It took a while, but yesterday afternoon the FA finally confirmed that Sergio Aguero will be banned for three matches, after being found guilty of violent conduct during Manchester City’s home match with West Ham last weekend. The club’s appeal proved unsuccessful, which leaves their star striker absent from our teams for Gameweeks 4 and 5, with the third match in his suspension falling during the EFL Cup.

With his 13.1 price tag seemingly too much for a bench role, even for two Gameweeks, we ask the ‘Burning Question: What to do with Aguero?

Jonty says…

With a hefty 13 million price tag and a lethal goal scoring record Aguero is no ordinary player, which makes his two Gameweek hiatus a tricky situation to deal with.

He is too expensive to leave on the bench, when other premium options, most notably Eden Hazard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez, are crying out for attention. He is also too good a Fantasy option to leave out when fit and available.

My favoured strategy is to ditch him for two to three weeks, either through a four point hit or a wildcard and replace him with a striker with strong Gameweek 4-5 fixtures, such as Christian Benteke. The considerable spare change can then be used to upgrade a poor performing midfielder, in my case Dusan Tadic, to a high flying Arsenal target, such as Alexis Sanchez or Mesut Ozil.

Getting him back in is trickier. Ideally I’d want him back in Gameweek 6, when Manchester City travel to Swansea away and captaincy options are thin on the ground. That week Arsenal square up to Chelsea and Manchester United take on Leicester. It may be that saving a wildcard for that Gameweek would make more sense.

For me the key issue is not whether to ditch him, or to bring him back, it is when it is best to use a Wildcard in that process. If pressing the button now, a key issue to be aware of is the need to ensure you have two players, who you are happy to drop in Gameweek 6 and are worth at least 19.0, which will be the cost of buying back Aguero and getting in another credible target.

Simon March (2014/15 FPL Champion) says…

This is a tough one because it depends so much on where your team is at the moment.

If you’ve got strength in depth, you might be able to get away with benching Aguero and save yourself the two transfers (at least), or having to use your Wildcard, that it would take to ship him out and then back in again.

For the rest of us, the obvious solution seems to be to get rid with a plan to bring him back for the Swansea clash in Gameweek 6. The benefits here are that we avoid the inevitable price drops and don’t have a 13.0 player sitting on our bench for two Gameweeks.

But that raises more questions, namely; ‘how do we do it’ and ‘for whom’?

If you’re in the fortunate position of being broadly happy with your team and have two free transfers available, you could ditch Aguero and buy him back in two Gameweeks with minimal drama.

Otherwise you’re probably looking at hits or a wildcard (or both), which appear popular strategies. But these are ones that I’m struggling to get behind for two reasons; firstly, I’m in that ever-decreasing collective of managers who avoid hits at all costs and believe there’s still some value in holding onto that first Wildcard.

Then, secondly, there’s no replacement option that enthuses me enough to justify a Wildcard or a points hit.

Assuming everyone now has Zlatan Ibrahimovic, let’s look at some of the alternatives and their fixtures.

There’s Jamie Vardy (liv, BUR), Harry Kane (sto, SUN), Diego Costa (swa, LIV), Olivier Giroud (SOT, hul,) and Romelu Lukaku (sun, MID). None of these have both of the magic ingredients to success, of good form and strong fixtures.

I think Fantasy managers need to look at their individual situations and make the call based on what suits them best given all of the above factors.

Spencer says…

Luckily (or skillfully) I have two free transfers this week, so it’s a relatively easy decision for me.

Alexis Sanchez comes in for Southampton’s Nathan Redmond, with the Arsenal man’s 16 points against Watford doing more than enough to convince me of his points potential.

The emergence of an array of mid-price forwards has also swayed my decision to invest the Aguero cash into midfield. Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, Stoke’s new loan signing Wilfried Bony, Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke, and West Ham recruit Simone Zaza all offer the possibility of strong returns at a far cheaper price than Aguero. Of this crop, Benteke is the one that appeals the most, thanks to a kind fixture run.

Currently I am still without Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic but I still feel that my money is better spent tapping into Arsenal’s midfield with the spare change used for a striker with potential.

The outcome of Andre Gray’s FA charge, might cause a few problems.  We find out whether he faces a ban next week. If that is the case I may take a points hit to remove him.

Currently I’m looking to hand on to my Wildcard to use for bringing Aguero back in when his suspension ends. Then I plan to unleash a new strike force of the Manchester City man, flanked by Benteke and Bony, whose fixtures start to improve over autumn.

Greenwindmill says…

Aguero has already left my team. There’s absolutely no chance I’m carrying a player currently worth 13.1 on my bench, even for just two games.  

For starters that 13.1 is bound to slide and I’m already behind the curve when it comes to team value, so the opportunity to sell him and then buy back more cheaply is very attractive to me.

Additionally, I simply have to back myself to be able to convert that cash into real points in Aguero’s absence.  If I can’t spend that amount of money in such a way that repays the extra transfers then I might as well give up now.

