It was reported on Friday that Yankuba Minteh (£6.0m) will be sidelined for two to three months with a leg injury he sustained in last Saturday’s friendly against Roma.
For Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers, this could have a significant knock-on effect.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side have a decent run of matches in the first seven Gameweeks, bar clashes with Chelsea and Arsenal. Given Aston Villa’s injury plight, the curtain-raiser against Unai Emery’s side doesn’t look bad, either:
FPL IMPACT
The Athletic believes that “there are no plans to sign a replacement” for Minteh, which, combined with Kaoru Mitoma‘s (£6.0m) injury, should ensure starts for Diego Gomez (£5.0m).
Last season, the Paraguayan began 25 of 28 available matches from Gameweek 6 onwards, scoring five times. He costs even less than the popular, cheap Pascal Gross (£5.5m).
Another interesting consequence is that FPL defender Maxim De Cuyper (£4.5m) could be used further up the pitch. He alternated between left-back, left-winger and being a substitute in 2025/26.
But, despite such limited minutes, the Belgian found time for two goals and three assists. The league’s number one defender for big chances created (nine) also came sixth for expected goal involvement (xGI, 5.95).
| GOMEZ STARTS | DE CUYPER STARTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Minteh + Mitoma both started | 9 matches | 2 | 5 |
| One of them started | 27 matches | 22 | 10 |
| Neither did | 2 matches | 2 | 2 |
Gameweek 38 was one of two matches where neither Minteh nor Mitoma started. Hurzeler then chose Gomez and De Cuyper as his wingers.
FPL managers may see this duo continue, as the young duo Zadok Yohanna (£5.0m) and Ibrahim Osman are very inexperienced. Perhaps they’ll be saved for continental action.
Additionally, an attacking De Cuyper probably locks in left-back Ferdi Kadioglu (£4.5m).
