The transfer window is finally closed. After weeks of Premier League teams bringing in exceptional talent, and FPL managers integrating them into their squads, the new signings continued, culminating in an incredible transfer deadline day. Despite deadline day signings that have resulted in wildcards being played left, right and centre, the transfer window in its entirety has allowed for some fantastic options for FPL managers to consider.
Mesut Ozil – £10m
Easily the most impressive signing of the whole transfer window was Arsenal’s acquisition of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid. Ozil is statistically the best number 10 in world football and though his price of 10m appears steep, he did provide 74 assists (47 in La Liga) for the Spanish giants in the last 3 seasons. His purchase also makes more appealing the 8.7m man Olivier Giroud. His record of 3 in 3 will surely be a sign of things to come now that he has an assist king working just behind him. Theo Walcott (9.5m) may also benefit from the new man’s incisive through balls.
Marouane Fellaini – £8.5m
Marouane Fellaini’s switch from Goodison Park to Old Trafford came at an inflated price, but his 8.5m value in FPL could be an absolute bargain if he is used in an attacking role behind the strikers. Last season he was fantastic for Everton in that region of the park, racking up 11 goals and 5 assists in the Premier League. Be wary though, there’s a good chance he’ll slot into a more defensive position to protect the back four from trouble. If this turns out to be the case, Nemanja Vidic may be an even better option with bonus points currently favouring defenders. A few weeks may be needed before judging Fellaini’s points potential.
Romelu Lukaku – £7.4m
Romelu Lukaku was another 2012/13 FPL gem, weighing in with a sensational 17 goals and 4 assists for West Bromwich Albion. This season he has moved to Everton after an unsuccessful first few game weeks back at Chelsea. His lack of starting has worked to FPL managers’ advantage, with his starting value of 8.0m dropping already to a measly 7.4m. Though he can’t play in Everton’s next fixture against his parent club Chelsea, it may be better to take the plunge and bench him for a week as his price will surely rise over the international period. A word of warning: Roberto Martinez brought Arouna Kone (6.6m) with him from Wigan to Everton this season and will want to integrate him into the team eventually.
Samuel Eto’o – £9.0m
Now aged 32, many might consider Samuel Eto’o to be rather past his prime. Though that may be the case, Mourinho’s favouritism has given Eto’o a real chance at being a star this season in FPL terms. The man scored 16 goals from 28 Anzhi appearances last season and will work in front of some of the most feared attacking midfielders in the league, including recent Anzhi teammate Willian who he will be familiar with. Even with Torres and Ba lurking in the shadows, Eto’o’s clinical finishing may ensure he, as well as the midfielders creating chances for him, become viable FPL options.
Christian Eriksen – £8.0m
Tottenham have made a number of shrewd acquisitions with the vast amount of cash gained from the long-awaited transfer of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado look to be very promising, but prices between 9-10 million suggest better value for money comes from ex-Ajax starlet Christian Eriksen, a creative midfielder. His cost of £11m in reality and £8.0m in FPL are considered absolute bargains and with 2 goals, 3 assists and 12 chances created in just 4 games this season, Eriksen will surely be quick off the mark.
Darren Bent – £6.5m
Under-the-radar Fulham new-boy Darren Bent is another signing that looks promising. He picked up a goal against Arsenal on his debut for the club and at just 6.5m could be a bargain replacement for less than impressive strikers such as Jozy Altidore and Nicolas Anelka. Though he had a hard time at Aston Villa, 21 goals in 54 appearances there outlines his ability and potential, especially with West Brom, Cardiff and Crystal Palace amongst Fulham’s next 5 fixtures.
Nathan Redmond – £5.0m
It’s usually the case that FPL managers are always looking for the best cheap midfielder or striker to fill their bench, on the off chance that they’ll rack up the points if a starter is injured, has a blank game week and so on. Ex-Birmingham winger Nathan Redmond has a great chance of being the go-to cheap midfielder this season, with a regular starting berth in Norwich’s midfield. He helped himself to 11 points at home to Southampton, including maximum bonus points and looks to have great potential throughout the season, particularly with a lethal striker in Ricky Van Wolfswinkel on the end of his crosses.
