Five things to consider before the FPL Gameweek 22 deadline

It’s a quieter January in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), with Gameweek 21 split across two weekends due to the winter break.

It means the next Fantasy deadline is still a couple of weeks away.

However, in the gap between Gameweeks 21 and 22, there is lots to consider, which we’ll discuss below.

AFCON/ASIAN CUP

By the Gameweek 22 deadline at the end of the month, the AFCON and Asian Cup group stages will be complete and we’ll be well into the last-16’s. It means we’ll know much more about Mohamed Salah (£13.1m) and Son Heung-min’s (£9.7m) potential return dates.

A surprise draw against Mozambique in Egypt’s tournament opener was not the start Salah would have been hoping for, adding extra significance to Thursday’s clash against Ghana and Monday’s meeting with Cape Verde.

If Egypt were to lose to Mohammed Kudus’ (£6.8m) Ghana on Thursday, they could still qualify in third place, but it would make things a bit more interesting.

Thanks to some fine work from @robtFPL, we can see what the probabilities are of Salah returning to domestic action in Gameweeks 22-24.

Should Egypt fail to progress beyond the group stage, however unlikely, Salah would be available to play in Gameweek 22.

Similarly, if Ghana suffer a second defeat against Egypt on Thursday they could be facing an early exit, which would then impact Kudus.

As for Son, he played 90 minutes as South Korea beat Bahrain 3-1 on Monday, so we could have to wait longer until he returns to Tottenham Hotspur.

Should South Korea win their next match against Jordan on Saturday, in turn securing a place in the last-16, both Son and Hwang Hee-chan (£5.6m) would be unavailable for Gameweek 22.

BLANK GAMEWEEK 26

The Gameweek 26 blanks will be confirmed by the next FPL deadline.

Up to four teams will blank here due to the EFL Cup final taking place at Wembley. As it stands, there are three Gameweek 26 fixtures that could be postponed:

Liverpool are favourites to win the trophy after beating Fulham 2-1 at Anfield in the first leg.

Middlesbrough will go to Stamford Bridge next week with a slender 1-0 advantage over Chelsea, meanwhile.

If Liverpool advance to the EFL Cup final, the postponed Gameweek 26 fixture against Luton Town could potentially drop into Gameweek 25, creating ‘doubles’ for both sides.

It’s all speculation at this stage, of course, but worth keeping in mind.

FA CUP FOURTH ROUND

The FA Cup fourth round will also have taken place by Gameweek 22, bar any replays, offering us further clues as to who will blank in Gameweek 29.

Remember, a Gameweek 29 fixture becomes a blank if either side reaches the FA Cup quarter-finals, not the fifth round, so there is still a way to go before anything is set in stone.

Here are the Gameweek 29 fixtures that could be affected…

For those top-flight sides still involved, here is who they are up against in the FA Cup fourth round:

• Chelsea v Aston Villa
• Sheff Utd v Brighton
• Tottenham v Man City
• West Brom v Brentford or Wolves
• Crystal Palace or Everton v Luton or Bolton
• Fulham v Newcastle
• Liverpool v Norwich or Bristol Rovers
• Fulham v Newcastle
• West Ham or Bristol City v Nott’m Forest or Blackpool
• Newport or Eastleigh v Man Utd
• Bournemouth v Swansea

The results of these matches will also impact Blank/Double Gameweek 34 and Double Gameweek 37.

NEW ARRIVALS

It’s been a quiet start to the January transfer window, with only Tottenham Hotspur making significant moves, signing Timo Werner (£6.5m) and Radu Dragusin (£4.5m).

Sheffield United also brought in Ben Brereton Diaz (£5.0m) to help their fight for survival.

However, the speed of business should ramp up as we approach deadline day.

The Premier League transfer window remains open until Thursday 1 February (11pm UK time), just a couple of days after the Gameweek 22 deadline.

New signings could not only become targets for our own teams but they could also impact existing assets.

• READ MORE: FPL new signings: Werner + Dragusin assessed

INJURIES/AVAILABILITY

The forthcoming cup action, including FA Cup third round replays, the fourth round proper and EFL Cup semi-final second legs, will have all played out by the Gameweek 22 deadline.

These fixtures could, of course, bring fresh injuries, impacting transfer plans.

We’ll also have further information by the Gameweek 22 deadline on the fitness/availability of Ederson (£5.5m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m), Kevin De Bruyne (£10.4m), Jarrod Bowen (£8.1m) and Erling Haaland (£13.9m), to name a few.

Given all of the above, being patient with your transfers is especially key at this time.