The Gameweek 7 deadline is fast approaching and Wildcards are being deployed left, right and centre.
Here is a Wildcard draft I put together for one of my teams this week, that I am pretty set on. Interestingly, I think this is almost the exact team I would Wildcard to in Gameweek as well – so don’t worry if you are reading this after the Gameweek 7 deadline!
GOALKEEPERS
JOSE SA (WOLVES): At £4.6m, having just had a price rise, I think this is incredible value off the bat in the goalkeeper slot. Aaron Ramsdale was my other reasonable consideration, but I can’t ignore Sa’s fixtures all the way up to Gameweek 14.
JOHN RUDDY (WOLVES): Once I picked Sa, this is the easiest pick on the game for me. He’s very much Wolves’ number two goalkeeper, and compliments Sa perfectly. Hopefully, it stops me from having to make a keeper transfer too, even if something happens to Sa.
DEFENDERS
JOAO CANCELO (MANCHESTER CITY): Do we finally have a nailed Joao Cancelo? If we do I think he is extremely underpriced, even at £6.3m. The Liverpool fixture isn’t ideal this week, but from Gameweek 8 onwards I really like the short-term fixtures. Man City can keep a clean against anyone, and with favourable fixtures, the chance goes up even more.
RUBEN DIAS (MANCHESTER CITY): I am pairing Cancelo with Dias, in the light that Trent Alexander-Arnold is injured. This spot was originally going to the Liverpool man, but given that he could be out for a while, it is too long to be carrying an injured player for. Ruben Dias could score very well over the next few weeks, and is a favourite of Pep Guardiola’s.
MARCOS ALONSO (CHELSEA): This certainly isn’t a pick I thought I would be making on my Wildcard when Gameweek 1 started, but again Alonso has been almost an ever-present for Chelsea so far this term. He is extremely advanced, and is a key cog when Chelsea go forward. I love his price at £5.8m, but am very wary that rotation could happen. If you pick Alonso, I would advise a very strong bench.
CESAR AZPILICUETA (CHELSEA): Azpilicueta or Rudiger complete my starting defenders. I think it’s really close between the two, and comes down to personal preference. But given the fixtures Chelsea have over the next five Gameweeks, I think a double-up on the Chelsea defence could be extremely fruitful.
NELSON SEMEDO (WOLVES): Semedo completes my defence, again because of the aforementioned fixtures. Given that I will be playing a 4-3-3 most weeks, Semedo is likely to sit first or second sub, but certainly ready to come on when one of my starting XI doesn’t play (which I expect to be more than once over the next spell of games!)
MIDFIELDERS
MOHAMED SALAH (LIVERPOOL): An absolute certainty for me, probably for whenever I Wildcard. The Egyptian king is in the form of his life, and is my favoured early captain option for Gameweek 8. A must-have!
JAMES WARD-PROWSE (SOUTHAMPTON): Whilst starting with a tough game versus Chelsea in Gameweek 7, I can’t look past the next five after that for Ward-Prowse. He is also on all set pieces, including penalties, and is one of my favoured 90-minute men for the Saints. He will definitely be in my thoughts across my teams from Gameweek 7/8 onwards.
ISMAILA SARR (WATFORD): Sarr has been electric over the past few weeks, and has a really shaky-looking Leeds team this weekend! Sarr again fits the bill: nice and cheap at £6.2m, on penalties most likely, and usually gets the 90 minutes also. He also looks central to everything that Watford do going forward and I really like the look of him.
CHRISTIAN NORGAARD (BRENTFORD): Norgaard is my latest £4.5m midfielder of choice, after Billy Gilmour was benched last weekend and Yves Bissouma got injured. He has completed 90 minutes in five of the first six Gameweeks, so seems very reliable to just sit there on my bench and come on as and when needed.
ALLAN (EVERTON): As previously alluded to, I will be playing 4-3-3 on this Wildcard team, and so I need another budget midfielder. Out of the ones currently on offer, Allan seems to fit the bill nicely. He plays all the minutes for Everton, and has even chipped in with an assist or two recently. Just the kind of guy I want second or third on my bench to come on when required.
STRIKERS
CRISTIANO RONALDO (MANCHESTER UNITED): Now the team finally starts to get exciting. First up we have Ronaldo. I simply love his price at £11.5m, and think he will provide value throughout the season. He is a serious captaincy option for Gameweek 7, and then faces a Leicester side who haven’t started well in Gameweek 8.
ROMELU LUKAKU (CHELSEA): Someone I haven’t owned all season but decided I needed for this upcoming run of games! Lukaku is likely to get my armband this Gameweek, and looking ahead to Gameweeks 9, 10 and 11, he will be a serious option for me also. He has great fixtures and seems to have hit the ground running upon re-joining his former club.
MICHAIL ANTONIO (WEST HAM UNITED): Antonio completes my attack, and rightly so. The frontman has returned in all but one Gameweeks that he has played in so far this season, and is scoring goals for fun at the moment. At his price, I cannot see anyone around him having anywhere near his upside and he has started the season performing more like a £10m asset.
I hope you guys enjoyed hearing my reasoning for picking each slot.
The reason I have opted for 4-3-3 as opposed to my favoured ‘three at the back’ this time around is mainly because of the strength of the upcoming Man City and Chelsea fixtures. I think certainly over the next five, a Chelsea defender will outscore all of the budget fourth midfielders, for example. I also think that the extremely cheap midfield is worth it right now, given the value and potential provided by my three big hitters up top.
Please let me know what you think and good luck for the upcoming Gameweek everyone!
