The FFS Fantasy League auction as it happened

On Saturday, I was privileged to be invited to the inaugural Fantasy Football Scout auction, organised by Fantasy League (FL).

I was further honoured to be asked to participate as well as report on the auction; this was done at the last minute, clearly as a ploy on the part of the Scout guys to ensure that I did no prep in advance whatsoever!

We were joined by, and had as auctioneer, Andrew Wainstein, the godfather of Fantasy Football and the founder of Fantasy League. Andrew’s auction-style was a little different to what I’m used to, with very long pauses before the ‘gone’, but this certainly added to the tension and meant there were a lot of last-second spoiling bids, just when people thought they could write the player’s name on their teamsheet!

We all had £100m to spend on 15 players so we got down to business…

I had written previously about being wary of rookies. What I’d never previously experienced, and had no idea how to manage, was a situation of facing with seven newbies all in the same auction.

They were FFS editor David Munday, deputy editor Neale Rigg, community manager Geoff Dance, moderator Ted / Rotation, community writer Top Marx, IT whizz Mat and Scout’s business development director Chris James.

Would prices be completely wild? Would I spend the next couple of hours permanently shaking my head? Would I come away punch-drunk and bewildered at how I’d been hustled into having a team full of bit-part players and Fantasy dross? The all-important facts are in the tables below, setting out the players each of us picked, and at what price:

The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that not all the prices paid add up to the budget of £100m; in fact, only David spend his entire budget and whilst Mat (£96m), Will (£99m), Chris (£99m), Neale (£98m) and Geoff (£93m) came close, Ted and I were a lot more frugal, spending £87m and £81m respectively. Whilst I will talk more about what happens post-auction in a subsequent article, what this means is that I’ll have my pick of any players signed between now and the transfer window closing given that no-one will be able to outbid me, with Ted effectively getting second pick.

The good news for everyone is that, in my opinion, there’s no single stand-out squad. Most spread their money around which is the safest strategy, particularly in your first auction, but were also prepared to go big where necessary to secure the big names.

Bear in mind that these were no Fantasy Footballing slouches; I was pitting myself, unprepared, against some of the finest FPL minds around and guys who really know their football and footballers.

What they proved is that auction experience is ultimately no substitute for footballing know-how. Plus, an auction isn’t rocket science, so it really doesn’t take long to get into the swing of it.

It also didn’t take too long for the big guns to come out either. After the initial foreplay of Deulofeu, Maguire, Zaha, Sane, Maddison and Wood, Sir Mohammed of Salah was thrown out by David.

Initially there were gasps of disbelief as the bidding went up and up, but when the ‘gavel’ (the trophy, to be more accurate) came down, and he was Chris’ signing for £30m, my own view is that Chris had paid a good amount as my expectation would have been a final price of between £35m and £40m.

Straight after Salah, Harry Kane put in a not-unexpected appearance and, with a greater sense of acceptable prices, he went for a predictable £32m.

I appreciate that for a lot of you, looking at these prices will leave you scratching your heads. How on earth can Vardy cost £2m more than Aguero and only £1m less than Salah? How can KDB be almost 50% more expensive than Mane? How did Patricio cost more than Ederson, Lloris or Pickford?

This is the beauty of the auction at play. Prices are both dependent upon the quality of the player AND the point in the auction at which they are raised, both in terms of how much money has already been spent and what price reference points already exist.

For example, David raised Raheem Sterling at £5m after he had spent a big portion of his budget, so as soon as the bidding went above £8m he promptly left the table to get his lunch, leaving the others to fight to the death. He eventually ended up in Neale’s squad for £30m.

Patricio was the first goalkeeper raised (he was only the 11th player to come up) and there were another 19 picks before Pickford came up. By then, people were already being cagey with their money as a lot had gone on a lot of big guns.

I was lucky that Aguero didn’t put in an appearance until the 40th nomination, hence my getting him for a price I viewed as decent value for money (VFM), and the same was true for Firmino who was 43rd.

