Last week saw Yaya Toure make an immediate impact on his return from international duty. Back in the City first XI for the Europa League trip to Porto, the Ivorian picked up both assists in the 2-1 win and propelled himself onto many a Fantasy radar. With City hosting Blackburn and Bolton over the next couple of gameweeks, he’s already received almost 21,000 transfers in this week, nearly double that of David Silva’s 11,000.
One of a handful of players who have started every game when available for City, Toure is considered nailed-on under Roberto Mancini. A Fantasy Premier League (FPL) price of 7.5, compared to Silva’s 10.5, has many contemplating a move, with the budgetary benefits a key factor in his possible acquisition. With United’s fixtures, in particular, easing up from Gameweek 28 onwards, dropping Silva for Toure would free up the cash to bring in the likes of Wayne Rooney up front for the season run-in- a point made in this afternoon’s Toure Watchlist article.
Toure is the obvious differential of the duo, too; while Silva is owned by 44% of Fantasy managers, the Ivorian sits in just 8% of squads. Another point worth noting is that Toure has been fielded as part of the attacking midfield three in both matches against Porto since his return, though his adaptability means there will always be a chance Mancini drops him deeper and rotates other alternatives.
Silva, however, has unquestionably been the most consistent Fantasy performer of the pair. Averaging 5.6 points per game, in comparison to Toure’s 4.4, he has produced more assists than any Premier League player and, with 140 points to his name already, his potential is clearly superior.
Using our very own ICT Index and the Opta stats available to Members, we evaluate their respective seasons so far and, crucially, analyse Silva’s performances both with and without Toure in the City team in order to ascertain whether his role changes with the Ivorian on the pitch:
