The Pre-Match Preamble – Gameweek 25

A few seasons back I mentioned, or tapped out, the term “vanity transfer”, referring to a Fantasy Football trade that wasn’t designed to fill the void left by injury or repair the damage of a player dropped or suffering rotation. Instead, such a move gave us Fantasy managers the option of almost bringing in a player for the sake of it – to follow a hunch without any real risk but with the chance of plentiful rewards. It’s an indulgent transfer, without any real purpose.

From the depths of a forgettable season, somehow I’m sitting here this morning pondering my own vanity transfer. Rickie Lambert is not a player I have to bring in – I may just reserve my trade and opt to keep Wilfried Bony in my lineup, perhaps in hope that the new regime at the Liberty will revive the dying Swans and bring me some belated returns. The urge to bring in Lambert is strong, however.

The Saints stalwart is a player I’ve long admired but not often invested in. It remains a mystery why he’s failed to find a place in my squad – even when he’s proved, with some consistency, to offer strong value as a striker option.

This morning, I’m wondering if I’m letting this sway my decision. Whether I’m being drawn to Lambert, not because he’s the right trade but because I’m harbouring some odd notion that I should show some faith in the Southampton man for failing to back him before now.

Certainly Lambert’s prospects look decent. Mauricio Pochettino’s side are oozing class and confidence, with Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana central cogs in a string of impressive attacking showings. Lambert came away with a goal and a pair of assists in the win at Fulham, however and, with spot-kicks and set-plays, he’s almost guaranteed to be amongst things should the Saints turn over Stoke at St Mary’s as expected.

Although he has been benched on some occasions against the big sides – Chelsea and Man City being recent cases – with fixtures looking kind in the coming weeks, Lambert would seem certain to maintain a run of starts and continue to reap the rewards from the tireless leg work of Lallana and Rodriguez.

There’s the logic, then. It’s a convincing case but maybe not quite enough to warrant a transfer than can only really be described as a luxury. For once I’ve no fire to fight, no urgent gap to fill or problem to resolve. I can sit back and wallow in the extravagance of carrying out a transfer because I genuinely believe it will add to my Gameweek tally. It feels new and exciting – when was the last time that was written in the same sentence as Rickie Lambert?