Premier League football will soon return, which means it’s time for another guide aimed at helping those of you navigating or considering the Assistant Manager chip.

Once the FA Cup semi-finals are confirmed and the Blank/Double Gameweek schedule is finalised, we’ll look at the best possible windows for those with the chip remaining.

But for those already with the chip active or committed to using it in Gameweek 30, let’s dive right in.

• READ MORE: What is the Assistant Manager chip + when can FPL managers play it?
• READ MORE: New Assistant Manager points projections in our Rate My Team page

MOST SELECTED MANAGERS IN GAMEWEEK 29

Casting a glance back at Blank Gameweek 29, it is somewhat surprising to see the most selected Assistant Manager was… Arne Slot (£1.5m).

The Liverpool boss earned comfortably the most backers, having been picked by 143,000 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers despite the fact that his Reds side were of course completely absent from that weekend’s action due to their involvement in the EFL Cup final!

Behind him once again was David Moyes (£0.5m), who ended Blank Gameweek 29 with his third straight four-point score courtesy of a fourth straight draw.

Especially given the weight thrown behind a blanking Slot, one wonders if some FPL bosses relied heavily on the total points tallies alone when making their decision; the two Merseyside bosses are top of the overall Assistant Managers’ leaderboard, thanks to having played more matches than any of their peers and also avoiding defeat since this chip was first introduced back in Gameweek 23.

Still, the third-highest scoring Assistant Manager so far, Oliver Glasner (£0.8m), duly slipped down the Blank Gameweek 29 popularity list – although not as far as you might think – given Crystal Palace’s blank that weekend. Instead, it was Vítor Pereira (£0.8m) behind Slot and Moyes, as Wolves took on last-placed Southampton. The Portuguese came away with a respectable eight points from that outing.

Nuno Espírito Santo (£1.1m) was deemed a ‘banker’ to deliver a healthy Assistant Manager score in the last edition of this article. He did just that, returning 10 points despite his Nottingham Forest side conceding a few late goals at Ipswich.

Interestingly, it was Enzo Maresca (£1.5m) rounding out the top five in Blank Gameweek 29. No table bonus points were even on offer for his Chelsea side’s clash against Arsenal, which was among the toughest fixtures in the round and resulted in a zero-point return for the Italian.

It’s highly possible, though, that many of Maresca’s backers benefitted from one or both of his previous two wins against Leicester and Southampton and simply didn’t have the spare free transfers and/or funds to warrant replacing him despite the tricky trip to the Emirates.

MARKET MOVES IN GAMEWEEK 30

WHICH MANAGERS COULD GET A TABLE BONUS IN GAMEWEEK 30?

There are plenty of gains to be made with the Assistant Manager chip, not least from table bonus points.

Premier League bosses, when chosen as an Assistant Manager in FPL, earn extra points if they beat (+10) or draw with (+5) a team five or more places ahead of them in the table.

There are a whopping eight managers eligible for table bonus points in Gameweek 30:

• Marco Silva – Arsenal (2nd) v Fulham (8th)
• Ruben Amorim – Nottingham Forest (3rd) v Manchester United (13th)
• Kieran McKenna – Bournemouth (10th) v Ipswich Town (18th)
• Ruud van Nistelrooy – Manchester City (5th) v Leicester City (19th)
• Thomas Frank – Newcastle (6th) v Brentford (11th)
• Ivan Juric – Southampton (20th) v Crystal Palace (12th)
• David Moyes – Liverpool (1st) v Everton (15th)
• Ange Postecoglou – Chelsea (4th) v Tottenham Hotspur (14th)

Evidently, there’s quite a good mix to choose from depending on your appetite for risk – although seven of the eight are away from home.

Firstly, the three promoted (and now seemingly relegation-bound) teams take on three sides in varying form.

Kieran McKenna’s (£0.5m) Ipswich Town were unable to topple the force that is Forest this season in their last outing, extending the Tractor Boys’ winless streak to 10 league matches. Ipswich did manage an away draw at Aston Villa a few weeks ago, resulting in nine points for the ex-Manchester United coach, and could view Bournemouth – who themselves are winless in four – as being there for the taking given the Cherries’ recent dip in form.

