The Catch Up – Jo To Everton

July is a month best spent looking ahead to what bargains might be available to us as fantasy managers. The transfer market is key to this task and the time spent scouring that latest moves can often pay dividends. One transfer which may have gone under the radar but should not be dismissed, is David Moyes’ move to bring Brazilian striker Jo back to Goodison on loan for the upcoming season…

After a big money £18m move to Eastlands in June 2008, Jo got off to a rather patchy start. He managed just the one league goal in 9 appearances for City – a strike almost lost in the 6-0 thumping of Portsmouth. However, with Yakubu, James Vaughan and Louis Saha struck down by injuries, David Moyes rescued the Brazilian from his Eastlands struggle, bringing him in on a short term loan from February 2009 until the end of the season.

Jo caught fire immediately. In his debut against Bolton, he won a penalty which was then followed by a magnificent volley from the edge of the box. With Mikel Arteta off the pitch, Phil Neville helped round it off by handing him spot kick duties – which Jo duly obliged in converting for his second goal, helping endear him to the Everton fans right from the off.

By the end of the season Jo had cemented his place in the Everton starting line-up, holding off the returning Saha and Vaughan who were forced to settle for places on the bench. Jo finished the season with 12 appearances (11 starts), scoring 5 goals. It’s now down to us fantasy managers to assess whether Jo can continue to cement a place in the starting line-up and maintain that kind of form in this extended spell at Goodison.

In the Fantasy Premier League game Jo comes in at a very reasonably priced £7.5 million – he finished the season on a similar value. It’s likely we’ll see him settled in the mid-price bracket across the other fantasy games. If you want to spend those few extra million to look beyond those perennial bench warmers or unproven promoted strikers, Jo could very well be your man, presenting good value in a strong Premier League side. Working in the right system and under the management of Moyes, he has proved to be a competent striker capable of getting goals, something he wasn’t able to show under Mark Hughes at Man City.

Fantasy managers must be wary of a couple of pitfalls though. Having qualified for the newly named Europa League, Everton will not have a Premier League Fixture during Gameweek 2. On top of this we don’t yet know the effect Yakubu will have on Jo’s minutes on the pitch.

Yakubu was never able to successfully partner Andy Johnson and, in the end, became the focal point of a successful 4-5-1 formation. While a wholly different kind of player, Jo could also face trouble being nothing more than an impact sub were he not able to forge a partnership with ‘The Yak’. The Nigerian powerhouse has a proven Premier League track record and one would have think he has a starting spot almost guaranteed. His availability still remains an issue after seven months on the sidelines but the latest news suggests that Yakubu will make a return of sorts in pre-season.

So while caution is advised early on, Jo could prove the perfect foil for the fantasy manager who fancies one of the often talked about differentials. There will be more glamorous, big money signings to distract us but Jo remains one for the watchlist, that’s for sure.