Conversely, Salah, Kane and Vardy were seventh, eighth and tenth respectively, hence the marginally higher prices. I’m not saying they were overpriced but, relative to their FPL prices, Vardy, Kane, KDB, Aubameyang, Sterling and Salah had the highest margins, followed by Aguero and Lacazette (reflecting the latter’s 41st position).

I shall not try to draw you all a graph but, basically, after the initial nerves have settled with the first few players, prices go crazy, then there’s a big lull, and then you can get some nutty prices towards the end as two managers with plenty of money battle for players which will complete their squad.

This happened with both Kepa and Monreal, both of whom I wanted but where Neale and Geoff needed those positions filled and where, tight git that I am, I wasn’t prepared to spend over the odds even if failing to get either player left me in a bit of a quandary.

Anyway, having had 24 hours to digest the respective squads, I decided that a bit of marking the homework was in order and so I’ve graded each manger’s defence, midfield and strikers. This is just my opinion and no doubt there will be quite a bit of disagreement, which I’m happy to debate in the comments section below.

Mat

• Defence: A
• Midfield: B
• Strikers: B+

Mat has one of the finest defences in the league which I expect will be the bedrock of his points. Ederson, Azpilacueta and Van Dijk need no comment whatsoever, and Doherty was the darling of FPL last season, with a more than respectable 36 points in Fantasy League (making him the sixth highest-scoring fullback). Vertonghen’s minutes will depend upon formation and whether he is preferred over Sanchez in the Spurs backline but he could prove great value at just 3m.

Mane was surely one of the biggest bargains of the auction, helped by the fact that he was the 57th player raised. The rest of the midfield aren’t points machines (Ritchie is a midfielder in Fantasy League) but they’re also not players I’d be unhappy to own so I think Mat will do just fine with them.

We need to see what the potential arrival of Pepe will do to both Aubameyang and Lacazette’s positions and minutes but the latter could have been a snip at only two-thirds of the price of the former. Will Wilson and Jota replicate their heroics of last season? If they do, then Mat will be a very happy man.

Top Marx

• Defence: B-
• Midfield: A/C
• Strikers: B+

I’m sure that if the auction were re-run, Will’s first action would be to wait and see with his goalkeeper. I’m not saying that Patricio is disastrous, but clearly Will would rather have had Ederson AND 1m extra in the bank.

From a defensive perspective, if Kolasinac can be as good defending his goal as he was his car, and with equal ability to go on the counterattack, then as a freebie Will be laughing all season. There has been plenty written about the danger of the left-back position at Man City so whilst Zinchenko is the team’s lucky mascot, surely he’ll share the spot with Angelino and, when fit, Mendy.

At centre-back, short of a Van Dijk injury, Will effectively has one Liverpool defender in Gomez and Matip, so may feel the pain of being the equivalent of a defender light for the season.

I’ve given two separate marks for midfield as Will will be praying to the footballing gods daily over the next two weeks that neither Pogba nor Eriksen are sold overseas.

With both of them staying, Will has a small but perfectly-formed midfield with Son, Pogba and Eriksen being three of the best, and Redmond could well chip in with his share of points if he continues where he left off last season.

In terms of strike-force, what Will lacks in terms of big-hitters, he more than makes up for in quantity. Rashford, King, Haller and Zaha should all start the majority of the time and any one of them could score a hatful of points.

Will, Ted and I will each be praying that our respective Chelsea strikers are the favoured one this season, and at least Batshuayi only cost one-fifth of what Ted and I paid for Abraham and Giroud. Deeney wouldn’t be my first choice of Watford strikers but he’s on penalties and would make an excellent bouncer partnership alongside Kolasinac…

Ted

• Defence: B-
• Midfield: B
• Strikers: B+

Ted’s defence is a bit of a mixed bag. I like Pickford and Alderweireld, but I’m not sold on Van Aanholt and Jonny simply because I don’t see either Palace or Wolves consistently getting clean sheets, despite the attacking potential of both players.

