FPL transfer round-up: £4.5m midfielder set to start

Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers likely have a playing £4.5m midfielder to turn to following Marvelous Nakamba‘s transfer to Luton Town.

The former Aston Villa man’s move is the headline act in our latest transfer round-up.

These articles give attention to the more under-the-radar recent purchases, specifically asking what each transfer means from an FPL perspective.

The most significant players on the move will be the subject of their own dedicated Scout Report.

You’ll also find all the major deals in list form on our dedicated Transfers page.

• FURTHER READING: FPL 2023/24 pre-season minutes tracker: Every player, every game
• FURTHER READING: FPL points projections live for 2023/24

FPL TRANSFER ROUND-UP

MARVELOUS NAKAMBA (ASTON VILLA TO LUTON TOWN, UNDISCLOSED)

Nakamba rejoins a club he was loaned to in the second half of 2022/23.

The Zimbabwe international joined the Hatters in January of this year and was immediately thrust into the first team.

He went on to become a nailed starter in Rob Edwards’ line-up, making 16 successive Championship starts from his full debut in February.

Nakamba then played every single minute of the Hatters’ successful play-off campaign.

So expect game-time – but not attacking returns.

He was deployed as the shielding ‘number six’ by Edwards and didn’t deliver a single goal or assist in a total of 20 appearances.

Only six shots, and as many key passes, arrived in those run-outs.

Even Luton’s three main centre-backs, Gabriel Osho (£4.5m), Tom Lockyer (£4.5m) and Amari’i Bell (£4.0m), shot more often and created chances with a greater frequency.

“As a footballer, he was the glue that knitted us together. He allowed everyone to do their jobs. There were quotes out there last season saying it was like having three of him on the pitch at times – he covered every blade of grass.” – Rob Edwards on Marvelous Nakamba

He’s a long way from being the second coming of Andreas Pereira (£5.5m), then, but unquestionably the best bet so far of guaranteed minutes from a £4.5m midfielder.

Matt Doherty (Atletico Madrid to Wolverhampton Wanderers, free)

From a potential future cult FPL hero to one from Fantasy past.

Matt Doherty (£4.5m) has rejoined Wolverhampton Wanderers on a free following his short stint with Atletico Madrid.

It was with Wolves that Doherty etched his name into FPL folklore, delivering 144 points from a £4.5m starting price in 2018/19.

The Republic of Ireland international bettered that as a ‘premium’ pick in the following season, delivering a dozen attacking returns and as many clean sheets.

His output has fallen away in the last three seasons, the majority of which were spent with Tottenham Hotspur.

But even as recently as 2021/22, he still finished as the defender with the best minutes-per-xG average:

Above: FPL defenders sorted by minutes per expected goal (xG) in 2021/22

Turning 32 midway through this season, he’s past his peak.

There are also big concerns about his ability to play in a back four (i.e. in Julen Lopetegui’s 4-2-3-1/4-4-2), with his attacking output likely reduced as an orthodox full-back.

The current thinking is that he’ll initially be back-up to Nelson Semedo (£4.5m), so this once ‘essential’ FPL pick is now of little interest.

Zeki Amdouni (Basel to Burnley, undisclosed)

Burnley desperately needed a striker this summer, with Ashley Barnes‘ departure leaving behind a motley crew of unproven or ageing options.

The Clarets have consequently bolstered their frontline with the capture of Zeki Amdouni (£5.5m), one of the top goalscorers in Euro 2024 qualifying so far.

The 22-year-old striker, who has penned a five-year deal, has found the net on five occasions in four UEFA European Championship appearances for Switzerland.

He’s also been on show at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship this summer, where he scored for his national side against Italy and Spain.

Amdouni can boast of being the joint-top scorer in the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022/23, too, plundering seven goals in 11 run-outs for semi-finalists Basel. All seven goals came in the tougher knockout stages, impressively.

It’s this output on the European and international stage that provides plenty of encouragement for Burnley, as domestically he’s only ever played in the less-than-stellar Swiss leagues.

The latest ‘Swiss Messi’ definitely has something of the Barcelona legend about him in terms of dribbling style and ball retention, while Fbref have him ranking very highly for off-the-ball attributes like tackling and blocks.

Part of the reason for that is that the versatile Amdouni is no static penalty-box lurker, having frequently played as an attacking midfielder or out wide. Even when leading the line, he does drop deep, Kane or Rooney style, to link play, disrupt the opposition and pepper the passes around.