I had already taken a four point hit this Gameweek even before news of Aguero’s ban broke so I’m now firmly into potential Wildcard territory. This means all bets are off and my team structure is utterly uncertain.

Up until this point I’ve avoided Zlatan Ibrahimovic (annoyingly selecting Harry Kane instead) so it would seem eminently sensible to use the big Swede as an Aguero placeholder for the next couple of weeks and then make a straight swap afterwards, should I want to fall in line with the template and have a top heavy side.

Alternatively, I could radically restructure, throw my money at midfield and defensive heavy hitters and fill my attack with the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke or Wilfried Bony.

There’s something hugely appealing about striking out on that lonely course but it is probably a high risk, low reward strategy that also makes it difficult to bring back Aguero (something I will 100% want to do as soon as he is available).

At the moment I’m leaning towards a big restructuring, enjoying the game and ignoring the difficulties it may cause me later in the month.  I’ll probably back down from this maverick stance before the deadline though. I’m a dullard at heart.

Red Lightning says…

Sergio Aguero has to be replaced but do we really need to bring him back in once his suspension is served?

This season we are already seeing the appeal of a number of heavy-hitters, from Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez in midfield, to Zlatan Ibrahimovic in attack. It is more than likely that one or more of them will outscore Aguero this season and prove to be an equally, perhaps better, captaincy candidate. Plus, all these alternatives are far cheaper than the Manchester City striker, allowing greater investment across our squads.

I definitely intend to sell him now but as yet am undecided whether I will get him back in again. One thing is certain, this whole scenario would certainly be a lot easier had I not played my Wildcard prematurely in Gameweek 2.

Athletico Timbo says…

Luckily for me I happen to be using my Wildcard this week anyway, so it’s perfect timing for the little rascal to take a seat on the naughty step.

However, priority number one is that he must make an immediate return once available.

Failure to have a fit and available Aguero in a side has been harshly punished over the last few seasons. In addition, on his return in Gameweek 6, he looks to be the standout captain choice away to Swansea.

My plan on paper seems a simple one. Create the wildcard team as normal and leave two spaces free for punts that can revert back to Aguero plus one when the time comes.

I’ll be looking for a heavy-hitter that can bring in the points and hopefully rise in price to boot. Alexis Sanchez seems a great candidate to fit the bill there. With the money left over, I’ll need to find a forward. Currently it is that role that I’m undecided on.

Paul Says…

I was always going to Wildcard directly after Gameweek 3 regardless – with so much money floating around the Premier League this season, a host of new faces pre-deadline seemed almost inevitable.

I started the season with both Aguero and Ibrahimovic up front but the three-match suspension now affords me the chance to re-align the balance of my team.

In all likelihood, I’ll keep Ibrahimovic as an Aguero placeholder up front, looking to the likes of Lukaku, Benteke or Bony for the other two spots.

Fixture-wise, West Ham, Arsenal, Everton and Crystal Palace all have some decent runs over the next few matches and will populate my new squad.

Michail Antonio’s return to the Hammers attack is timely as I look for value in the middle of the park.

Similarly, Santi Cazorla’s display at Watford makes me wonder if he could feasibly rival Sanchez and Ozil. Spot-kick duties certainly help.

There are still plenty of decisions to make as I tinker, though the only real certainty is that, come Gameweek 6, Aguero will be back in my team.

Mark Says…

Aguero’s flailing arm convinced me on the Wildcard and, for me, that’s the optimum route.

I just can’t be certain that another scenario like this will crop up.

How often during the season will we get the opportunity to split Aguero’s funds over two players, knowing exactly when he will return so we can plan with that in mind? Couple that with the chance to flush funds out of our defence and I see this as an ideal Wildcard window.

I was already teetering on the brink as it became clear that I needed to get cash out of my keeper and defensive slots and into midfield. When Aguero put himself on the suspension tightrope, it was the excuse I needed to push the button.

Now I’ve the luxury of almost limitless options to fix the Aguero conundrum, although that doesn’t necessarily make the puzzle any easier.

Keeping the funds to buy him back locked in two transfers is key so, in a way, the flexibility of the Wildcard is limited – I’m not about to spread the Aguero cash across my squad.

That pushes me towards a combination of Alexis Sanchez/Mesut Ozil with Diego Costa/Romelu Lukaku.

However, I’m currently drawn to an upgrade to Michail Antonio in midfield, which likely means showing the door to both Nathan Redmond and Ross Barkley. Without Barkley, I’m then left looking at Lukaku rather than Costa to get me Everton coverage – Eden Hazard is already in place.

Lukaku also offers a strong Gameweek 6 fixture away at Bournemouth which might just reduce the urgency of bringing back Aguero should another calamity de-rail my planned Gameweek 5 transfers.

The benefit of the Wildcard lies in that midfield investment. With either Sanchez or Ozil, preferably the former, it gives me a Gameweek 4 captaincy on a heavy-hitter with low ownership.

The pressure will be on the Arsenal man to deliver to justify my Wildcard, not Lukaku. That’s definitely a good thing.