Our latest Fantasy Premier League (FPL) transfer round-up gives attention to the ‘B-list’ of recent purchases.
While our sister site, Fantasy Football Community, will cover all things speculative in the Rumour Mill, we will report only on the confirmed deals that go through.
More specifically, we’ll ask 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 but all the other transfers will be covered in summaries throughout the summer.
You’ll also find all the major deals in list form on our dedicated Transfers page.
LATEST FPL SCOUT REPORTS
- Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen to Aston Villa, £51.9m)
- Andre Onana (Inter Milan to Manchester United, £47.2m)
- Harvey Barnes (Leicester City to Newcastle United, £38m)
FPL TRANSFER ROUND-UP
Calvin Bassey (Ajax to Fulham, £18.2m)
With speculation that Tosin Adarabioyo (£4.5m) is on the verge of a departure, Fulham have been proactive in purchasing Calvin Bassey (£4.5m) from Ajax.
Italian-born, he represents Nigeria but moved to London as a youngster, coming through Leicester City’s academy before joining Rangers. Used sparingly at first, Bassey played a big role in 2021/22 as they won the Scottish Cup and were Europa League runners-up.
Those European performances showcased his pace and strength on a big stage. Ajax won the £20m race for him but his debut was reminiscent of Jonathan Woodgate’s at Real Madrid: 14 minutes into a cameo versus PSV Eindhoven, a dangerous tackle resulted in a straight red card.
Bassey can be used at both left-back and centre-back, explaining why Brighton and Hove Albion were heavily linked. Instead, he joins a Fulham side hoping to avoid ‘second season syndrome’ after an impressive tenth-placed finish.
No team overperformed their expected goals conceded (xGC) tally by more than the Cottagers. Furthermore, they allowed the second-most big chances and were third-worst for letting shots be on target. In Gameweeks 3 and 4, it’s consecutive trips to Arsenal and Manchester City.
Igor Julio (Fiorentina to Brighton and Hove Albion, £14.5m)
Instead, Brighton bought a different left-footed defender in Igor Julio (£4.5m). The 25-year-old came up via Red Bull Brasil and Red Bull Salzburg before joining Italian sides SPAL and Fiorentina.
A ball-playing centre-back, last season’s tackle success rate (86%) and short pass accuracy (93%) seem like a good fit for Roberto De Zerbi.
“Igor is a really great defender, who is capable of helping his team in both phases of play: he’s competent with his feet and in defence. He has excellent technique and he is a capable playmaker, too. He is strong, he is good in one-on-one situations. Julio’s best position is as a left-sided centre-back but he can also play at left-back if needed.
“In 2021/22, he had an incredible season and while he was good last season, he made some errors. If he can improve his concentration levels, he can become a top centre-back in Europe.” – TuttoMercatoWeb journalist Lorenzo Lepore
However, De Zerbi has already spoken about the upcoming line-up rotations in this their first-ever European season. Considering that Igor’s a new name from an outside league, there’s a strong chance he’ll be eased into proceedings instead of playing in Brighton’s promising start against Luton Town (h), Wolverhampton Wanderers (a) and West Ham United (h).
Jacob Bruun Larsen (Hoffenheim to Burnley, loan)
Burnley’s ninth first-team summer signing is someone who played under manager Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht. Jacob Bruun Larsen (£5.0m) spent half of 2020/21 there, where only five of his 15 league appearances were starts.
Two goals and two assists arrived from the left wing, suggesting he’ll simply be providing competition for Anass Zaroury (£5.0m).
Not that the Clarets’ attackers have much FPL appeal right now, with Blank Gameweek 2 already on their horizon. Their only midfielder or forward with over 0.5% ownership is 0.6%-owned Wout Weghorst (£5.5m) – a player who was recently booed by Burnley fans upon each touch.
Ryan Giles (Wolverhampton Wanderers to Luton Town, undisclosed)
Another reunion is taking place at Kenilworth Road, with Ryan Giles (£4.5m) set to work with manager Rob Edwards for the third time.
Having given Giles his senior debut at AFC Telford United before crossing paths again when at Wolves’ under-23 side, Edwards knows exactly what he’ll get from this left wing-back.
“He’s got electric pace and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who can cross a ball on the run with the quality he can while at full speed. He’s going to help us in those moments when we need to transition quickly, and he also possesses outstanding set-piece quality.
“He goes into the mix with Issa [Kabore] and Alfie [Doughty] for those wing-back positions which is a really exciting area for us. He’s shown he’s a very, very good Championship player who is now hungry to show what he can do in the Premier League.” – Rob Edwards
That Telford loan was the first of many for someone who is only now aged 23. Last season’s spell at Middlesbrough was very impressive, racking up 11 assists that they’ll find tough to replace.
As mentioned by Edwards, Giles puts a rotation threat onto Alfie Doughty (£4.5m), whose 2.4 accurate crosses per game was the Championship’s highest average. On most set pieces, Doughty’s FPL appeal may now be slightly dampened.
Ionut Andrei Radu (Internazionale to Bournemouth, loan)
Finally, Romanian goalkeeper Ionut Andrei Radu (£4.5m) has been borrowed to provide backup to Neto (£4.5m).
Similarly to Giles, he’s had a career of many loan deals. Temporary stints at Avellino, Genoa, Parma, Cremonese and Auxerre ensure that he’s only ever played in four Inter league games despite first joining them in 2013.
Radu is good with the ball – ideal for Andoni Iraola – and saved two of five penalties faced last season. That’s the same number as Nick Pope (£5.5m), Dean Henderson (£4.5m) and Jose Sa (£5.0m).
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