The fantasy stock of Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor is set to rise as a result of yesterday’s announcement that he is set to sign a new contract at the Emirates.
The Arsenal striker who brought in 24 goals and 4 assists for his fantasy managers last season has been relentlessly linked with a move away from Arsenal in the summer. As a result of this and his price hike following last season’s success, his fantasy popularity has taken a hit.
He is currently ranked as the 11th most popular forward in the Fantasy Premier League game and sits 7th in the Telegraph game. This announcement, offering stability over the coming season, could well change that.
Adebayor’s potential is undoubted, whether he can match the output of last season is certainly debatable however. One factor in his favour going into the season is that Arsenal start their campaign with just one fixture against a top 8 side over the first 10 Premiership games. Everton at home on September 18 is the first game they face against a top 6 side.
That’s an extraordinarily kind run of games which makes Arsenal’s key players immensely attractive going into the season. Fabregas and Clichy are set to get the most suitors in midfield and defence respectively. Up front fantasy managers will certainly have Van Persie and Adebayor in their sights although, the fitness of Van Persie and the future of Adebayor has, up until now, reduced their appeal.
Arsenal’s early involvement in the Champions League and the emergence of Bendtner could give cause for concern that Adebayor could well be rested on a couple of occasions over the first 10 games. Much will depend on Adebayor’s form of course. If he starts the season on fire, it seems likely that he get his full quota of games, at least before Arsenal enter the group stages of the Champions League. Those matches start in mid-September, at which point Arsenal’s fixtures start to look a little tougher.
The pre-season is yet to give us any indication of how Adebayor is shaping up. He has made just one 45 minute appearance in friendlies thus far. However, this weekend’s Emirates Cup games against Juventus and Real Madrid should certainly put that right while offering assurances on the fitness of Van Persie.
If Adebayor looks sharp and notches goals against the quality opposition he faces over the next couple of days, then I expect interest in the striker to pick up even further. While he is priced considerably higher than last season, those opening sets of fixtures may well seal him a place in many a fantasy lineup going into the campaign.
Loading ...
{ 17 comments }
Good call mark. All the hype was about Torres last year, but Adebayor actually got more fantasy points. With arsenals early fixtures its a no brainer, he’s going in.
Should I get:
Upson, Noble, Torres
or
Terry, Petrov (Downing), Alves
Will Torres get rotated becasue of European fixtures?
I think Van Persie is due. He was decent in Euro 2008.
Having said that Bendtner looks to be an ideal third choice striker at just £5.5m in FPL, especially considering the luck Arsenal have with injuries. He had limited time last year but he took his chances very well. I can never pick him because it’s too hard to limit myself to three Arsenal players!
I like Adebayor, but I’m yet to convince myself to have him in my team this season. The guy I’m waiting on is Van Persie. If fit, I think he could be an absolute steal at 9.5M.
Not convinced about Adebayor this year. He will get rested prior to Champions League. He is a confidence player and may lose that if Van Persie begins to steal the limelight. I also think Brentner will play more of a part. I could, of course, be totally proved wrong but there are certain players who over achieved last season that I am not convinced will do so again. Adebayor is one such player.
I don’t think Adebayor is a very good player, he has so many chances in every game and wastes a lot of them. I think if RVP stays fit and plays he has more ability to finish those chances and should get more points.
I agree, he only scores a lot because he played with players that were frightened to shoot. If RVP stays fir then he should out-score Adebayor, but that is a big if.
Got a defensive dilemna, wondered if I could get your esteemed opinions.
I’m allowing myself 2-3 defenders at 5.5m +.
Currently leaning towards;
Gallas – gets goals + Arsenal easy early fixtures
Laursen – again scores a lot of goals although good value at 6m &
Bale – impressed in a short time last season & Spurs are stronger now.
Was considering Lescott but Everton look in disarray slightly at the moment, also Carvalho/Evra but my instinct tells me Chelsea & Man Utd won’t keep too many clean sheets to start with. And Portsmouth have a nasty fixture list to start with.
Any thoughts or glaring omissions?
Yeah, Lescott’s a bit too pricey this year. Carvalho’s an excellent alternative to Gallas, he always seemed to score well when he played last season (checking the selection stats, 101 pts in 19 starts, over 5 pts per start!). If you need a bit of spare cash, you could bring Bosingwa in if fit, or Woodagte for Bale, as he’s a regular bonus collector. About the only thing you’ve missed is Richard Dunne, suspended for the first 2 matches but should do well after that.
Laursen + Lescott or Gallas + Carvalho ??
Lescott, Gallas, Carvalho + two cheapo subs would be alright I think.
Still leaves quite a lot in the bank anyhow.
Anyone know what the situation with Drogba is? Will he be at Chelsea at the start of the season or not?
Dunno, but Anelka keeps banging them in.
Again, confusion reigns over the big clubs. It’s a selection lottery. I’m wary of players who maybe performed over their average. One season wonders are also ones to avoid. Adebayor won’t get near 24 goals again, surely? Torres should repeat last season’s tally, but again be rested on occasion. I like the steady points earners thrown in with a couple of freak points earners like Torres. RVP could go quite well, and a better value option than Adebayor, i’d say. Gerrard will match last year, although he may not get quite the number of goals, depending on formation. Lampard could well match Gerrard, but the risk is he could play less that Gerrard, hence he’s cheaper.
This season is going to be a delicate balancing act especially when it comes to picking and maintaining a good squad with a cutting edge.
I’d agree with that.
I think that there’s points in that Chelsea midfield though. It’s just going to take a few games to sort out whether the player to look for is Essien, Ballack, Deco or J.Cole. I think Lampard is over-priced in FPL.
It’s anyone’s guess. Large ’superstar’ squad = Rotation = Frustration! I guess if you’re going for the uber big point scorers, like Torres, who could get rested, you need to have able back-up’s. This of course means you need more mid-price players than normal. And where is the best place to save money, and still have a chance of picking a player who’ll produce the goods? Defence, of course. It’s easy to know who’ll score the most goals – the big 4. But on a game by game basis you can’t pick clean sheets. Chelsea could win 5-1 while Middlesborough draw 0-0 at home. Probably could do with 1 big club defender, but the regulars like Vidic are overpriced at 7m.
I think if anyone will be rested it will be RvP, Wenger seemed to rely on Adebayor alot more earlier in the season last season.
Rafa kept a relatively settled side (for him) towards end of last season, does he even have the depth to rotate strikers as much now ? I dont think he will make the mistake of last season and rotate Torres out so quickly.
Also, there is no gameweek 2 in midweek due to internationals so bit more rest between games
Comments on this entry are closed.