Our ‘Buy, Keep or Sell’ article returns for the 2026/27 season, as we consider various transfer dilemmas for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers ahead of Gameweek 2.
These are the players with the most transfers in/out ahead of Friday’s deadline…
| Player | Transfers in (round) | Player | Transfers out (round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calafiori | 130,826 | Porro | 176,401 |
| De Cuyper | 125,333 | Konsa | 93,569 |
| M Sangare | 118,015 | Gyokeres | 81,757 |
| Odegaard | 110,030 | van de Ven | 70,954 |
| Kayode | 101,335 | Sarr | 60,173 |
| Tzolis | 89,246 | Watkins | 56,566 |
| Havertz | 72,310 | Mbeumo | 56,118 |
| Szoboszlai | 63,103 | Fernandes | 52,392 |
| Gvardiol | 56,927 | Rice | 50,913 |
| Cherki | 54,963 | B Guimaraes | 49,916 |
The merit of some of these moves is open to debate – and that’s exactly what we’ll be weighing up in this article.
MAXIM DE CUYPER
After his heroics on Sunday, Maxim De Cuyper (£4.5m) is understandably at the forefront of many Fantasy managers’ minds.
Playing ‘out-of-position’ as a left winger in Fabian Hurzeler’s 4-2-3-1, he delivered 17 points, thanks to a goal, a Fantasy assist, a clean sheet and two bonus points.
With a large portion of Brighton and Hove Albion’s attacks funnelled down his flank, De Cuyper recorded four shots and three chances created, albeit against a sorry Aston Villa side.
Still, that combination of clean sheet and attacking potential is hard to pass up.
Above: Brighton’s average position map v Aston Villa, featuring De Cuyper (No 29)
De Cuyper is currently playing on the left wing because Brighton have key injuries in this position, with Yankuba Minteh (£6.0m) out for 2-3 months – and linked with a move away from the club. There is no definitive return date set for Kaoru Mitoma (£6.0m), either.
Albion could strengthen in this area in the transfer market this month. But for now, De Cuyper looks like a very decent £4.5m defender.
However, might it be too premature to make a move for him this week?
Potentially, as a tricky trip to Chelsea in Gameweek 2 is preceded by a Conference League play-off against Tromso on Thursday. De Cuyper was a sub in the first leg last week, with Ibrahim Osman (£5.0m) preferred, but with the tie finely poised, he could have a bigger role to play.
Given the above, Chelsea away probably isn’t the ideal entry point, so you could perhaps consider De Cuyper in Gameweek 3.
VERDICT: KEEP, POTENTIAL BUY IN GAMEWEEK 3
MAMADOU SANGARE
Brentford man Mamadou Sangare (£5.5m) was superb on his Premier League debut on Saturday.
In a box-to-box role, where he could set the tone in the middle of the park, he racked up 13 defensive contributions (DefCon) in only 76 minutes of football.
Remember, he reached the DefCon threshold in 18 of his 27 Ligue 1 starts last season, and averaged an impressive 14.2 DefCons per 90 minutes.
Based on Saturday’s evidence, he’ll chip in with a few attacking returns, too.
Indeed, Sangare supplied two assists against Tottenham Hotspur (one Opta, one Fantasy), with the second assist coming from a shot rebound.
A trip to a resilient Leeds United outfit in Gameweek 2 will be a much tougher test for Brentford.
However, given his weekly DefCon potential, plus his modest price tag, there doesn’t appear to be any reason not to buy Sangare as a set-and-forget option.
VERDICT: BUY
RAYAN CHERKI
With two assists and four chances created off the bench against Bournemouth, Rayan Cherki (£7.5m) has caught the attention of many Fantasy managers.
The Frenchman delivered a corner assist for the equaliser on Sunday, then added another late on with a lovely threaded pass.
“The impact was unbelievable. He is that kind of player.” – Enzo Maresca on Rayan Cherki
Cherki is still getting up to speed after the World Cup, which likely explains his substitute role here. However, with another week of training under his belt, he’ll be pushing hard for a start in Gameweek 2.
