Throughout the 2022/23 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season, our team of Pro Pundits, Hall of Famers and guest contributors will be sharing their thoughts, tips and own transfer plans.
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Here, five-time top 1k finisher Tom Freeman shares his thoughts and transfer plans ahead of Gameweek 16.
KULUSEVSKI IN?
Tottenham Hotspur were able to welcome Dejan Kulusevski (£8.0m) back into the fold against Liverpool on Sunday, having missed six Gameweeks because of a hamstring injury. Without him, Spurs were good in spells, yet often looked unimaginative in the final-third.
Kulusevski was only fit enough to make the bench against Liverpool, which meant Antonio Conte had to start Ivan Perisic (£5.5m) alongside Harry Kane (£11.6m) up front. However, he emerged from the bench in the second-half, setting up Kane’s goal within a couple of minutes of coming on. His introduction handed Tottenham the initiative and I was really impressed by his impact. Had he been fit enough to start; my feeling is that Spurs probably would have got something from the game.
“It was good to see Deki back, yes, finally. It was important, good news. Deki only had a full training session with us yesterday. Today, he said to me, ‘okay, coach, for the last 20, 30 minutes, I’m available” – Antonio Conte
With Kulusevski in the starting XI, Spurs play much better, which is backed up by his record since joining from Juventus: since his first Premier League start in Gameweek 26 of 2021/22, he has scored six goals and provided 13 assists in 20 starts, which has included five double-digit hauls.
Now, Gameweek 16 opponents Leeds United don’t tend to concede a lot of crosses, but if Kulusevski is deployed alongside Kane in a 3-5-2 formation, where he can float and pick up possession in the half-space, he could find some joy. That’s because under Jesse Marsch this season, Leeds have allowed quite a few chances to be created from the centre zone:
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