Leicester’s form is even worse than that of their fellow strugglers. The Foxes have lost 13 of their last 14 league matches, including their last six straight in which they’ve failed to score a single goal. Ruud van Nistelrooy (£0.5m) is therefore unlikely to be relishing the prospect of his side’s trip to the Etihad but if there’s been any season in which opposing teams won’t have minded facing the four-time defending champions under Pep Guardiola (£1.5m) quite as much, it’s probably this one.

Despite their league position, Crystal Palace are easily the most in-form team between themselves, City and Bournemouth. The Eagles have lost just twice since Gameweek 17, a run that included beating Southampton in the reverse fixture. Ivan Juric’s (£0.5m) men have played some promising-looking football at times despite winning just twice all season, but Palace will surely be too much for them to handle – particularly if a certain Frenchman is back in action in time for the trip to St Mary’s. 

Then there’s Marco Silva (£1.1m), who now has a chance to go unbeaten against both members of the north London derby after beating Spurs last time out. The Fulham boss managed a draw at home to Gameweek 30 opponents Arsenal in December, and will hope to tap into the form that recently saw the Cottagers win back-to-back matches against Forest and Newcastle as he heads to the Emirates, where the Gunners have lost just once all season.

The Tricky Trees will have to fend off Ruben Amorim (£0.8m) and his in-form countryman when United come calling. The Red Devils boss is another possible recipient of table bonus points. Both of United’s wins in their recent four-match unbeaten streak were against clubs in the relegation zone, but a table bonus-winning draw against Arsenal is in there, too, and the reverse of this fixture early in Amorim’s tenure was an end-to-end affair.

Thomas Frank’s (£0.8m) Brentford up against Newcastle is a tough one to call for a few reasons. Firstly, the Toon may well still be riding a wave of elation from their EFL Cup win, or there’s a chance there could be a bit of a physical and emotional hangover from that performance in combination with the international break. Then there’s the Bees’ stellar recent away form – they’re unbeaten in six on the road, winning their last five – to contend with; European football isn’t completely out of the question for Frank’s men if they can carry that on into May.

• READ MORE: What each Premier League club has left to play for

Almost certainly safe from relegation but with no chance of qualifying for Europe, Everton have little to play for except pride at this point. Still, it’s the Merseyside derby up next for Moyes and co, so there’ll be plenty of that on show against Slot’s league leaders – especially after the ending of the reverse fixture in February.

Similarly, Ange Postecoglou’s (£1.1m) Spurs have essentially nothing to play for in the league anymore, and may instead shift their focus to progressing in the Europa League. Gameweek 30 is still a London derby, however, and Chelsea’s only four wins in the last 13 Gameweeks have come against teams ranked 16th or below. Plus, for anyone feeling a little superstitious, there’s the fact that Big Ange has scored 10 points every other week since the Assistant Manager chip was introduced – and he blanked last time out…

WHAT THE BOOKMAKERS SAY

Now for the bookies’ thoughts – here are the odds for each of the table bonus-eligible managers in Gameweek 30:

THE BANKERS

If you don’t fancy a punt on one of the potential table bonus winners…

Pep Guardiola

Despite their much-covered shortcomings throughout the majority of this season so far, you’d have to fancy Man City to handle business at home to this sorry Leicester side.

The Foxes, on current form, will bounce straight back into the Championship with barely a whimper, while Guardiola’s bunch are still very much in contention to return to the Champions League next season.

Anything is theoretically possible in football, but on the available evidence – particularly Leicester’s impotence in front of goal – we feel comfortable placing the ‘banker’ tag on the Spaniard this time. City beat their upcoming opponents to nil the last time the two sides played each other, too.

Oliver Glasner

We discussed Palace’s great pre-Blank Gameweek 29 form earlier in this article, and that plus the struggles of Southampton means this should be a banker win for Glasner’s group, even if he doesn’t rank particularly highly in our new points prediction tool.

Andoni Iraola

The same is true of Andoni Iraola (£1.1m), who is projected to outperform Glasner when his Cherries crew host Ipswich.

Arne Slot

Derby days are typically hard to call, and Liverpool have already dropped points against their Merseyside rivals this season. Still, the Reds look set to clinch the 2024/25 Premier League title at a relative canter, and will no doubt be keen to exact revenge after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser at Goodison Park early this year. Arne Slot (£1.5m) is behind only Guardiola for predicted points this Gameweek (more on that below…), earning the Dutchman a tentative ‘banker’ label.

