Sweeping out of the frozen North with his Geordie horde, Demba Ba’s dismembering of the Premier League’s finest legions has struck fear into the hearts of defences up and down the land. A rampaging season has already seen the Senegalese sensation plunder 16 goals thus far and, despite stalling at the African Cup of Nations, he’s now back installed as part of the Magpies’ unlikely charge on a top four placing…
Arriving at Upton Park from Hoffenheim in the January 2010/11 transfer window, seven goals in just 12 league games for West Ham quickly cemented Ba a reputation on these shores. Having acquired a taste for top-flight goals, he was quick to pledge himself to Newcastle when the Hammers’ relegation triggered a release clause in his contract last summer, and with a modest Fantasy Premier League (FPL) valuation of 6.5, he cut an imposing figure in many pre-season watchlists.
Ba’s campaign didn’t get off to the best of starts; his decision to fast during Ramadan at the start of the season affected his on-pitch displays. A series of sluggish performances harvested three substitute appearances and no goals in the first four gameweeks, as his FPL price resultantly slipped to 6.2.
A return to first-team duties in Gameweek 5 led to a glut of goals. A hat-trick at home to Blackburn the following weekend sounded the starting gun on an irresistible run of attacking performances that have seen him notch 131 Fantasy points in just 17 games.
Included in Ba’s total are 24 bonus points, second only to Robin Van Persie’s 30 thus far. Further comparison with the Arsenal skipper shows Ba has averaged 7.33 points per start; perhaps surprisingly, this is superior to Van Persie’s 7.25 points per start and illustrates just how key a Fantasy asset the Newcastle man has been this term. Since returning from African Cup of Nations duties, his price has soared, rising by 0.6 up to 7.9 in the last three gameweeks, as winter wildcards afforded Fantasy managers a chance to reassemble squads and acquire his services.
| Player | Points | Goals | Bonus | Poins per Start | Average Price | Current Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van Persie | 185 | 22 | 30 | 7.25 | 12.7 | 13.4 |
| Ba | 139 | 16 | 24 | 7.33 | 6.9 | 7.9 |
Factoring in his time at West Ham, Ba’s record in England’s top-flight is astonishing: a career Premier League goals-to-games ratio of 0.7- that’s better than Thierry Henry, better than Alan Shearer, better than, well, anyone, if you take 10 goals minimum as a qualifier.
If the form book and spot-kick duties aren’t sufficient temptation, three of the next four courses on Demba’s menu are at home (WOL SUN ars NOR), kicking off with a potentially profitable encounter with a rudderless Wolves side, still smarting from their catastrophic Molineux spanking at the hands of West Brom. The aforementioned Van Persie, along with City’s Sergio Aguero and a resurgent Wayne Rooney, powered by improving fixtures, all lay convincing claims to our Fantasy forward lines. However, Ba undoubtedly has the weaponry and the platform to outscore all three over the next few Gameweeks.