If you’re willing to run the risk of rotation, fine.
After all, when Cherki gets sufficient minutes, he typically delivers. He averaged 5.8 points per start in 2025/26, which was only beaten by three other regular starters.
That said, there is still some uncertainty about Cherki’s minutes. So, although it probably won’t be long before he is starting games in a No 10 role, he is firmly on the ones to watch pile for now.
If Cherki impresses at Crystal Palace, he could be a top buy in Gameweek 3.
Certainly, with Cherki looking sharp, we could see an uptick in Erling Haaland’s (£15.5m) output at Selhurst Park.
VERDICT: KEEP, POTENTIAL BUY IN GAMEWEEK 3
BRYAN MBEUMO / BRUNO FERNANDES
Having blanked in Gameweek 1, the ‘transfers out’ page shows a drop in Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) and Bruno Fernandes’ (£12.0m) ownership.
Deployed off the right flank, Mbeumo did at least look the most dangerous of the Manchester United attackers. He twice could easily have scored against Hull City, with four shots in total:
As for Fernandes, as is so often the case, if he is poor, United are poor.
But next up is newly-promoted Ipswich Town at Old Trafford, who, despite playing well at home to Sunderland, are likely to give up more chances on the road. In isolation, that fixture makes it very difficult to advocate selling Mbeumo and Fernandes.
Spaces could open up for Mbeumo, with left-back Leif Davis (£4.0m) pushing forward and sometimes inverting into midfield. Fernandes is United’s penalty-taker and creator-in-chief.
Therefore, it may be wise to allow both players one more week, rather than remove them prematurely.
Should they fail to impress again, they could both be sells after Ipswich.
VERDICT: KEEP – REASSESS IN GAMEWEEK 3
ARSENAL PLAYERS
With as many as eight Arsenal players represented in the table above, we thought we’d round them up in one section.
Firstly, the immediate fixtures are probably more favourable than they initially appear on the Fixture Ticker. Aston Villa, for example, are in disarray, while the Chelsea match takes place at home, where Arsenal generally perform well. The Blues have also not beaten Mikel Arteta’s side in five years.
BEING BOUGHT…
In the ‘transfers in’ column, we have Riccardo Calafiori (£5.5m), Martin Odegaard (£6.5m), Christos Tzolis (£6.5m) and Kai Havertz (£7.5m).
The only player we have some reservations about here is Havertz, with Viktor Gyokeres (£7.5m) lurking. Friday was perhaps a glimpse at the centre-forward pecking order at Arsenal this season, but ideally, more information is needed before bringing him into your team.
Calafiori meanwhile is the high-upside pick in the Arsenal defence. Going forward, few FPL defenders can match his attacking potential. We subsequently think he’s worth the risk, even if Piero Hincapie (£5.5m) could sometimes eat into his minutes.
Moving further up the pitch, Odegaard and Tzolis have the potential to offer serious value in midfield. Given the departure of Leandro Trossard and the uncertain future of Gabriel Martinelli (£6.5m), Tzolis’ prospects look really positive.
…AND BEING SOLD
Ezri Konsa (£4.5m), Bruno Guimaraes (£7.0m), Declan Rice (£7.5m) and Gyokeres appear in the ‘transfers out’ column.
Gameweek 4 might be a better time to consider Konsa, if you’re buying anew. That’s because he could gradually be integrated into the starting XI, with a trip to his former club up first. If you’ve got him already, he’s a hold – so long as you’ve got someone else to play this weekend.
Bruno is currently injured, so we’ll need another fitness update from Arteta before making any decisions regarding him. Anything but a clean bill of health later in the week, and it’s hard to argue against selling him.
Gyokeres, too, eats up too much budget to swallow as a significant rotation risk.
Finally, Rice seems to be a player to hold for now, given his lively performance on Friday. He also retained corners from the left. Of course, Odegaard and Tzolis are both cheaper, which could warrant consideration for a future, budget-freeing transfer.
