Our ‘Buy, Keep or Sell’ article returns as we consider various transfer dilemmas for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers in Gameweek 4.
These are the players with the most transfers in/out ahead of Saturday’s deadline…
| Player | Transfers in (round) | Player | Transfers out (round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gakpo | 414,473 | O’Reilly | 249,609 |
| Rogers | 320,877 | Szoboszlai | 234,552 |
| Isak | 276,968 | B Fernandes | 188,628 |
| Wissa | 242,530 | Mbeumo | 169,140 |
| Palmer | 241,752 | Calvert-Lewin | 168,286 |
| De Cuyper | 199,341 | Tzolis | 158,226 |
| Konsa | 188,250 | Shaw | 137,078 |
| Calafiori | 186,363 | Ndiaye | 135,065 |
| Hall | 184,669 | Cherki | 134,863 |
| Odegaard | 157,826 | Thiago | 132,516 |
The merit of some of these moves is open to debate – and that’s exactly what we’ll be weighing up in this article.
CODY GAKPO / DOMINIK SZOBOSZLAI
It’s now four attacking returns in three matches for Cody Gakpo (£7.2m), who supplied two superb assists at Ipswich Town on Friday.
In that period, he’s probably been Liverpool’s most influential attacker.
In terms of the underlying numbers, the Dutchman has combined seven shots with eight chances created across the first three matches.
Used as a number nine for the final half-an-hour in Gameweek 3, on the surface, it all looks pretty positive for Gakpo.
That’s absolutely the case in Gameweek 4, when Liverpool host Fulham, who are second-bottom for expected goals conceded (xGC).
They’ve had issues defending their right side, too, as captured below.
Above: Fulham’s goals conceded map in 2026/27
But we can’t be 100% sure how Liverpool will line up on Saturday. Could Andoni Iraola shift Gakpo away from the left flank, given that Bradley Barcola (£8.0m) has surely been signed to play in his favoured position?
And what about Victor Munoz (£6.5m), who was again impressive on the right at Portman Road?
It’s a nice problem for the Basque tactician to have, but the positional uncertainty isn’t ideal for Fantasy managers.
After Gameweek 4, it’s a mixed bag of fixtures for Liverpool…
So, while Gakpo could deliver against Fulham on Saturday, his prospects beyond that aren’t quite so encouraging. Certainly when you factor in the Reds’ Champions League commitments.
“Cody knows how much we value him, I think there is no doubt. I rate him very highly. I will demand from him, obviously, because there is also a strong competition for minutes because we have good players in those positions and it’s a matter of pushing each other. With Bradley [Barcola], with Rio [Ngumoha], with Victor [Munoz], it’s a matter that sometimes they will start, sometimes they come from the bench, sometimes they will not play. But this competition, I think is going to be good for all of them.” – Andoni Iraola on Cody Gakpo
As for Dominik Szoboszlai (£7.0m), on another day, he hauls in Gameweek 3. He had three shots from outside the box saved by Kjell Scherpen (£4.5m). He nearly won a penalty, too, which he probably would have taken.
Also, with Ronald Araujo (£5.4m) performing well at right-back, Szoboszlai should spend most of his time in the middle of the park.
Given his multiple routes to points, Szoboszlai, like Gakpo, is a ‘keep’.
However, given the fixture outlook, plus positional uncertainty, we don’t consider Gakpo an immediate priority buy.
VERDICT: BOTH KEEPS
MAMADOU SANGARE
Mamadou Sangare (£5.7m) is 13th for transfers out this week.
He’s racked up 18 points across the first three Gameweeks, a decent enough return.
But just four of those points have arrived in the last two Gameweeks. He was subbed off at half-time against Sunderland on Saturday, too.
Sangare had been booked, but he was also unable to break up play as effectively as he had done previously, with only one successful tackle.
After his substitution, Brentford improved.
“We started fighting more [in the second-half], we won more duels, we did the ugly side of the game, which then enabled us to go and play. We played with more courage in the second-half. A little bit more conviction. So yeah, I thought there was a real improvement.” – Keith Andrews
Early subs won’t help Sangare hit the defensive contribution (DefCon) threshold, of course. However, he’s still averaging 13.71 DefCons per 90 minutes.
