FPL transfer round-up: Esse, Enciso, Garcia + more

We’re well over halfway through the winter transfer window, so it’s high time for another Premier League transfer round-up.

Southampton have done some more business as they bid to climb off the bottom of the table, there have been both incomings and outgoings at Villa Park, and Crystal Palace have signed another promising youngster from the Championship that Oliver Glasner will hope can follow in the mould of Adam Wharton (£4.7m), Eberechi Eze (£6.7m) and Michael Olise.

We’ll give the more eye-catching signings from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective their own Scout Reports in due course but regular round-ups like this one below will recap everything else.

• READ MORE: FPL transfer round-up: Kinsky, Agbadou, Soler + more
• READ MORE: FPL new signings: Where does Malen fit in at Villa?
• COMING SOON: Scout Report – Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis
• COMING SOON: Scout Report – Omar Marmoush

FPL TRANSFER ROUND-UP

ANDRES GARCIA (LEVANTE TO ASTON VILLA, £6M)

A week after the arrival of Donyell Malen (£5.5m), Villa were quick to announce another bit of business: their signing of versatile right-back Andrés García (£4.5m).

The 21-year-old Spaniard worked up through the ranks at Levante before making his first-team debut in 2023. 22 of his 47 total league appearances for the club came as a regular starter at right-back in this campaign, during which he scored three goals and assisted three more.

At six-foot-one, García is comparable physically to Villa’s current first-choice right-back, Matty Cash (£4.4m), whose position in Unai Emery’s XI is likely to be under most threat. The Poland international has been deputised by Ezri Konsa (£4.4m) at times already this season and is rumoured to be unhappy about Villa bringing in reinforcements in his position. 

García’s “eye for goal”, as described by Villa’s announcement of the deal, is exemplified by him also having been deployed as a right wing-back, with his pace allowing him to get up and down the flank and even feature as a de-facto right winger – another quality we’ve seen glimpses of from Cash this season.

While his attacking output – albeit with more game time – has outshone Cash’s so far this season in terms of his goal contributions, it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll immediately usurp the 27-year-old Pole or if he has instead been brought in for the future and to simply provide more cover and competition in the position.

If the situation proves to be the former over the latter, there are signs that García could follow in the high-flying, attack-minded mould of other productive wing-backs we’ve seen this season, like Rayan Aït-Nouri (£4.8m), Antonee Robinson (£5.1m) and Daniel Muñoz (£4.8m).  

Time will tell.

ROMAIN ESSE (MILLWALL TO CRYSTAL PALACE, £14M)

Another promising new player who may face stiff competition for an immediate starting spot is Romain Esse (£5.0m).

A Millwall academy graduate, the 19-year-old attacker has scored seven goals in 66 appearances for the Lions after making his debut as a 17-year-old in 2022.

The England youth international has scored five of those goals in 26 appearances this season.

As a left-footed attacker, Esse’s likely preferred position in Glasner’s set-up is currently occupied by Ismaïla Sarr (£5.8m) – who has struck up a productive partnership on the right flank with Muñoz this season, even if his underlying attacking numbers have tailed off slightly.

Half of the Senegalese’s attacking returns this season also came in a two-Gameweek stretch a month ago, and management or an unfortunate recurrence of his recent hamstring niggle could hand Esse an early opportunity.

Even if Palace’s latest Championship recruit is restricted to a substitute’s role for now, he could still provide firepower from the bench – particularly, if he’s ready to make his debut this weekend, against a Brentford side that have conceded six stoppage-time goals already this season.

Either way, his price point still features more proven assets like Jacob Murphy (£5.1m), Emile Smith Rowe (£5.2m), Tomáš Souček (£4.9m), Mikkel Damsgaard (£5.0m) and Harry Wilson (£5.2m).

One to watch, given Palace’s success at plucking from the Football League in the past.

WOYO COULIBALY (PARMA TO LEICESTER CITY, £3M)

Next up on our latest Premier League transfer round-up is a budget defender: Woyo Coulibaly (£4.0m).

Signing from Serie A club Parma, where he made 88 appearances across three-and-a-half seasons including last year’s promotion-winning campaign, the 25-year-old Frenchman is primarily a right-back by trade.

Foxes boss Ruud van Nistelrooy said he’s confident in his new charge’s ability to “play low, middle and high” on the pitch as a “strong, powerful player”.

Speaking at a press conference last week, van Nistelrooy said:

“We needed an extra right-back because of the injury to Ricardo Pereira. Hopefully, we can add more.

“With Coulibaly it helps us to strengthen our defence and allows us to rotate more.”

“Rotate” and “extra” are a few key words there that suggest Coulibaly is likely to be a bit-part back-up player, especially given the right-back slot is probably still James Justin’s (£4.2m) to lose.