I suspect that Duffy will either find himself permanently benched or shipped out after the first time Brighton concede a cricket score, and Lovren might be the fourth choice centreback at Liverpool now and so will be a pretty rare starter in the Premier League.

One saving grace for Ted, however, is his having the second-highest post-auction budget so he’ll be on the lookout for a top centre-back signing.

In midfield, if Pulisic steps into Hazard’s empty shoes then £7m will prove an absolute steal. Sigurdsson and Fraser are points in the bag, and Perez could prove another undervalued player from our auction. With Pereyra and Mahrez, both for free, Ted has two players capable of turning it on big time, particularly the latter.

Ted’s three As up front (Aubameyang, Abraham and Adams) are harder to quantify. We all know that Aubameyang is one of the finest goalscorers in the league, but barely a week goes by without someone questioning whether he’s certain to start, or whether he’ll be planted on the left or right wing with Lacazette through the centre.

Adams and Abraham both performed wonders in the Championship last season but that doesn’t always translate into good Premier League performances so the jury is out on both of them, particularly the latter given that Lampard has three choices to fill his single striker berth, assuming he sticks to one up top.

Chris

• Defence: A+
• Midfield: A
• Strikers: B+

Of all the defences acquired on Saturday, Chris’s is probably the one I’d most like to have myself. No, you’re right, it doesn’t have a Liverpool defender, but otherwise, Chris has some of the finest full-backs and centrebacks going in Digne, AWB, Alonso, Laporte and Luiz, particularly if he’s bought the Alonso of a couple of seasons ago.

The midfield has Salah. I should probably leave it there but Maddison, Gross and Milivojevic should be solid understudies too, particularly the latter if Zaha stays at Palace and VAR awards them a couple of penalties per game.

Having the big outlay on Salah and defence inevitably meant that the strikers couldn’t be on a par with the rest of the team. However, both Jimenez and Deulofeu are great picks, Ings could be the focal point at Southampton, and Origi is often the go-to man when a goal is needed at Anfield. My thoughts on Calvert-Lewin aren’t publishable though…

Neale

• Defence: B+
• Midfield: A+
• Strikers: C

Neale picked up a curate’s egg of a defence. Kepa and Robertson are nailed on and top quality. Lindelof could be a first-choice centreback at Manchester United, even if Maguire comes in although two new centre-back signings could see him relegated to the bench.

The cautionary notes are around Zouma, Pereira and O’Connell, particularly the latter. Zouma back to Everton would be great for Neale but, if he stays at Chelsea, will he get much game time? Pereira was a great FPL player and got decent FL points but Leicester wouldn’t be one of my first choices for defenders, especially given Rodgers’s attacking sensibilities.

All I will say about O’Connell is that he’s a Sheffield United defender and no matter how good a player he may be, he could still suffer as a Fantasy League asset if the Blades struggle to replicate the defensive strengths of their time in the Championship.

Neale has a formidable midfield, led by Sterling and De Bruyne, and ably assisted by Anderson. Ozil, for free, could be one of the bargains of the auction if he rediscovers his form, and Neale himself wrote recently about both Jota (Villa) and Trossard, with probably the latter having the greater potential after his form last season in Belgium.

Where Neale will struggle is up front. For starters, having only two strikers is not a strategy I would adopt myself. Although Wood is a proven goalscorer, Joelinton is a completely unknown quantity at a club everyone is touting to struggle after losing Benitez.

Also, Burnley and Newcastle hardly set the pulse racing. Overall, a lack of firepower in the striking department may be Neale’s undoing in his quest for the title but expect to see him in the reckoning.

David

• Defence: A-
• Midfield: B
• Strikers: B+

It’s very difficult to assess David’s defence because it’s such a mixed bag. In TAA and Coleman, he has two of the finest full-backs in the land. Lloris is a great goalie and if Stones secures a spot in the City defence, David will be laughing.