Mamadou Sakho – £5.5m
Though Simon Mignolet at the still cheap £5.7m may be the best route to the Liverpool defence due to his lack of rotation, 23 year old centre-back Mamadou Sakho at the even cheaper £5.5m looks an absolute steal. Though Kolo Toure and Daniel Agger formed a fantastic partnership in the opening games of the Premier League season, keeping 2 clean sheets in the first 2 game weeks, the injured Toure may find it hard to regain his place once ex-PSG man Sakho begins to start for the Merseyside club. The French international was a key player in his time at PSG, wearing the captain’s armband on occasion and his £15m fee suggests Liverpool won’t be in a hurry to leave him out of the first team. Is it finally time to drop Kolo?
Marko Arnautovic – £5.5m
One player who looks to be a real FPL differential is Austrian attacker Marko Arnautovic, just signed by Stoke City from German club Werder Bremen. Hailed as the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2009, Arnautovic had a troubled spell at Inter Milan under Jose Mourinho and after a spell in Germany, has found himself at Stoke. Despite his bad-boy reputation, he has been filed under midfielders in FPL, but can play not only as a winger, but as a forward too. 16 goals in 83 games from midfield is reasonable considering his midfield role for a now average German side, so may be worth a look at £5.5m. If Hughes can tame him, he may turn out to be one of the FPL bargains of the season
AVOID these new players!
Vito Mannone- Originally looked a great pick at a starting price of £4.5m, but Sunderland look terrible this season and Westwood has taken the number 1 spot at the Stadium of Light.
Pablo Osvaldo – Rickie Lambert is the only real Southampton striker in contention for a place in your FPL team. He’s cheaper than £8.0m Osvaldo, takes penalties and is proven in the Premier League.
Victor Wanyama – Despite such a cheap starting price of £5.0m, Wanyama has made his name in Scotland as a defensive midfielder. Redmond is a much better new boy to purchase than the new Southampton man.
Nicolas Anelka – Famously termed Le Sulk, Anelka characteristically walked out of West Brom training recently, overshadowing his great pre-season form and leaving many FPL players taking point hits early on.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck!
Mesut Ozil – £10m
Easily the most impressive signing of the whole transfer window was Arsenal’s acquisition of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid. Ozil is statistically the best number 10 in world football and though his price of 10m appears steep, he did provide 74 assists (47 in La Liga) for the Spanish giants in the last 3 seasons. His purchase also makes more appealing the 8.7m man Olivier Giroud. His record of 3 in 3 will surely be a sign of things to come now that he has an assist king working just behind him. Theo Walcott (9.5m) may also benefit from the new man’s incisive through balls.
Marouane Fellaini – £8.5m
Marouane Fellaini’s switch from Goodison Park to Old Trafford came at an inflated price, but his 8.5m value in FPL could be an absolute bargain if he is used in an attacking role behind the strikers. Last season he was fantastic for Everton in that region of the park, racking up 11 goals and 5 assists in the Premier League. Be wary though, there’s a good chance he’ll slot into a more defensive position to protect the back four from trouble. If this turns out to be the case, Nemanja Vidic may be an even better option with bonus points currently favouring defenders. A few weeks may be needed before judging Fellaini’s points potential.
Romelu Lukaku – £7.4m
Romelu Lukaku was another 2012/13 FPL gem, weighing in with a sensational 17 goals and 4 assists for West Bromwich Albion. This season he has moved to Everton after an unsuccessful first few game weeks back at Chelsea. His lack of starting has worked to FPL managers’ advantage, with his starting value of 8.0m dropping already to a measly 7.4m. Though he can’t play in Everton’s next fixture against his parent club Chelsea, it may be better to take the plunge and bench him for a week as his price will surely rise over the international period. A word of warning: Roberto Martinez brought Arouna Kone (6.6m) with him from Wigan to Everton this season and will want to integrate him into the team eventually.
