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Minteh injury: Gomez and ‘OOP’ De Cuyper to benefit?

14 August 2026 210 comments
FPL Marc FPL Marc
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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:

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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 STARTSDE CUYPER STARTS
Minteh + Mitoma both started9 matches25
One of them started27 matches2210
Neither did2 matches22

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).

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FPL Marc Broadcaster, writer and overthinker. Hoping that ‘differential potential’ will catch on.

210 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. FPL Blow-In
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    1 day, 13 hours ago

    This is my BB gw2 team. Not moved in awhile from this but still have uncertainty over 1 or 2 spots. What are your thoughts?

    Lammens
    Gvardiol, Shaw, Hume
    Semenyo, Mbuemo, Wirtz, Le Fee
    Haaland, Isak, Pedro

    Rushworth, Kluivert, Thomas, Van Ew

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    1. Jacquet of all trades, mast…
      • 6 Years
      1 day, 13 hours ago

      Coventry played well today that could work

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    2. Jackie Moon
      • 8 Years
      1 day, 12 hours ago

      Really like it! I’m also on BB2, but have Bruno which means I’ve had to make some compromises. The Isak, Wirtz combo could be gold!

      No Arsenal defence is about the only concern for me.

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    3. Fulchester's New Centr…
      • 9 Years
      1 day, 12 hours ago

      Are Liverpool any good? Their own coach seems less than convinced they can do what he wants them to.

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      1. Ausman
        • 3 Years
        1 day, 9 hours ago

        Iraola’s system is completely different to what the players are used to, which is why I’m steering clear for now.

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    4. Jules-C
      1 day, 11 hours ago

      Looks very decent!

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  2. Jacquet of all trades, mast…
    • 6 Years
    1 day, 13 hours ago

    Rodon + Ballard / Brighton 5.0
    Or
    Muharemović + Hume / Brighton 4.5

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    1. Fulchester's New Centr…
      • 9 Years
      1 day, 12 hours ago

      Rodon getting encouraged to get forward a lot if he keeps his place. Are the Brighton two both defenders?

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  3. Tmel
    • 15 Years
    1 day, 12 hours ago

    FPL Draft and this is a trade offer so no alternatives... first half of the season, which pair do you prefer?

    a) Wirtz & O'Reilly
    b) Palmer & Van Hecke

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    1. Jackie Moon
      • 8 Years
      1 day, 12 hours ago

      A

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    2. Fulchester's New Centr…
      • 9 Years
      1 day, 12 hours ago

      Surely A has way more upside. Palmer could explode, but it is 2 seasons in a row now that he has been off form.

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    3. Jules-C
      1 day, 11 hours ago

      Definitely A, but be wary of O’Reilly in the first week

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  4. Jackie Moon
    • 8 Years
    1 day, 12 hours ago

    I was already eyeing out Gomez before hearing on Minteh’s injury, but this locks it in for a very cheap and good BB GW2… thoughts on this one?

    Roefs, Kinsky
    Calafiori, Mosquera, Shaw, Thomas, Van Ewijk
    Bruno, Mbeumo, Szoboszlai, Le Fee, Gomez
    Haaland, JPedro, DCL

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    1. Jules-C
      1 day, 11 hours ago

      Be careful with Mosquera if Arsenal do sign Konsa, might become an early transfer

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      1. Freshy
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 16 Years
        1 day, 10 hours ago

        Dont really get that assumption.
        Konsa isnt this straight into a top defensive teams starting 11
        If a top center back was available he would start a bidding war.
        I think they want him for depth.
        BTW Calafiori owner

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      2. Jackie Moon
        • 8 Years
        1 day, 10 hours ago

        Agreed. I’m keeping an eye on that. Don’t mind having to switch Mosquera to Konsa if he becomes first choice, saves me 1m.

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  5. D_R_S_PORT_S
    • 9 Years
    1 day, 12 hours ago

    Which combo for BB:
    1) N.Williams + O’nein
    Or.
    2) Aina + Mitchell/DeCuyper(double up with verbruggen)

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    1. Jules-C
      1 day, 11 hours ago

      Depends on whether you want to go longer term, then B, otherwise probably A

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  6. D15jones
    • 4 Years
    1 day, 12 hours ago

    Thoughts on this team:
    Verbruggen, Leno
    Mosquera, Tark, Maguire, Van Hecke, Ajer
    Bruno F, Szob, Grob, Scott, Ampadu
    Haaland, João Pedro, DCL

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    1. Jules-C
      1 day, 11 hours ago

      Looks decent, but I prefer Kluivert over Scott probably

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  7. Letsgo!
    • 9 Years
    1 day, 12 hours ago

    Gross or gomez?

