Eight-time top 10k finisher Zophar hosts his weekly Q&A, giving his opinion on when to Wildcard, the five midfielders he’d buy right now, and whether to keep or sell Hugo Ekitike (£9.0m), Phil Foden (£8.8m) and Robert Sanchez (£4.9m).

You can read his Gameweek 21 team reveal here.

Q: If playing two up front and not constrained by budget, who is the best forward to pair with Erling Haaland over the next five Gameweeks?

(via Sheffield Wednesday)

A: I think it would be Ollie Watkins (£8.7m). Villa are showing remarkable consistency over the last few months and Watkins looks back to his best after a long, long dip. The stats are up, too: he is second only to Hugo Ekitike (£9.0m) for non-penalty expected goal involvement (NPxGI) over the last six Gameweeks. He’s got decent fixtures as well. 

Q: What to do with Hugo Ekitike? Should we switch to Igor Thiago or keep him because of Burnley next?

(via OverTinker)

A: As the below image shows, and despite missing one game, Ekitike is top amongst all players for NPxGI over the last six Gameweeks:

I would like to keep Ekitike for the Burnley and Bournemouth fixtures before moving him on in Gameweek 24, but if you have some spare transfers or need money to upgrade your midfield, I think it is perfectly reasonable also to sell him for Igor Thiago (£7.0m). He could just be the set-and-forget budget forward for the season. 

It’s worth mentioning, however, that Ekitike could be a captaincy option in Gameweek 22 against Burnley. Erling Haaland (£15.1m) travels to Manchester United in what will likely be their first game under a new manager.

Q: Who are your top five midfielders to own at this moment?

(via OverTinker)

A: It’s tricky to answer this right now because I would be building this midfield not just for the fixture swing in Gameweek 24 but also the good fixtures in the short term for somebody like Phil Foden (£8.8m), who faces Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Similarly, I wouldn’t necessarily want Bruno Fernandes (£9.1m) in right now when he has Manchester City and Arsenal in Gameweeks 22 and 23. 

So it would be Declan Rice (£7.2m), Cole Palmer (£10.4m), Fernandes, Foden and Bruno Guimaraes (£7.1m), I think. Palmer could be Enzo Fernandez (£6.4m), depending on budget, but I think you would want Palmer for Gameweek 24 onwards. Fernandes would need to be passed fit and available for Burnley, too. 

Q: What are your future plans for Cole Palmer and Bruno Fernandes and what to do with Hugo Ekitike and Bukayo Saka?

(via BR510)

A: At the time of writing, neither Manchester United nor Chelsea have appointed a replacement for their sacked managers (Ed: Liam Rosenior has since been confirmed as head coach!). Gameweek 24 is when the fixtures really swing for the two aforementioned sides and my plan is to bring both of these big hitters in around then. We should have a decent sample size of games and information by then to make an informed decision about the new managers’ playing style, where Palmer/Bruno will be playing in the system etc.

I think Bukayo Saka (£10.2m) got his rest at the weekend and Noni Madueke (£6.8m) will play mostly cup/Champions League games from now on, but if you want to sell Saka to Rice to raise funds for a big hitter, then I can get behind that as well. 

With Ekitike, I think holding till the Bournemouth fixture passes in Gameweek 23 is something I’m considering, then I will assess in Gameweek 24 if I need the cash. 

Q: What to do with Phil Foden? My plan was to keep him and then sell him to Bruno Fernandes when he is back. I’m not sure if I should stick to that plan or sell him now.

(via FPL Sanky)

A: I think the ideal jump-off point for Foden is Gameweek 24, when Man City play Spurs and Liverpool away. I would want Foden for the next fixtures against Brighton and Wolves in particular.

Q: Chelsea time! Keep Robert Sanchez or move him to a cheaper ‘keeper? Are ther any mid-priced attacking players you think we need for Chelsea’s good run of fixtures? Finally, Cole Palmer is a great player but I’m not convinced he’s even a good (value) FPL player. No double-digit hauls this season (even when healthy) and his second half last year was downright poor. Is everyone getting him in their team just taking crazy pills?

(via FP Elephant)

A: I’d keep Robert Sanchez (£4.9m). The fixtures are good and I think he will be the first-choice goalkeeper under the new manager as well. 

I’m monitoring where Enzo and Palmer play over the next few games. If Enzo is playing more forward with Andrey Santos (£4.5m) and Moises Caicedo (£5.7m) as the pivot, he could be much better value than Palmer. Marc Cucurella (£6.1m) is also on my radar if the Blues switch to a back three. 

Q: Who are the best, non-Arsenal, Virgil van Dijk replacements?

(via IAWC (It’s a Wonderful Cruyff))

A: I think Malick Thiaw (£5.1m) and James Tarkowski (£5.7m) are good. Both offer goal threat and DefCon potential with decent fixtures over the coming weeks. I would prefer Thiaw of the two, with Newcastle’s excellent defensive numbers shown below:

Q: Time to Wildcard?

(via @LedleyDaKing)

A: I think unless your team is absolutely ravaged by injuries, you should wait till Gameweek 24 to Wildcard.

Several teams go on amazing fixture runs that week – Chelsea, Manchester United, Crystal Palace – and by then, the transfer window will have closed, we will have had some games from the new managers at Chelsea and Man Utd, and all AFCON players will be back.