Thereβs little doubt Charlie Adam was the phenomenon of the Fantasy season gone by. In his debut top-flight campaign, the Blackpool midfielder took the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) by storm, as Ian Hollowayβs tactics ensured the Scot was at the hub of everything good about the Seasidersβ play.
Factor in Adamβs set-piece and penalty duties, and here was an anomaly; a cut-price midfielder who could be relied upon for goals, assists and, most eye-catching of all, Bonus Points by the handful. Although Blackpool finally succumbed to the drop, Adam finished the season as second top scorer in FPL with a phenomenal 192 points, picking up the Fantasy points despite his team creeping slowly towards, and ultimately through, the relegation trap door.
The Statistics
Adam made a mockery of his 5.0 starting price as early as gameweek 4, where a 13 point haul in the away win at Newcastle merely hinted at what was to come. Heavy defeats away to Arsenal and Chelsea, however, prompted Fantasy managers to treat him with caution; it wasnβt till gameweek 6 that Adamβs price started to climb.
Home or away, in victory or defeat, Adam picked up the points in equal measure; Hollowayβs tactics threw caution to the wind and their playmaker was the main beneficiary. In a season where only three other players picked up more than 30 Bonus Points, Adam was awarded a staggering 45, with his OPTA stats fully indicative of his outstanding all-round involvement.
Subject to bids from Liverpool and Spurs in the January transfer window, Adamβs form definitely dipped; he only picked up 10 Bonus Points since the closure of the transfer window from February onwards but his set-piece and penalty duties balanced this out, as he scored 8 of his 12 goals in the same period.
His best week saw Adam return from a two-match suspension in gameweek 30 and, away to Blackburn, grab both his sideβs goals in a 2-2 draw. The resultant award of 3 Bonus Points meant a 15 point haul and rewarded those managers who held onto Adam during the suspension; he had dropped 0.2 in price in the fortnight.
The Prospects
It seems likely that Adam will return to the Premier League this season and the chase for his signature, similar to January, will be between those clubs in the upper echelons. Bearing that in mind, a look at the starting prices of Tottenhamβs creative midfielders may offer a hint to his possible price, with somewhere in the region of 7.5 a realistic figure.
A similar Bonus Points return seems unlikely, however, though a playmaker role and guaranteed starts could still see Adam return somewhere in the region of 30-35. His ability from corners and free-kicks suggests he should still get the majority of set-pieces, regardless of where he ends up, though the lack of penalty kick duties will certainly lessen the appeal.
