Amid the never-ending discord between supporter, manager and much-maligned owner, Newcastle United’s 2017/18 campaign was one that any newly promoted Championship club would be happy to emulate.
Having bounced back from their relegation in 2015/16 at the first attempt, the Magpies finished tenth in the Premier League last season and only fell into the drop zone on two occasions throughout the season – one of which was on the opening weekend.
United had the seventh-best defensive record in the top flight (conceding four fewer goals than Arsenal) and the likes of Jamaal Lascelles and Martin Dubravka offered excellent value in Fantasy Premier League, priced as they were at £4.5m.
Ayoze Perez, meanwhile, was one of the stand-out budget forwards in the second half of the season, scoring six goals in the final eight matches of the season.
Price hikes for Lascelles, Dubravka and Perez, a lack of investment from Mike Ashley, and awful fixtures in the first eight Gameweeks will likely deter many FPL bosses from purchasing any Newcastle assets initially. However, Benitez’s ability to make his squad greater than the sum of its parts means that a handful of their budget picks are worth considering once the fixtures ease up.
In-depth data on Newcastle’s season is available in the Members’ Area, while Fantasy Football Scout members can also read our detailed analysis of the key statistics in the article below.
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Also check out our detailed statistical analysis articles on every team comparing data for the last two seasons to highlight the players to sign and the players to avoid:
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5 years, 9 months agoWith Wan-bissaka looking first choice - would you consider Tomkins --> W.B?
Then with the 0.5 would you do:
A) Hughes --> Deulofeu
B) Stephens --> Kenedy/5.0 mid