FINAL THOUGHTS

GAMEWEEK 30 IN ISOLATION

Most Fantasy managers would be in accord that Oliver Glasner (£0.8m) and Pep Guardiola (£1.5m) are the safest bets for an Assistant Manager win in Gameweek 30, with Andoni Iraola (£1.1m) not far behind.

As for the table bonus gang, Amorim delivered on his ‘banker’ status last time out and is the bookies’ favourite to deliver a table bonus this time. That could well happen, but Forest are no Leicester and have lost by only one-goal margins in each of the two losses they’ve suffered in their last six matches.

While they’re on a better run of form, United have beaten just one side 5+ places ahead of them this season.

Thomas Frank‘s (£0.8m) Brentford haven’t managed this once.

By contrast, Marco Silva (£1.1m) has been the Assistant Manager king this season. In the seven matches in which he would have been eligible for table bonus, he’s won six of them and drawn the other. You could very easily see Fulham grabbing a point – maybe more – at the Emirates.

We fancy Silva and Ange Postecoglou (£1.1m) as much as bookies’ favourites Frank and Amorim this week. Spurs will likely rotate in Gameweeks 31 and 32 (as they’re in Europa League action around it) but will surely go full strength against Chelsea. If Cole Palmer (£10.8m) is looking like he will miss out, it could be a great time for the Lilywhites to visit west London.

There are a few managers we haven’t mentioned at all or in great depth – Fabian Hürzeler (£1.1m), Vítor Pereira (£0.8m), Mikel Arteta (£1.5m), Nuno Espírito Santo (£1.1m), Graham Potter (£0.5m), Unai Emery (£0.8m), Enzo Maresca (£1.5m) and Eddie Howe (£1.5m) – for various reasons.

Hürzeler and Emery face each other in a game which could very well go either way. The same is true of Pereira and Potter, and Maresca (against Postecoglou), who – like Arteta (vs Silva), Nuno (vs Amorim), Howe (vs Frank) and even Slot (vs Moyes) – lack eligibility for table bonus points this Gameweek and therefore appeal less than others previously mentioned in this article.

LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD

As you will almost certainly know by now, the Assistant Manager chip lasts for three Gameweeks after you first activate it. 

Some of you may therefore have another bite or two at the apple even after the Gameweek 30 action has concluded.

With more blanks, doubles and chip-playing opportunities in the ever-nearing future, free transfers may be increasingly valuable. 

If that’s the case for your squad, and you’re hoping not to spend any on future Assistant Manager swaps, then someone like Thomas Frank (£0.8m) could be even more worthy of consideration for those seeking a ‘Hail Mary’. The Brentford boss will likely have three consecutive stabs at the table bonus, with Chelsea and Arsenal perhaps distracted by European adventures in their meetings with the Bees.

Ruben Amorim (£0.8m), meanwhile, has three successive opportunities for table bonus points between Gameweeks 30 and 32. As with Frank, the United boss hasn’t fared well in these games so far.

After his own opportunity for table bonus points this round against Chelsea, Ange Postecoglou (£1.1m) has the best fixture – Southampton (H) – in Gameweek 31 followed by a trip to Wolves in Gameweek 32. Even with a heavily rotated side, you’d fancy Spurs to see off Saints at the very least.

Really, though, if you’re looking at the statistically ‘optimal’ three-Gameweek punt, it surely has to be one of the Double Gameweek 32 sides.

Eddie Howe (£1.5m) and Newcastle United face struggling Leicester in Gameweek 31 before enjoying two home matches in Double Gameweek 32 – presenting a good chance to maximise your possible Assistant Manager returns if you aren’t planning on activating another chip in that ‘double’.

Oliver Glasner (£0.8m) is, of course, the other Assistant Manager who will feature twice in Double Gameweek 32. There’s a chance, depending on results for the Eagles and their upcoming opponents, that each of their three fixtures between Gameweeks 31 and 32 – Brighton (H), Man City (A) and Newcastle (A) – could bring table bonus opportunities. And before that, sorry Southampton…

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