Our ‘Buy, Keep or Sell’ article returns as we weigh up various transfer dilemmas for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers in Gameweek 36.
These are the players with the most transfers in/out ahead of Saturday’s deadline:
| Player | Transfers in (round) | Player | Transfers out (round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherki | 163,552 | J Pedro | 117,357 |
| Haaland | 139,350 | Thiago | 117,033 |
| Gyokeres | 131,641 | Bowen | 101,458 |
| O’Reilly | 97,216 | Timber | 79,239 |
| Sarr | 83,063 | Palmer | 75,508 |
| Mateta | 74,407 | Semenyo | 74,819 |
| Saka | 66,867 | Watkins | 70,226 |
| Lacroix | 57,809 | Wilson | 69,181 |
| Munoz | 53,483 | van Dijk | 69,173 |
| Doku | 53,444 | Rogers | 67,032 |
| Gibbs-White | 50,069 | Gibbs-White | 57,145 |
| Senesi | 49,559 | Ekitike | 48,264 |
| Okafor | 48,872 | Mbeumo | 43,688 |
| Welbeck | 48,117 | Rice | 39,407 |
| Semenyo | 47,351 | Tarkowski | 30,235 |
| Guehi | 35,757 | Enzo | 26,973 |
Whether some of these moves are a good idea remains open to debate – and that’s exactly what we’ll be wrestling with in this ‘Buy, Keep or Sell’ article.
VIKTOR GYOKERES
Viktor Gyokeres (£8.8m) has faced plenty of criticism this season, but with five goals across his last eight matches in all competitions, he is stepping up at just the right moment for Arsenal.
Fresh off the back of his best-ever Fantasy haul, the Sweden international is currently the third-most transferred-in player ahead of Gameweek 36.
Reflecting on his impact after Saturday’s 3-0 win over Fulham, Mikel Arteta said:
“He had a great performance. I think in Madrid, especially the first half, he was really good, and today, all the minutes that he’s played as well, his contribution with the goals. Every attacking action he was involved – scored two great goals. Position-wise, timing-wise as well – it’s something that we’ve been working on. It’s going to give him a big boost of energy to him and confidence to the team as well.” – Mikel Arteta on Viktor Gyokeres
Gyokeres’ minutes per goal ratio is actually the fifth-best in the division this season (minimum 500 minutes played), but he’s been a real flat-track bully, with just over 85% of his strikes coming against teams currently in the bottom half of the table.
Fortunately for him, West Ham United, Burnley and Crystal Palace are up next, all of whom are in the bottom six.
With Bukayo Saka (£9.8m) back fit and looking sharp, we could see an uptick in Arsenal’s creativity.
Gyokeres doesn’t tick every box, with Kai Havertz (£7.3m) surely eating into his minutes. Still, Arsenal’s remaining fixtures might make him worth a punt, especially for Fantasy managers looking to gain ground.
The Gunners have a UEFA Champions League semi-final to contest on Tuesday. However, if Gyokeres looks lively and emerges from that match without an injury, he could be a decent transfer in.
VERDICT: BUY – BUT ONLY IF WILLING TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES RISK
PALACE OPTIONS
With Palace assets on the radar for many Fantasy managers this week, we thought we’d take a closer look at Maxence Lacroix (£5.2m), Daniel Munoz (£5.9m), Ismaila Sarr (£6.4m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m).
Firstly, the defenders probably look more appealing than the attackers.
Lacroix has a 62.5% defensive contribution (DefCon) success rate over the season, with a bit of goal threat from set-pieces added in. As a centre-back, he’s probably one of the most secure outfielders for starts, too, although there is still a bit of risk attached given the schedule:
As for Munoz, he’s the higher-upside pick, having already racked up seven attacking returns this season. Nevertheless, the risk of minute management is increased with the wing-backs, as demonstrated by his substitution at half-time on Sunday.
The Palace attack might be best avoided altogether.
Sarr and Mateta have been benched in three of the last four Gameweeks, and given the possibility of managed minutes against Everton, followed by starts in the midweek trip to Man City, there’s an argument to overlook them.
If you’re willing to run the risk of rotation, Sarr looks the better pick, with the potential to take penalties when Mateta is off the pitch.
IGOR THIAGO
Igor Thiago (£7.4m) is Erling Haaland’s (£14.6m) closest rival for the Golden Boot, yet he is the second-most transferred-out player of Gameweek 36 so far.
The Brazilian has enjoyed a superb season, netting his 22nd Premier League goal of the campaign in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over West Ham.
It’s backed up by some solid underlying stats, including seven ‘big chances’ in his last six matches.
Although it seems unlikely that Thiago will profit from Brentford’s trip to Manchester City on Saturday, the subsequent fixture at the Gtech Community Stadium against Palace carries more appeal, especially considering his output on home turf.
Indeed, Thiago leads all players for expected goals (xG) in home matches this season:
After that, it’s a trip to Liverpool, who have kept just one clean sheet in eight league matches.
Brentford, meanwhile, are in seventh place, with the prospect of qualifying for Europe serving as additional motivation for Thiago and co.
VERDICT: KEEP
OLLIE WATKINS
Just a couple of weeks ago, Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) was hot property, having delivered three goals and one assist in three matches, amassing 27 points.
Eager to show his value after his exclusion from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, he racked up 10 shots and five big chances in that time.
“No one likes to be left out of the England squad. It always gives you that fuel in your belly to prove what you can do and prove people wrong. I was determined to show people what I can do, change my form around and I feel like I’ve done that. We’ll see where we are at the end of the season.
“I spoke to him [Tuchel] prior to the squad being announced. I think it was fair, my form wasn’t up to the level, so I had no animosity or anything towards him. I wasn’t playing my best football. What he said to me was personal, I’ve kept that… I think I needed that time away to get that fire back in my belly and use it as motivation, and I think it has definitely helped me.” – Ollie Watkins
But after successive blanks, including a benching on Sunday, the ‘transfers out’ page shows a decrease in Watkins’ ownership.
Aston Villa rank firmly towards the bottom of the Fixture Ticker in Gameweeks 36-38, with tricky encounters against Liverpool and Man City to come.
Up first, however, is a trip to relegated Burnley.
One positive aspect of Sunday’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur is that Unai Emery will need to go strong at Turf Moor, as there is now only a six-point buffer from sixth-placed Bournemouth.
As a result, Watkins is almost certainly worth keeping in Gameweek 36.
However, he’s a likely sell immediately after, especially if Villa triumph over Nottingham Forest in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday – the final takes place between Gameweeks 37 and 38!
VERDICT: KEEP FOR GAMEWEEK 36, THEN SELL