But will he start in Gameweek 4?
That’s less clear-cut, given the impact of his replacement, Yehor Yarmoliuk (£4.9m), who tightened up the Brentford midfield considerably.
Given his price, DefCon potential and a bit of attacking threat (six shots and four chances created in 210 minutes), we think you should look to bench Sangare this week if possible, then reassess ahead of Gameweek 5.
VERDICT: KEEP
EZRI KONSA
With Cristhian Mosquera (5.4m) out injured, Ezri Konsa (£4.4m) made his full Arsenal debut in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea.
In an assured display, he played the full 90 minutes and hit the DefCon threshold.
“I think he played 11 minutes [before this match], he had five or six training sessions. The way he played tonight against this opponent, playing man-to-man against Joao Pedro, he was phenomenal.” – Mikel Arteta on Ezri Konsa
It’s too early to say if Konsa will be a week-in, week-out starter while William Saliba (£6.0m) is out injured, certainly with any conviction. However, Mikel Arteta will surely want stability in this position, so you’d think he will keep the shirt for now, even when Mosquera is fit.
Mosquera was forced off with a muscle issue in Gameweek 2. At the time, his withdrawal sounded precautionary, but he completely missed out on Sunday, so it’s clearly one to monitor.
“He had a muscular issue. We think it is not too much but we need to wait and see in the next few days how it evolves.” – Mikel Arteta on Cristhian Mosquera
Mosquera remains a doubt for the midweek trip to Napoli, with further updates expected throughout the week.
Given his price of only £4.4m, which is quite frankly ridiculous for an Arsenal defender, we believe Konsa is a straightforward buy.
The Gunners have conceded only 0.89 expected goals (xG) across the first three Gameweeks, having also faced the fewest shots, with 24.
VERDICT: BUY
DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN
Leeds United forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) has blanked in two of his first three matches.
Against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, he missed two Opta ‘big chances’, and was later subbed off in the 72nd minute for Lukas Nmecha (£5.4m).
10 points from three Gameweeks clearly isn’t enough, particularly when other similarly priced forwards like Yoane Wissa (£6.1m), Gonzalo Garcia (£6.0m) and Thierno Barry (£5.5m) have better upcoming fixtures.
However, we think Calvert-Lewin is probably worth holding onto.
That’s because Leeds have back-to-back home matches against Newcastle United and Crystal Palace coming up. Typically, on home turf, the Whites tend to perform better.
It’s a small sample size, but both Newcastle and Palace also rank among the worst six teams for xGC.
Given the fixture swing, you could then potentially switch out Calvert-Lewin for Garcia in Gameweek 6:
VERDICT: KEEP, POTENTIAL SELL IN GAMEWEEK 6
ILIMAN NDIAYE
Iliman Ndiaye (£5.9m) made his Manchester City debut on the left wing in Gameweek 3.
But thrown straight in, with Phil Foden (£7.0m) benched, he failed to really get going, and overall, it wasn’t a great performance.
“Ili [Ndiaye] had just two sessions with us. He needs to understand how to move. Most of the time he was moving in the wrong way, wrong position, but again, he needs to learn, and for sure, he will learn.
“When Marc Guehi had the ball, he was dropping a lot, and we don’t need that. We need him in the last third, so he can a little bit more higher. That space was more for Josko Gvardiol to go there. It was the same thing on the other side, when Khusa[nov] had the ball, sometimes Antoine [Semenyo] was dropping.
“But again, it’s normal. With time, they’re going to learn the way we want them to play.” – Enzo Maresca
With further training time, the output is sure to come. However, given the above criticism, Ndiaye’s place in the team for the Manchester derby is far from secure.
As a long-term hold, we have our doubts.
Firstly, Ndiaye won’t be on penalties anymore, certainly not with Erling Haaland (£15.5m) around.
He probably won’t play 90 minutes on a regular basis, either, which in turn will impact his ability to bank DefCons. Not that Manchester City wingers are renowned for this, anyway.
As a result, we think Ndiaye is a sell this week, perhaps for Kieran Dewsbury-Hall (£6.5m) or James Garner (£6.0m).
VERDICT: SELL
