Keep or sell Cunha in FPL – and who are the best replacements?

In his latest article, Pras – who has finished inside the top 40k of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) in each of the last seven seasons and is at 13k in 2024/25 – shares his thoughts on Matheus Cunha (£7.1m)

While we all load up on Christmas stuffing, owners of Matheus Cunha (£7.1m) will be especially full already. Another nine-pointer in the bag in Gameweek 17 against a poor Leicester City side took his season goal tally to nine.

Ever since the popular move of Erling Haaland (£14.8m) to Cunha in Gameweek 10, the Wolverhampton Wanderers forward has delivered 57 points, the second highest after Alexander Isak (£9.0m, 70), and 30, yes thirty, more than a way more expensive Haaland.

After his post-game antics against Ipswich Town, the fun feels over and an exit feels imminent. But not necessarily immediate.

At the time of writing, we have no idea if/when the Football Association (FA) charge will turn into a ban – and the FA have seemingly turned their out of office on.

What we do know is that, as things stand, he is available to play Manchester United in Gameweek 18 and maybe even Tottenham Hotspur in Gameweek 19. For an attacker that basically get bonus points for any FPL return involvement, these aren’t bad attacking fixtures under a new manager bounce. 

Case to sell in Gameweek 18

The FPL landscape has changed with the Bukayo Saka (£10.5m) injury. In a two-premium (no Haaland) structure, no player is unaffordable.

I think Cunha at home to Man Utd is very playable, even at the expense of any Liverpool or Arsenal ‘FOMO’.

I think the only reason I’d sell Cunha this week is to afford Isak. Even then, I’d only sell Cunha if you are happy with the other two forward slots – otherwise I’d sell the more immediate problem first. 

Case to hold beyond Gameweek 18

While there are all other attractive picks, I think most are worth waiting for:

Nicolas Jackson (£8.3m)

He is possibly the second best striker after Isak to own long term. Short term my worry is rotation. We saw this in the Southampton midweek game in Gameweek 14 where he was rotated. It is possible that he misses one of Fulham (h) or Ipswich (a). That and the risk of a fifth yellow card means I do want him, but happy to wait a week or even two.

Jean Philippe Mateta (£7.2m)

Crystal Palace are top of the fixture ticker in the next 10 Gameweeks and Gameweek 19 represents a great entry point into them when they play Southampton. I would use the one extra week to decide whether Mateta is truly worth it over the much cheaper Ismaïla Sarr (£5.7m)Therefore, it would make a strong case to hold Cunha one more week and reassess.

Dominic Solanke (£7.5m)

The forgotten man who has quietly accumulated four returns in his last three Gameweeks. Yes, his goal share is lower than some of his forward counterparts, but Spurs do score a lot of goals – even in defeats. Even with Solanke, there is a nicer entry point after this week’s fixture away to Forest, who have been defensively solid. A home to Wolves fixture in Gameweek 19 is a much better opening match.

Arsenal strikers

The vibes are strong on Gabriel Jesus (£6.8m) this week. Five goals in two games and now a fixture against Ipswich at home. The conservative manager in me however wants to see this “new way” Mikel Arteta says he will find without Saka and jump on the right pick. It could be Kai Havertz (£7.9m), Martin Odegaard (£8.3m), Gabriel Martinelli (£6.7m) or Jesus. As someone with a double up in defence already, I feel like getting the right attacker is worth waiting for. Even if that means missing out on the juicy Ipswich (H) fixture.

Cheaper alternatives

Going down to some cheaper alternatives, Chris Wood (£6.6m), Joao Pedro (£5.9m), Evanilson (£6.0m) or even Adam Armstrong (£5.1m) are options but none of them urgent. I feel any of these moves can wait a week or two until there is clarity on Cunha’s situation.

PRAS’S TRANSFERS + TEAM REVEAL

The rest of this article below is completely free to read but requires a Fantasy Football Scout user account for access – you can get yours at no cost here

SIGN UP HERE FOR ALL THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO WIN AT FPL!