“Zeki is such a goal threat. The way he can play the final pass creates so many assists and thanks to the amount of work he puts in on the pitch – he scores plenty himself.

“He’s a very intelligent footballer, technically gifted and with a great work ethic. He works really hard! We’re looking forward to working with him. He’s a big talent.” – Vincent Kompany on Zeki Amdouni

Listed as a forward in FPL, the big concern is that he’ll be used more as a number 10 and that we’ll have a ‘reverse out of position’ option on our hands.

But at £5.5m, he’s one very much for the watchlist for when the Clarets’ fixtures improve in Gameweek 10.

Armed with a good penalty-taking record, he’s also a candidate for spot-kicks at Burnley given that veteran Jay Rodriguez (£5.5m) may be sparingly used.

Benie Traore (BK Hacken to Sheffield United, undisclosed)

Another incoming £5.5m forward will be plying their trade for a newly promoted team in 2022/23, this time Sheffield United.

Benie Traore (£5.5m) departed former club BK Häcken as the top goalscorer in the Swedish top flight, midway through their 2023 campaign.

The 20-year-old Ivorian had spent all of his debut Allsvenskan season in 2021 playing as a winger, missing the entirety of the following campaign with a leg fracture.

Reinvented as a centre-forward earlier this calendar year, he bagged 12 goals in 14 league appearances before the Blades came calling.

Like Amdouni, he’s a penalty-taking candidate: he has scored all four of his spot-kicks for Hacken and the Blades had some struggles from 12 yards in 2022/23.

But unlike the Burnley man, he’s not had any significant taste of European club competition or the senior international stage.

It’s that lack of experience that led Paul Heckingbottom to issue some cautionary words upon the young forward’s capture.

“He’s got really good pace and he’s sharp, electric. If you watch his highlights, you’d be impressed but again, we have to work with him. He’s a work in progress. He’s young and hungry and wants to do well, we’ve bought a player with potential. With exciting moments in him and who we want to work with.” – Paul Heckingbottom on Benie Traore

Milos Kerkez (AZ Alkmaar to Bournemouth, undisclosed)

With Jordan Zemura packed off to Italy and Matias Vina staying there after Bournemouth opted not to make his loan move from Roma permanent, the Cherries were in need of a left-back.

They’ve turned to teenage Hungary international Milos Kerkez (£4.5m) to plug the gap.

Born in Serbia, the nomadic 19-year-old is now in his sixth different country after spells at various youth and senior levels across Europe.

Like Amdouni above, Kerkez was part of a side that progressed to the semi-finals of the Conference League.

He supplied two goals and six assists in 17 outings for AZ Alkmaar on the continent, albeit with many of those attacking returns coming against European minnows.

Three goals and one assist also arrived from 33 Eredivisie starts.

A chance created every 86.7 minutes in the Dutch top flight doesn’t really leap off the page, especially given that the average will almost certainly drop upon the step up in class to Premier League level.

There’s also the small matter of the Cherries having the worst defensive record in 2022/23 outside of relegated Southampton and Leeds United.

A grim opening run of fixtures will at least give us the chance to assess whether Kerkez is the second coming of Charlie Daniels.

Nathan Redmond (Besiktas to Burnley, free)

Returning to the Premier League after a year in Turkey, Nathan Redmond (price TBC) has followed Amdouni in joining newly promoted Burnley.

Struggling to nail down a starting spot at Besiktas, he at least finished his stint with a flourish – one goal and three assists arriving in an April win over Fenerbahce.

Totals of 11 attacking returns and 137 points in 2018/19, his third of six full seasons with Southampton, represented his best-ever year in FPL.

Able to operate on either flank and even centrally, he’ll provide competition for and back-up to the likes of Anass Zaroury (£5.0m), Manuel Benson (£5.5m), Johann Berg Gudmundsson (£5.0m) and perhaps even Amdouni.

“They wanted me to come here and compete with the other players and also be that sort of voice in the dressing room when times are hard, and they need a bit of a lift, but also when times are happy that we can maintain the high standards that we set ourselves.” – Nathan Redmond upon his move to Burnley

Nathan Tella, on loan to Burnley from the Saints in 2022/23, has now returned to the south coast. He scored 17 goals and set up five others from a right-wing berth in the Championship.