Where I’m less convinced is with Boly, Tarkowski, Chilwell and Walker-Peters. The last of that group could be great every other week if Spurs fail to replace Trippier but we all know Poch’s love of rotating full-backs. After that, I’m not in love with Wolves, Burnley and Leicester defenders; all can have their day, and probably won’t ship tonnes of goals, but I wouldn’t expect any of them to score particularly highly in Fantasy League.

On paper, the quartet of Sane, Richarlison, Martial and James could be an amazing midfield. The problem is, Richarlison aside, that the chances of all four playing week in, week out, is slim to none.

Although Fantasy League is far less about having certain starters than FPL, and one of my previous articles talked up Leroy Sane as a great example of an impact sub, I feel that David will still need more points coming from midfield than he is likely to get most of the time.

There’s also still the risk that Sane could be moving to Germany, which would be highly unfortunate and leave a gaping hole in David’s team.

Because of the overload in defence, David had relatively little room for strikers and I feel that might be his undoing. I love Jamie Vardy and I’m sure he will be fantastic for David, but Benteke and Barnes don’t really get my juices flowing.

Geoff

• Defence: A
• Midfield: B
• Strikers: A-

Geoff has probably the joint-strongest defence in the league, particularly if Maguire moves to a Manchester United. A line-up of first-choice players from Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United needs no further commentary.

Midfield is undoubtedly Geoff’s weakest area. Bernardo Silva is a Pep favourite but that doesn’t necessarily translate into big points; Geoff will be crossing everything that this is his season to start banging in the goals and racking up his fair share of assists.

Moura and Pedro, on their day, are great players and capable of doing Geoff proud, but there’s no certainty of starts, particularly for the former. Iwobi is another yet to show his true potential and Trezeguet is a completely unknown quantity.

The injured Hudson-Odoi could eventually be a bargain but it’s a packed Chelsea midfield and it’s far from clear how Lampard will have them lining up.

Up-front, Geoff paid big for the assured quality of Harry Kane. After that, he spent a further one-fifth of his budget on the main striker from each of the three promoted clubs.

Whilst history tends to show that one of the promoted teams has a prolific striker, it’s rare that it’s all three of them so Geoff has gone out on a limb and will hoping that a new precedent is set this season.

Clouseau

Why no grading of my own team? Principally, it’s because it isn’t that easy to be objective about your own picks. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy with my strikeforce, despite the fact that Aguero AND Jesus basically amount to a single City striker.

I believe that Firmino should do better from a fantasy perspective this season than he did last time out. If Giroud is the preferred striker at Chelsea, my 5m will be a snip, and Glenn Murray is as Glenn Murray does.

The midfield is solid even if it isn’t earth-shattering. Vrancic could easily make way for the biggest signing of the remaining transfer window. Fornals is a punt but, like Vrancic, was a free punt. And in Alli, Tielemans and Willian, I’m reasonably happy.

On the defensive front, my failure to get Kepa meant that I had no choice but to double down on Manchester United by getting De Gea, having picked up Shaw early on.

Similarly, missing out on Monreal meant that Maitland-Niles was literally the only fullback left on the list who I could both pick up (I couldn’t go for Mendy or Angelino due to already having Aguero and Jesus) and who I felt was reasonably likely to play, at least until Bellerin returns from injury.

I’ve always been loathe to spend money on my defence, often to my detriment, but I suppose that two Man Utd, one Spurs, one Everton and one Arsenal for 4m isn’t something about which I should complain.

Final Thoughts

I wrote recently ‘Beware the Rookie’, mainly because in not knowing what they’re doing, they can mess up your own plans. I was facing seven total rookies on Saturday and the plans I devised in the five minutes notice I got that I’d be participating got completely messed up, not because the guys were clueless, but because they were really good!

All the strategies I set out in my previous articles were used to good effect and I dread to think how good they will all be next season with the experience of an auction and a full season under their belts.

All I can say is it was enormous fun and I’m very much looking forward to a closely-fought season with plenty of competition and banter; I also look forward to you, the readers, joining in with the latter as I bring you regular updates as the season progresses.

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