The Digest – Gameweek 5

A Baggies attacker, a consistent Everton and a volatile market that’s showing the door to a goalscoring legend. We say goodbye to Gameweek 5 with a tale of the unexpected…

The Player

Immediately filed under “promising, must monitor”, Nacer Chadli was always going to be an interesting option once he’d made the move to West Brom.

An erratic Fantasy asset while at White Hart Lane, the Belgian nonetheless demonstrated the ability to spark to life in the box, raiding for goals and suddenly turning a forgettable average six out of ten performance, into a match-winning display.

That wasn’t the case in Gameweek 5.

On Saturday, the Baggies record signing carried the game to West Ham from the kick-off; Chadli single-handedly transformed West Brom from a ponderous, impotent attacking force to a team that bristled with threat.

His two goals and two assists have immediately brought him to the attention of the masses but, distracted by leading lights elsewhere, he’s yet to register the transfer interest Saturday’s points tally deserves.

We still have reservations. It’s still difficult to trust West Brom’s potential to score goals: we can hardly make a judgement based on a single performance against a beleaguered Hammers defence.

But with penalty duties unexpectedly tucked away in his locker, Chadli is clearly alive and back in the game.

Another handy mid-price candidate to call upon once West Brom’s schedule softens.

The Team

Five Gameweeks in and Everton’s recognition as a Fantasy force is already long overdue.

While Everton barely had to break into their third gear to see off Middlesbrough, it’s clear that they have become a very different proposition under Ronald Koeman. The Dutchman has revived their Fantasy assets.

We’ve already dwelt on the appeal of Romelu Lukaku.

While we remain wary of a player that has teased us for so long, his displays and output thus far have given us every reason to believe that we will see him make another stride towards genuine heavy-hitter status. A true challenge for the Golden Boot is on – 25 goals perhaps a realistic target.

But the supporting cast also warrants attention.

At the back, Seamus Coleman’s fine opener against ‘Boro was his reminder of his six-goal season back in 2013/14.

While we’re willing Leighton Baines to rediscover his returns from bygone years, Coleman has the legs on the left-back and could yet emerge as the stronger option.

Then we add Ashley Williams – a statistical monster who can potentially offer an even cheaper route into covering Everton’s new level of resilience.

In midfield, Koeman has added Yannick Bolasie on the right and appears to be investing faith in Kevin Mirallas on the opposite flank.

Both have the talent to provide us with mid-price options – particularly for those who still baulk at the concept of Ross Barkley following Lukaku’s lead in shaking off his frustrating inconsistencies.

The Talking Point

The mighty really are falling.

Eden Hazard’s price has tumbled 0.2 in the space of 48 hours with thousands of owners panicked at his meagre returns with Manchester City’s midfield assets sparkling.

Three points over his last two Gameweeks, plus an alarming decline in his underlying numbers, has provided the catalyst for what some would describe as a knee jerk reaction.

Last season’s decline will have also spooked some – we’ve seen how severely Hazard can regress; three encouraging Gameweeks has clearly not been enough to win back our trust.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is close to mirroring Hazard’s sudden collapse.

Triggered by Manchester United’s current malaise and Sergio Aguero’s return, Ibrahimovic is being mercilessly shown the door at pace, despite returning a goal or an assist in four of his five Gameweeks.

It fits the profile of the season discussed in last week’s ScoutCast.

The transfer activity of the last ten days is typical of a campaign that will see heavy-hitters frequently slide in and out of favour.

Last season we sat on the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Dele Alli because they provided such value: we were wary of selling them and absorbing a big cash loss and, given their price and a lack of alternatives, we could afford to sit tight.

With big funds tied up in both Hazard and Ibrahimovic, this is not the case. FPL managers will feel compelled to act quickly, driven by a market where every 0.1 counts.

The money tied up in failing heavy-hitters can be used to carry out significant surgery, or to move to the next big name edging into form and rising in price. There’s been a constant supply of those so far.

Regardless of the trend, many will sit still, discounting toughening fixtures for both Hazard and Ibrahimovic, backing them to punish the fickle amongst us.

It remains to be seen who will win out. But one thing is certain: the short-lived shelf life of the big hitters is already making for a fascinating season.