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    1. Jules-C
      1 day, 11 hours ago

      Gross if you have the extra 0.5

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    2. The FPL Units
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 16 Years
      1 day, 9 hours ago

      Gomez for the 5th mid

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  8. Jules-C
    1 day, 12 hours ago

    With regards to de Cuyper, do we really expect him to start? If so, I think I prefer him over Hume/Ajer etc.

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    1. The Tonberry
      • 2 Years
      1 day, 11 hours ago

      De Cuyper isn't nailed for Brighton. Kadioglu often plays down the left and with Brighton also having to juggle European fixtures in the first couple of gameweeks, I'd avoid De Cuyper (and most Brighton players) for the season start

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      1. Jules-C
        1 day, 11 hours ago

        What 4.5 would be your pick? Currently I’m on Ajer, but the Brighton 4.5’s do rotate really nicely into my squad

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        1. The Tonberry
          • 2 Years
          1 day, 10 hours ago

          The 4.5 pool is littered with okay but not great options. Most of them are good to pick for the first couple of weeks though.

          Shaw is okay for the first week (maybe the 2nd week if Utd haven't signed anyone by the deadline). Similar with Hume in that he's more likely to start the fixtures now than later on in the season.

          Ajer is probably the best long term option to leave him in your team until whenever you wildcard. Rodon is also a decent shout at that price for someone medium to long term.

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          1. Jules-C
            1 day, 10 hours ago

            Cheers, appreciate it! I think I’ll stick with Ajer then as I already have Lammens and Maguire as well

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        2. The FPL Units
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 16 Years
          1 day, 9 hours ago

          I've been deciding between Ajer and Aina.

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          1. Jules-C
            1 day, 6 hours ago

            Thanks for the advice! Aina I’ve looked at as well, but he doesn’t rotate as nicely for me unfortunately

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  9. The Tonberry
    • 2 Years
    1 day, 11 hours ago

    Really torn on whether to BB1 or BB2.

    This is my base squad with gaps to be filled depending on when I BB:

    Lammens Kinsky
    Calafiori Gvardiol x x x
    Semenyo Wirtz Mbeumo Szob x
    Haaland Pedro DCL

    Which is the best to go with?

    BB1 - White, Shaw, Gross, O'Shea
    BB2 - Maguire, Rodon, Le Fee, Van Ewijk

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    1. Jules-C
      1 day, 11 hours ago

      I would mainly check which option rotates best for you so you don’t force yourself into an early WC

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      1. The Tonberry
        • 2 Years
        1 day, 10 hours ago

        Rotation wise they both work well enough. I'm edging towards BB2 as I feel I will score more from my bench that week and it's set up a little better to take on GW4 and GW5.

        With either team, the plan is to roll until GW4 and use 2 transfers then to bring in a Palace and Chelsea player. Will assess in GW6 whether it's worth wildcarding or using the transfers built up to shuffle the team

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        1. Jules-C
          1 day, 10 hours ago

          In general I like the players of GW2 better as well! Prefer Maguire over Shaw, Le Fee is quite equal to Gross, and v.Ewijk probably better than O’Shea

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  10. The FPL Units
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 16 Years
    1 day, 10 hours ago

    Trying this again after stupid response last time.

    If we are going no Raya or Gab, thinking may as well swerve Arsenal defense altogether, maybe pick them up later when we know who is nailed/ Saliba back etc.

    Just go for Defcon players across the back, in the 5 to 5.5 range and beef up the midfield.

    What a we thinking?

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    1. Albrightondknight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      1 day, 10 hours ago

      I don’t mind this but I am completely opposite with 3 Arsenal players to start but only as I will WC 4. At which point the DC defenders and mids will have to come in to accommodate other players I want. There is no doubting the value of DC players but it’s about trying to find cheaper ones this year.
      On Arsenal you could say the fixtures are bad at the start GWs 2 and 3 but 4 to 7 look tasty. Not as good without Saliba but still the best defence by a mile.
      Hope this ain’t a stupid reply 🙂

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      1. The FPL Units
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 16 Years
        1 day, 8 hours ago

        Great reply thanks, as always depends on chip strategy and I would more inclined to no brainer pick if we knew who was nailed/good minutes. Konsa could yet be an option if he moves, probs be in everyone's team.

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    2. The Tonberry
      • 2 Years
      1 day, 10 hours ago

      I feel Raya and Gabriel are overpriced and not fantastic value but there's value in the Arsenal defenders priced at 5.5 - especially with Timber and Saliba injured medium to long term.

