With many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers set to deploy the Free Hit chip in Blank Gameweek 34, Tottenham Hotspur players are starting to pick up a bit of interest.
Despite Spurs’ atrocious form this season, under Roberto De Zerbi, they were considerably better against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
Now, with relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers up next, do any Spurs players stand out as Free Hit targets?
To get a fan’s perspective, we spoke to Fantasy Football Scout General Manager Sam, a regular at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
- READ MORE: Best Free Hit team for FPL Blank Gameweek 34
SPURS UNDER DE ZERBI
We’ll start by acknowledging that two games is a microscopic sample!
De Zerbi has only been at the helm since Gameweek 32, with a 1-0 defeat away to Sunderland followed by a 2-2 draw with Brighton at home.
Here is the StatsBomb passing network from the latest match:
Spurs played in a 4-3-3 formation against Brighton, with Rodrigo Bentancur (£5.2m) and Yves Bissouma (£5.2m) as the midfield pivots.
Conor Gallagher (£5.0m) occupied the most advanced central midfielder role, racking up more penalty box touches (10) than anyone else, with Randal Kolo Muani (£6.9m) and Xavi Simons (£6.5m) deployed on either side of lone striker Dominic Solanke (£7.2m).
The opposition were kept to an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.82.
At the other end, Tottenham showed considerable improvement, registering 13 shots and three Opta ‘big chances’, with Simons central to it.
THE OPPOSITION
Wolves have slumped to successive heavy defeats against Leeds United and West Ham United, with relegation confirmed on Monday.
While there is little doubt performances have improved since Rob Edwards replaced Vitor Pereira, even in Wolves’ last six matches, they rank rock bottom for xG and xG conceded.
| Metric | PL rank |
|---|---|
| xG (last six matches) | 20th |
| xG (season) | 19th |
| xGC (last six matches) | 20th |
| xGC (season) | 19th |
Wolves are also in the bottom two for set play attempts and headed chances conceded over the last six matches.
For those Fantasy managers not deploying the Free Hit chip, here’s a quick look at the remaining outlook:
Tricky looking away trips to Aston Villa and Chelsea follow Blank Gameweek 34, but if you do want to spot a potential weakness, Unai Emery’s men have UEFA Europa League semi-finals on either side.
Also, the performance against Brighton should give them hope for the home matches against Leeds and Everton.
MINUTES
Using our new Minutes Tracker, which you’ll find in the Members Area, we can view the game time of Spurs players under De Zerbi. A white block means they were not in the squad at all.
Pedro Porro (£5.1m), Micky van de Ven (£4.4m), Destiny Udogie (£4.3m), Gallagher, Kolo Muani and Solanke are the only outfield players to start both games under De Zerbi.
Simons was limited to a Gameweek 32 cameo but completed 90 minutes on Saturday.
TOP FPL PLAYER PICKS
THE DEFENCE
It’s pretty straightforward at the back, with Porro the stand-out pick.
Not only on set plays, he also leads the way for chances created under De Zerbi, with four a decent contribution for a defender:
Above: Spurs players sorted by chances created (CC) under Roberto De Zerbi
Porro also betters every other Spurs player except Solanke for shots since the appointment of De Zerbi, with six.
“Porro was taken off set-piece duties under Tudor; however, with the arrival of De Zerbi, those responsibilities have been restored. Not only that but he is also being asked to lead, or at the very least, join the attack from the right flank at every opportunity. Against Brighton on Saturday, we saw Porro no longer hugging the touchline, but cutting inside, which ultimately put him in the position to score. He is now the best Spurs defensive asset to own over Micky van de Ven. But given Spurs’ defensive fragility, I don’t fancy a double-up at the back.” – Sam
Kevin Danso (£4.2m), interestingly, is Tottenham’s top available defender for defensive contributions (DefCon) under the Italian, so he’s very much an option if you need someone cheaper.
Above: Spurs defenders sorted by defensive contributions per 90 (Tot) under Roberto De Zerbi
A word of warning on budget shot-stopper Antonin Kinsky (£3.9m), however.
“Some FPL managers might look at Kinsky as a replacement for Dubravka or Darlow, who don’t play in Gameweek 34, especially if Verbruggen is the other goalkeeper. However, I’d be careful with this: Vicario is due back from hernia surgery soon and should reclaim the number one spot, despite a couple of good performances from Kinsky.”– Sam
THE ATTACK
Simons has endured a difficult debut season in north London. De Zerbi only brought him off the bench against Sunderland, but he was the inspiration in Gameweek 33, creating the goal for Porro, before later finding the net with a superb strike.
Starting on the left but drifting infield, he ended the match with four shots, two chances created and 0.90 expected goal involvement (xGI).
In the aftermath, De Zerbi said he has a special connection with Simons, who appears to be at the heart of his plans.
“The attackers look more promising than the defenders at Spurs. Simons’ goal and assist on Saturday were his first attacking returns since Gameweek 24 and he was pivotal to our creative play. I am not worried about his cramps at the end as De Zerbi had already used all five substitutes and couldn’t swap him out, but I am expecting improved fitness and starts in all of our final five matches this season.” – Sam
As for Solanke, he bosses the underlying goal threat stats, with six shots, all inside the box, in the last two matches:
Above: Spurs players sorted by shots (Tot) under Roberto De Zerbi
That said, he’s a punt, given his mixed displays under De Zerbi thus far.
“In addition to Simons, Solanke is the other attacker I would look at. De Zerbi praised Solanke ahead of the Brighton match and he looks set to start over Richarlison. However, be mindful that he is a hard-working forward, so he might be better for Spurs in real life than as an FPL asset if he drops deeper to win the ball and start attacks. Hopefully he can channel the legend of Harry Kane, and that hard work brings with it enough attacking returns to keep us up!” – Sam
Rate My Team (RMT) indeed fancies Solanke as the top-scoring Spurs asset of the Gameweek.
Gallagher, meanwhile, started higher up the pitch and impressed on the eye in Gameweek 33, but it’s hard to place him above Simons and Solanke in the pecking order.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Nothing says Free Hit fever like considering players from Spurs, who are yet to win a Premier League match in 2026.
However, in a must-win encounter against the 20th-placed club, Simons or Solanke could still pay off.
De Zerbi surely needs to make Simons his main man for the final stretch, while Solanke’s appeal is enhanced by the lack of other quality forward options in Blank Gameweek 34.
One of these two players will likely be on penalties, too.
As for the defenders, Porro is the clear standout, and he at least has the attacking threat to fall back on if Spurs fail to keep a clean sheet.
Danso serves as the more affordable option with DefCon potential.
