Sleeper – Matt Jarvis

Having tasted relegation with Wolves at the end of the 2011/12 campaign, Matt Jarvis was afforded the chance of a quick top-flight return with just a few days left of last summer’s transfer window. Costing West Ham a club record fee in the region of £10m, the winger was soon followed by the loan acquisition of Andy Carroll as Sam Allardyce looked to freshen up his front three in light of the Hammers’ promotion:

Initially, there was a degree of relative optimism that Jarvis – at 6.0 – could potentially rival Kevin Nolan as a genuine mid-price Fantasy contender in the Hammers midfield. Given that his final season at Molineux had harvested eight goals, six assists and 14 bonus points, for a respectable 142 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points, Jarvis’ delivery from the left flank looked tailor-made for Carroll’s aerial abilities, with plenty of assists anticipated.

By the time the season had come to an end, however, Jarvis had proved a bitter disappointment for Fantasy managers. Despite a security of starts which saw him make 29 first XI appearances (in addition to three games off the bench), he found the net just twice and also chipped in with just a couple of FPL assists, ending his first term at Upton Park on just 92 points in the FPL game – a full 57 points behind Nolan, and 50 points less than his tally for Wolves the previous year.

The Prospects

In all likelihood, Jarvis’ displays over the course of 2012/13 should see his price drop further across the Fantasy games. Given his minimal impact, there’d be little surprise if the former Wolves man slipped down to 5.5 in FPL but, while last term’s returns are undoubtedly far from persuasive, his home form towards the tail end of last term, which harvested a goal and four bonus points in his final couple of Upton Park appearances, suggests he may be worth monitoring.

Furthermore, the number of chances created last season indicates he was more than a little unlucky not to pick up a far greater number of assists. According to the Opta definition, Jarvis failed to supply a single assist for his Hammers team mates but, over the course of the campaign, made close to 50 “key passes” – a clear indication that he maintained a steady source of creativity from the flank. Indeed, Jarvis supplied 10 more goalscoring opportunities than Theo Walcott over 2012/13, for example, though thanks to his team mates’ superior finishing, the latter picked up 13 FPL assists, or 10 according to Opta.

While Carroll is currently back at parent club Liverpool, Allardyce has already admitted that securing the big forward’s future on a permanent basis is a “big priority”. The Geordie’s impact towards the end of the season also suggests he found his feet after a patchy settling-in period and, if he does indeed arrive, could bolster Jarvis’s potential next time out if he continues in the same vein. Allardyce has also been linked with Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo as he looks to rectify a record that produced a mere 11 goals on the road all season – the worst away haul in the Premier League.

With Nolan set for an increase in cost after finishing the season with a flourish, it may well be that the Hammers skipper is priced out of our options in the mid-price bracket. Given that Mark Noble will remain the club’s spot-kick taker and offer us a budget midfield alternative, Jarvis is likely to stay firmly off Fantasy radars next time round. If he can maintain his creative endeavours, though, the winger will be optimistic of picking up more returns next time round and may be a real under the radar option as Allardyce looks to ensure his side avoid “second season syndrome” and improve upon last term’s tenth placed finish.