Fantasy Football Tips, News and Views from Fantasy Football Scout

Liverpool’s backroom medical staff have today spoon fed us some insight into the physical condition of star striker and would-be Fantasy favourite, Fernando Torres.

The Anfield club’s “Head of sports science” Peter Brukner has revealed that he and his staff believe that, although Torres has retuned ahead of schedule, the Spaniard remains “three or four weeks” short of his physical peak and true form on the pitch. Brukner offers us this…

“We’re now at the stage where he can play the whole game…He’s still not at his physical peak, that will take another three or four weeks, but I think you can see in every game he’s played he’s improving.”

The Watchlist has now been updated to reflect the movements during Monday’s transfer deadline day. You’ll find the updated rankings at the bottom of the right column on your frontpage.

The update finds both Tom Cleverley of Wigan and Alexander Hleb of Birmingham registering in the midfield rankings. Right now, with tactics and formations unknown they remain a gamble although their ranking may improve once we can gather some information from Gameweek 4. Early investment is certainly a risk then and in the case of both Wigan and Birmingham, the fixtures are kind enough over the next month to allow for a patient wait-and-see policy.

Tottenham’s Rafeal Van der Vaart is a notable exception at this point. We’re showing caution here as it’s unclear right now just how early Harry Redknapp will utilise the Dutchman and of course, where he will deploy him in his lineup. There’s also the small matter of the Fantasy Premier League price – Van der Vaart is yet to arrive on the player list.

Liverpool’s new recruit Paul Konchesky also arrives in the Defender rankings, slotting in above team-mate Glen Johnson due to his favourable price tag. Konchesky will likely climb over the coming weeks once Liverpool have their next two fixtures out of the way. Trips to Birmingham and United appear to offer Konchesky limited returns in the short-term.

Almost a full day after the transfer window slammed – or creeked rather slowly and disappointingly – shut, the biggest transfer of deadline day was ratified and Rafael Van Der Vaart has been announced as a Tottenham Hotspur player after signing from Real Madrid for a fee believed to be just 11 million euro’s.

After the glamour of players like Franco Di Santo and Tom Cleverley moving to Wigan, and Paul Konchesky finally moving to Liverpool, we got a “Galactico” to close out the summer spending, or at least an ex-Galactico.

Stoke City emerged as the busiest Premier League club on transfer deadline day by completing the loan signings of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Jermaine Pennant and striking a deal for Portsmouth skipper Marc Wilson. His transfer involved a reported fee of £4 million with both Dave Kitson and Liam Lawrence moving in the opposite direction.

From a Fantasy perspective all three signings will be expected to make an impact. Although it will be presumed that Wilson will provide competition for Ryan Shawcross and Abdoulaye Faye in central defence – making all three that little less attractive as Fantasy propositions as a result, Stoke boss Tony Pulis appears to have other plans. Wilson can also operate in midfield and it’s perhaps significant that Pulis made this point after completing the deal yesterday…

“He showed great maturity last season in what was a very difficult time for Portsmouth, so he will give us more competition for midfield places. Like Jon Walters, he can operate in a couple of positions and that provides us with different options which we will need over the course of the season.”

Wilson could well have been bought as a midfield protector then – a curious move perhaps given that the experience of Salif Diao was also secured on a two-year deal on yesterday’s deadline.

The more illustrious signings of Gudjohnsen and Pennant meanwhile suggest that Pulis is looking to develop Stoke City’s game further and move away from their label as a direct, aggressive outfit who feed off set-plays. Certainly Gudjohnsen’s arrival from Monaco on loan indicates that we will see the ball on the deck more often at the Britannia.

Wigan Athletic have announced the signing of Manchester United starlet Tom Cleverley on a season-long loan to bolster their ranks today.

The young midfielder impressed on Manchester United’s pre-season tour which led to Sir Alex Ferguson claiming that he intended to keep and blood him through this season. Instead Ferguson has seen fit to release the impressive England U21 international and allow him to get a full season of regular Premier League appearances under his belt at the DW Stadium.

This is nothing new for Cleverley. He enjoyed a loan spell with regular appearances at Leicester City in League One; this was followed by a near full season at Watford in the Championship last season. He claimed the Player of the Season gong at Vicarage Road, scoring 11 goals in 33 appearances before the spell was cut short by injury. Having regained his fitness and form, Cleverley now steps up in a similar deal, this time in the top flight with Wigan.

Alexander Hleb’s year-long loan from Barcelona has got the Birmingham faithful at last celebrating the belated flexing of the club’s financial muscles. The classy Belarus international oozes quality and will add a huge slice of craft and creativity to a Birmingham midfield known for its industry rather than guile.

Not surprisingly, Alex McLeish was rather pleased with his new addition..

“This is a major signing for us and we are very happy to have him here. He is an extremely creative type who is skillful, a great dribbler and has an excellent touch and quick feet.”

In Fantasy terms however it’s not so easy to share the Birmingham boss’ enthusiasm. Hleb is of course a known figure in the Premier League having spent three seasons at the Emirates under Arsene Wenger. During his time there Hleb built his reputation as a silky playmaker, offering plenty of artistry from a central or even a wide position. His Fantasy returns however, were somewhat disappointing.