Still, Leicester are on a woeful run of form (seven straight losses), conceding goals and chances galore. Reinforcements could spark refreshed line-ups at the King Power.

JADON PHILOGENE (ASTON VILLA TO IPSWICH TOWN, £20M)

A more familiar name to English football fans, Jadon Philogene (£5.3m) has departed Villa Park (again) in favour of Ipswich.

The 22-year-old winger made his senior debut for the Villans in 2021 after coming through the club’s academy, later spending time on loan in Stoke and Cardiff before landing a permanent move to Hull City in 2023.

In his sole season with the Tigers, the England under-21 international scored 12 goals and registered six assists in 32 appearances. He then re-joined his boyhood club last July after Villa superceded Ipswich’s offer for him.

Philogene made 11 league appearances in Emery’s side this season but started just twice, saying the following after signing a four-and-a-half-year contract at Portman Road:

“I just want to play as much as possible. 

“As a player, I like to dribble and link up play and provide goals and assists. I’m looking forward to it.”

A versatile wide-man capable of playing on the right as well as his more natural left side, Philogene was the second signing of the winter window for Kieran McKenna.

He made a half-hour cameo off the Tractor Boys’ bench during last weekend’s defeat by Manchester City, and could get further involvement moving forward given injuries to the likes of Chiedozie Ogbene (£4.8m), Conor Chaplin (£5.1m) and Sam Szmodics (£5.7m).

JULIO ENCISO (BRIGHTON TO IPSWICH TOWN, LOAN)

Philogene will have another new arrival to contend with, though: Julio Enciso (£5.4m).

Signing a loan deal until the end of the season, Brighton’s Paraguayan attacker has swapped the south coast for Suffolk in a search for regular gametime that Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler couldn’t guarantee him.

The 21-year-old, who can play as a winger or attacking midfielder but has appeared most comfortable operating in a No. 10 role, has scored five goals – including the 2022/23 Premier League goal of the season – and delivered six assists in 57 total appearances for Brighton.

However, he has managed just 10 substitute appearances and two starts this term under Hurzeler.

Those two starts came in Gameweeks 18 and 19, with the former in particular serving as an exhibition of his attacking promise. Eight shots in a half constitutes an impressive effort, even if none of them found their way into the net.

Omari Hutchinson (£5.2m), Sam Morsy (£4.9m), Jens Cajuste (£4.5m) and Jack Clarke (£5.4m) lined up as a midfield four behind striker Liam Delap (£5.6m) in Gameweek 22. Clarke’s position in the starting XI has been the most irregular, with Nathan Broadhead (£4.9m) seeing more minutes on the left in the couple of matches prior.

There’s a chance one of Philogene or Enciso could come in on that flank, then. Both could feature together if the latter lines up in behind Delap or on the right in the absence of Szmodics. Facing Southampton at home in Gameweek 24 would appear as good a time as any for McKenna to try something bolder.

Particularly in tougher games – such as against Liverpool this weekend – though, it’s likely Ipswich opt for a more defensive set-up.

ALBERT GRONBAEK (RENNES TO SOUTHAMPTON, LOAN)

Southampton have scooped up Denmark international Albert Grønbæk (£5.0m) on loan for the rest of this season.

The 23-year-old midfielder has scored two goals in 18 appearances for Ligue 1 side Rennes since joining the French club from Bodø/Glimt last summer.

Grønbæk is capable of playing as a left winger, attacking midfielder or even a deeper role in the middle of the park, so could slot into Ivan Juric’s seemingly relegation-bound side in a number of ways.

Few FPL managers will be interested in a player from a Southampton side threatening to hit a record-low points total.

MICHAEL KAYODE (FIORENTINA TO BRENTFORD, LOAN)

Brentford have made a much-needed singing in the full-back department.

Michael Kayode (£4.5m) joins on loan from Fiorentina till the end of the season.

With Aaron Hickey (£4.3m) out long term, the Bees have once again had to turn to more recognised centre-halves at right-back for most of 2024/25. Kristoffer Ajer (£4.4m) and Sepp van den Berg (£4.1m) have both had stints there.

Mads Roerslev, a more natural alternative who had wormed his way into the starting XI, suddenly departed for Germany in January.

Kayode could swiftly get a chance, then.

He struggled for Serie A starts this season but in 2023/24 made 26 appearances and contributed an unremarkable one goal and two assists. Seven shots and 15 key passes in that time was also so-so.

That, in fact, was his first campaign in top-flight football. Still only 20 years old, the Italy under-21 international had previously been with Gozzano in Serie D.

“I’m fast and strong. I like to give a lot of help to my team-mates, I like to advance as a full-back. I want to assist my team-mates to score goals and to win in difficult moments and difficult matches.” – Michael Kayode