s loan move to Newcastle on deadline day will be music to the ears of the 2.1% of FPL managers who own him. Newcastle have struggled defensively so far this season. However, the arrivals of Targett, Trippier and Burn will all help to solidify the defence and with Targett’s wingback role he could be a good cheap investment for FPL managers.
Kieran Trippier (£5.0m) Newcastle
During his time at Spurs Trippier was a popular FPL option. He has started two games for Newcastle in the Premier League so far and has kept one clean sheet, as well as picking up a bonus point.
Trippier returned 308 FPL points in 69 Premier League appearances for Spurs. As well as 118 points in 38 matches for Burnley prior to that.
His 11 double digit hauls, two goals, 23 assists and 34 clean sheets in the Premier League should make him a great differential .
Midfielders
Which of the midfielder new signings make the best FPL investments?
Bruno Guimaraes (£5.0m) Newcastle
Newcastle United fans were very excited to see Guimaraes arrive on Sunday. On the back of signing for Newcastle he picked up an assist for Brazil after coming off of the bench in their World Cup qualifier.
FPL have priced Bruno at £5.0m which looks attractive for managers. However could Guimaraes be more than just an enabler for managers?
Guimaraes is a box-to-box midfielder and so if in his first few appearances for Newcastle we see good link up play with the wingbacks in Trippier and Targett as well as the attackers in Saint Maximin and Wood then he could be worth a look. However, not an investment that FPL managers need to make straight away, there is time to see how he settles in before spending those FPL pounds.
Rodrigo Bentancur (£5.0m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£6.0m) Spurs
Tottenham made two new additions to their midfield on deadline day. The arrival of both Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski will have been music to the ears of Spurs fans, however are they FPL assets?
Bentancur is a more defensive minded midfielder in the mould of teammates Hojbjerg, Winks and Skipp. However he scored the opening goal in Uruguay’s win against Venezuela. He has two assists from his 19 matches for Juventus this season and therefore is unlikely to be popular among FPL managers who will look for more attacking upside.
Kulusevski could offer a threat to Lucas Moura’s game time as both play in a similar position. He has played in 20 matches for Juventus so far this season picking up one goal and three assists. When you compare Kulusevski to his new Spurs team mates he stands up well in many areas.
Goals
Son Heung-min – 8
Harry Kane – 5
Steven Bergwijn – 2
Lucas Moura – 2
Dejan Kulusevski – 1
Assists
Son Heung-min – 3
Dejan Kulusevski – 3
Lucas Moura – 3
Harry Kane – 2
Steven Bergwijn – 1
Minutes per goal
Son Heung-min – 186
Steven Bergwijn – 206
Harry Kane – 322.4
Lucas Moura – 669.5
Dejan Kulusevski – 762
Minutes per goal or assist
Son Heung-min – 135.3
Steven Bergwijn – 137.3
Dejan Kulusevski – 190.5
Harry Kane – 230.3
Lucas Moura – 267.8
It remains to be seen whether Conte brings him straight into the starting XI and therefore both of Tottenham’s new signings are ones for FPL managers to watch rather than immediately invest in.
Luis Dias (£8.0m) Liverpool
The arrival of Luis Dias could threaten Sadio Mane’s minutes in the FPL team, however it remains to be seen by how much and how Klopp plans to keep all of his five key attacking assets happy.
Dias is priced at £8m in FPL and therefore is by far the cheapest of the main Liverpool FPL options and if he gets a regular spot in the starting XI he could be the go to for managers looking to double up on the midfield with Salah over Jota.
He looks one of the most exciting new signings to be added to the game.
Phil Coutinho (£7.0m) Aston Villa
FPL managers all pricked their ears when Coutinho was first linked with a move back to the Premier League.
Coutinho returned more than 100 FPL points in each and every one of his five seasons at Liverpool.
- 2013/14 – 114 points
- 2014/15 – 134 points
- 2015/16 – 129 points
- 2016/17 – 171 points
- 2017/18 – 103 points
His 139 appearances (113 of those over 59 minutes) resulted in 38 goals, 35 assists, 42 clean sheets, 73 bonus points and an impressive 24 double digit hauls. Coutinho has already registered a goal for Aston Villa in his opening two Premier League appearances for the club. With Villa full of attacking promise, about to embark on a fantastic run of fixtures and with a couple of postponed matches to be rearranged investing in Villa’s new signing Coutinho looks to be a wise option from an FPL stance.
Christian Eriksen (£5.5m) Brentford
The return of Eriksen to the Premier League is something that united the FPL community. After his cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 in the summer many thought Eriksen would never play competitive football again.
Whilst Brentford have brought in a player with a wealth of experience and who was a fantastic FPL option in his time at Spurs, we should be cautious before reinvesting.
Eriksen hasn’t played a minute of competitive football since the summer and has only just begun training again with old team Ajax ahead of signing for Brentford. It is likely that Brentford will carefully control Eriksen’s minutes and therefore he is unlikely to become a good investment in FPL until he is fully recovered and match fit.
Eriksen is a new signing to watch for FPL managers.
Forwards
Which of the forward new signings make the best FPL investments?
Chris Wood
There were very few new signings in the forward section of the game who look worth investment in FPL. However, 1.5% owned Chris Wood good prove to be an interested differential. With Calum Wilson out with a Calf injury until likely early March Wood will spearhead the Magpie’s attack as the strive to maintain their place in the Premier League for the 2022/23 season.
At Burnley Wood struggled for goals, in part due to a lack of creativity but also due to injuries as well as multiple match postpones and therefore a lack of consistency of matches.
However, Wood is a proven Premier League striker with 50 goals to his name in the competition. Wood also secured eight assists and 77 bonus points in his five seasons with Burnley. Newcastle’s investment in attacking wingbacks as well as Guimaraes in midfield as well as attacking options such as Saint Maximin and Fraser who they already had in their arsenal should give Wood the creativity he needs to flourish.
His £6.7m price tag makes him a much cheaper option than the likes of Ronaldo and Kane, even popular picks such as Antonio and Watkins. For managers looking to free up money from their forward line to invest in midfield Wood could be the perfect differential pick for the run in when Newcastle will need to score goals to stay in the division.
Wout Weghorst (£6.5m) Burnley
Hi Weghorst Burnley have bought a like-for-like Chris Wood replacement. He is 6 ft 6 in tall and therefore will provide Burley with the aerial height they need.
Weghourt returned 115 goals from 230 games for AZ Alkmaar and Wolfsburg and therefore is a proven goal scorer. Burnley have struggled going forward so far this season and have the worst expected goals (xG) from open play in the division. When Cornett returns from AFCON Weghorst should have the creativity he will need to return.
Burnley have 4 games in hand which could make Weghorst a great option as a second or third forward given his price tag and the minutes potential. Burnley will need to score more in the second half of the season to secure their place in the league and thus Weghorst might be a great FPL differential forward.
