With Gameweek 1 of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) 2024/25 nearing, we’re welcoming back our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers.
New to our list of contributors is FPL Juice pundit Yelena Cekerevac, who will be writing for the site this season.
Here, she discusses whether FPL managers should be picking Euro 2024 stars Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer for their opening squads, given their late pre-season returns.
PHIL FODEN
Just as I thought I was done with various drafts for my Gameweek 1 team, Pep comes in and spoils it all. My nerves about going without Erling Haaland (£15.0m) at the start of the season were somewhat alleviated with the comfort that I had Phil Foden (£9.5m) in midfield. A regular starter last season with 230 points thanks to 19 goals and eight assists, Foden was one of the first players in my team.
However, this week Pep has stated that players on international duty will be returning late and not featuring in the Community Shield. Gameweek 1 hasn’t even begun yet Pep Roulette is alive and well. Knowing Pep’s proclivity for rotation, I am not feeling confident that Foden will start in the opening two fixtures and I am also not willing to take the risk on him.
Pep is not afraid of shaking the team up and I fear that even when Foden is reintroduced, his minutes will be managed as he is eased back into the team. At £9.5m, it’s a heavy price tag for a player who will get reduced minutes off the bench at most in the first few Gameweeks.
Does this mean I am waving goodbye to Foden for good? Absolutely not. Providing he resorts back to being a regular starter as he was in 23/24 with 33 starts, I would be keen to have double City attack for their run between Gameweek 7 and 11, with all fixtures rated 2 on the Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR).
BUKAYO SAKA
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Arteta has confirmed that Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) will return to training this weekend, along with Declan Rice (£6.5m), Aaron Ramsdale (£4.5m) and David Raya (£5.5m). Unlike Foden under Pep, Arteta does not seem to give Saka any extended time off. Last season saw Saka start 35 games, missing only three due to an injury. So this pretty much cements the fact that, for as long as Arteta is chasing that Premier League trophy, Saka will be in the starting line-up.
At £10.0m, Saka is the third most expensive midfielder in the game alongside Son Heung-min (£10.0m) and is the sixth most highly owned player in his position, appearing in 26.5% of teams. In comparison to last season, his ownership is relatively low and I do wonder if he is being overlooked by managers, particularly for Arsenal’s two home fixtures against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton and Hove Albion.
Whilst there are cheaper Arsenal attackers for consideration, such as Martin Odegaard (£8.5m), I think Saka justifies his £10.0m price tag as he’s on penalties and corners. I’m sure his popularity will increase going into the season and particularly from Gameweek 6 when Arsenal play at home to Leicester City, followed by another home game against Southampton and then away at Bournemouth.
COLE PALMER
Another late returner that must be mentioned is Cole Palmer (£10.5m). It is no surprise that he has found his way into 52.0% of teams after an incredible debut season with Chelsea where he amassed 22 goals and 13 assists in 29 starts. Chelsea’s opening run of fixtures are particularly appealing from Gameweeks 2-8, all rated 2 on the FDR. I’d even back Palmer in the opening fixture against Manchester City at home and wouldn’t be surprised to see him score against his former team.
Under normal circumstances, I would say that if you have the budget for him then Palmer is an obvious pick. Palmer was absolutely key for Chelsea last season, to the extent that, in Palmer’s absence, Mauricio Pochettino hoped players would be motivated to show they are ‘Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club’. A quote that did not age well. He mainly played as a right-winger, but did occasionally play as a no 10. However, with yet another new manager for Chelsea, I am waiting to see how he plays under Enzo Maresca in pre-season.
I have no doubt that Palmer’s name will be first on the team sheet and he’ll remain on penalties. It also bodes well that he worked with Maresca when he was previously at Manchester City. Despite this, I am sceptical about whether last year’s success will be replicated for the upcoming season.
With a question mark over Palmer, it does make me tempted to go for Christopher Nkunku (£6.5m). He could be a bargain of the season at £6.5m and he has really impressed me so far in pre-season. Obviously, his fitness is the biggest concern but he is an affordable route into Chelsea’s attack. If I’m not impressed with Palmer in pre-season, I’m likely to go for Nkunku in my Gameweek 1 team and spread the funds elsewhere.
With just two weeks until we have to finalise our teams, I’ll be watching the remaining pre-season fixtures closely. My strategy is to play it safe at the start of the season with the hope that I can take calculated risks further down the line and give myself more freedom to take a punt on differentials.
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