      I still expect Arsenal to keep more clean sheets than most even with their injuries.

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      1. The FPL Units
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 16 Years
        1 day, 7 hours ago

        I've been playing around with drafts and it's a choice between Gab/Anderson(6.5)/Sangare(5.5) vs Ballard(5.0)/Mbuemo/Semenyo

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        1. The FPL Units
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 16 Years
          1 day, 7 hours ago

          Something like this

          Kinsky (4.0)
          Aina Kayode Vuskovic Muharemović (4.0)
          Szoboszlai Bruno Mbeumo Semenyo (Norgaard)
          Haaland Pedro (4.5)

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    3. Ausman
      • 3 Years
      1 day, 8 hours ago

      I agree with your strategy, it’s exactly what I am doing. No Saliba and Timber makes that defence weaker, and it only takes one goal to say goodbye clean sheet. They may have been the best defence last season, but now they are the hunted rather than the hunters.
      Opposing managers have had time to break down their team and look for weaknesses, and missing two of their best defenders is one of them.

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      1. The FPL Units
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 16 Years
        1 day, 7 hours ago

        That could be a likely scenario, the other thing is they don't score a lot of defcons (except Gab, but mainly cs and some attacking returns) and a second machine may do better as not reliant on cs or attacking returns.

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    4. Jules-C
      1 day, 6 hours ago

      I can follow your reasoning but I would make sure to have players like VVD or Tark to have an easy jump off point later on

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  11. Albrightondknight
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 11 Years
    1 day, 10 hours ago

    Ok will trying to keep this short.
    Current team below it’s all attack the promoted teams for 3 GWs then WC 4
    O’Reilly can be VVD etc a lot of picks are obviously still dependent on last pre season games
    Only plan is a hit in GW3 before the WC
    Mbeumbo Pedro and Brobbey
    To Isak Watkins and a 4.5

    Verbruggen Kinsky

    O’Reilly Mosquera Calafiori Shaw Ajer

    Mbeumbo Wirtz Semenyo Tzolis Norgaard

    Haaland Pedro Brobbey

    Attack of promoted teams
    GW1 BB - 6
    GW2 - just the 2 utd players
    GW3 - 6

    Take a break for looking at options or it might work?

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    1. Albrightondknight
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      1 day, 9 hours ago

      A variant with Gvardiol / Jacque over VVD / O’reilly would allow
      Kinsky to Lammens
      And Norgaard to Gros

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    2. The Tonberry
      • 2 Years
      1 day, 9 hours ago

      I'm not sure I'd take a hit a week before I wildcard.

      If I can put out a playing XI that week, I'd just roll the transfer and have that carried over after the wildcard where the extra transfer will be valuable later on. GW3 is not that great either for one week punts and it's not worth a hit for - especially if you're gonna change the whole team the following week anyway.

      For your team, I think I'd rather have Gvardiol over O'Reilly and use the 1.0 to upgrade Norgaard to a 6.0 player

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      1. Albrightondknight
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 11 Years
        1 day, 9 hours ago

        Thanks. I get the point of hey don’t go crazy taking a hit the week before a WC but the plan is attack and go diff for 3 weeks. I can’t see how anyone would have Watkins unless on a FH in 3.
        Anyway of course there won’t be any injuries or fires and this plan will stay intact.
        Gvardiol is a good idea just need to see him start CS. I would probably then get Lammens in and might even keep 0.5 in the bank if Norgaard looks like a starter each week.

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  12. Well you know, Triffic
    • 16 Years
    1 day, 5 hours ago

    Any other 'old timer' fpl players conflicted between choosing attacking wing backs vs. boring reliable defcon defenders?

    The game has undoubtedly changed but I want to pick the likes of Williams, Palestra and Porro. However they would need a lot of attacking output to match the defcon equivalents.

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    1. PascalCygan
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 8 Years
      1 day, 4 hours ago

      Tricky isn’t it? I still have a little of the old instinct to back the full-backs (World Cup was a nice throwback) but as you say you’re relying on attacking returns coming more regularly than usual. Think it makes more sense to back good defensive teams or fixtures with defcon candidates, and then use your attacking positions for open play threat. Semenyo, Foden, Wirtz etc - models don’t like them as much due to lack of set-pieces but they are dangerous players with huge upside

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  13. KAPTAIN KANE SERVES THE PAI…
    • 9 Years
    1 day, 5 hours ago

    I still think 5th mid should be 5.5, sure Gomez might be great at 5.0 but if he flops there is no straight swap to anyone.

    At 5.5 there’s a few decent options.

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