Despite a dawdling start to his loan-spell in the North-East, Danny Welbeck has proven that he isn’t at the Stadium of Light to simply make up the numbers, with 5 goals in his last 6 games helping propel Sunderland to an inspiring sixth in the Premier League. Steve Bruce’s men have been in rousing form during November and December, suffering just one defeat and picking up a handful of wins, including the glorious 3-0 Stamford Bridge upset.
Welbeck’s goals have been integral to this success, with Bruce reluctantly conceding that the striker’s form has probably scuppered any hope of a permanent move…
“I always knew that was going to be a problem anyway, deep down, but you never know. Fergie has got a birthday coming up shortly and he might get generous in his old age. I somehow doubt it.”
Bruce is in the “fortunate” position of having a selection headache up front with recent Watchlistee Darren Bent, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck all vying for starts. If current trends are anything to go by it would seem that Welbeck is unlikely to lose his place; for home matches Welbeck is deployed on the left side of a forward three and, when Bruce does revert to 4-4-2 for tougher away matches, it’s Gyan that has dropped to the bench. Welbeck has hardly missed any pitch time recently – in the majority of fixtures the 20 year-old has completed 90 minutes.
The forward is ineligible for Sunderland this Gameweek as they travel to Old Trafford to face his parent club, but it isn’t until after the Boxing Day clash that The Black Cats’ fixture list starts to look really promising (BLP, BLA, avl, NEW, blp). With obliging defences ahead of him, Welbeck looks more than likely to add to his current Fantasy Premier League (FPL) score of 59 points.
An FPL ownership of 2.1% and a price of £5.1 million lines Welbeck up to be a key “differential” and a strong budget purchase. He represents a ready-made alternative to recent bandwagon acquisition Johan Elmander as the Bolton man prepares for trips to Liverpool and Chelsea in Gameweeks 20 and 21. For Peter Odemwingie owners worried about recent reports of the player suffering a “burn out” meanwhile, Welbeck looks to be the ideal straight swap option.
Welbeck’s form shows 10 FPL bonus points in his last 6 games while his OPTA stats demonstrate an outstanding contribution to the cause in recent weeks. The Sunderland striker looks set to be a hot property once the Boxing Day Gameweek has passed.