Samuel Eto’o – £9.0m
Now aged 32, many might consider Samuel Eto’o to be rather past his prime. Though that may be the case, Mourinho’s favouritism has given Eto’o a real chance at being a star this season in FPL terms. The man scored 16 goals from 28 Anzhi appearances last season and will work in front of some of the most feared attacking midfielders in the league, including recent Anzhi teammate Willian who he will be familiar with. Even with Torres and Ba lurking in the shadows, Eto’o’s clinical finishing may ensure he, as well as the midfielders creating chances for him, become viable FPL options.
Christian Eriksen – £8.0m
Tottenham have made a number of shrewd acquisitions with the vast amount of cash gained from the long-awaited transfer of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado look to be very promising, but prices between 9-10 million suggest better value for money comes from ex-Ajax starlet Christian Eriksen, a creative midfielder. His cost of £11m in reality and £8.0m in FPL are considered absolute bargains and with 2 goals, 3 assists and 12 chances created in just 4 games this season, Eriksen will surely be quick off the mark.
Darren Bent – £6.5m
Under-the-radar Fulham new-boy Darren Bent is another signing that looks promising. He picked up a goal against Arsenal on his debut for the club and at just 6.5m could be a bargain replacement for less than impressive strikers such as Jozy Altidore and Nicolas Anelka. Though he had a hard time at Aston Villa, 21 goals in 54 appearances there outlines his ability and potential, especially with West Brom, Cardiff and Crystal Palace amongst Fulham’s next 5 fixtures.
Nathan Redmond – £5.0m
It’s usually the case that FPL managers are always looking for the best cheap midfielder or striker to fill their bench, on the off chance that they’ll rack up the points if a starter is injured, has a blank game week and so on. Ex-Birmingham winger Nathan Redmond has a great chance of being the go-to cheap midfielder this season, with a regular starting berth in Norwich’s midfield. He helped himself to 11 points at home to Southampton, including maximum bonus points and looks to have great potential throughout the season, particularly with a lethal striker in Ricky Van Wolfswinkel on the end of his crosses.
Mamadou Sakho – £5.5m
Though Simon Mignolet at the still cheap £5.7m may be the best route to the Liverpool defence due to his lack of rotation, 23 year old centre-back Mamadou Sakho at the even cheaper £5.5m looks an absolute steal. Though Kolo Toure and Daniel Agger formed a fantastic partnership in the opening games of the Premier League season, keeping 2 clean sheets in the first 2 game weeks, the injured Toure may find it hard to regain his place once ex-PSG man Sakho begins to start for the Merseyside club. The French international was a key player in his time at PSG, wearing the captain’s armband on occasion and his £15m fee suggests Liverpool won’t be in a hurry to leave him out of the first team. Is it finally time to drop Kolo?
Marko Arnautovic – £5.5m
One player who looks to be a real FPL differential is Austrian attacker Marko Arnautovic, just signed by Stoke City from German club Werder Bremen. Hailed as the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2009, Arnautovic had a troubled spell at Inter Milan under Jose Mourinho and after a spell in Germany, has found himself at Stoke. Despite his bad-boy reputation, he has been filed under midfielders in FPL, but can play not only as a winger, but as a forward too. 16 goals in 83 games from midfield is reasonable considering his midfield role for a now average German side, so may be worth a look at £5.5m. If Hughes can tame him, he may turn out to be one of the FPL bargains of the season
AVOID these new players!
Vito Mannone- Originally looked a great pick at a starting price of £4.5m, but Sunderland look terrible this season and Westwood has taken the number 1 spot at the Stadium of Light.
Pablo Osvaldo – Rickie Lambert is the only real Southampton striker in contention for a place in your FPL team. He’s cheaper than £8.0m Osvaldo, takes penalties and is proven in the Premier League.
Victor Wanyama – Despite such a cheap starting price of £5.0m, Wanyama has made his name in Scotland as a defensive midfielder. Redmond is a much better new boy to purchase than the new Southampton man.
Nicolas Anelka – Famously termed Le Sulk, Anelka characteristically walked out of West Brom training recently, overshadowing his great pre-season form and leaving many FPL players taking point hits early on.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck!