A bumper international break is officially over, so our ‘Buy, Keep or Sell’ article returns as we consider various transfer dilemmas for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers in Gameweek 6.
These are the players with the most transfers in/out ahead of Saturday’s deadline…
| Player | Transfers in (round) | Player | Transfers out (round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross | 864,697 | J Pedro | 432,384 |
| Schade | 443,144 | Szoboszlai | 240,671 |
| Kostoulas | 356,097 | B Fernandes | 214,781 |
| De Cuyper | 333,939 | Palmer | 201,858 |
| Hall | 277,298 | Calvert-Lewin | 189,169 |
| Tarkowski | 258,493 | Elanga | 178,569 |
| Brobbey | 199,400 | Tzolis | 172,330 |
| Rogers | 185,295 | Wissa | 153,660 |
| Barnes | 183,917 | M Sangare | 150,510 |
| Gvardiol | 161,191 | Mbeumo | 144,634 |
| Saka | 160,342 | Kinsky | 124,306 |
The merit of some of these moves is open to debate – and that’s exactly what we’ll be weighing up in this article.
BRIGHTON PLAYERS
Ahead of Gameweek 6, Pascal Gross (£5.9m), Charalampos Kostoulas (£5.6m) and Maxim De Cuyper (£5.0m) are the most-bought players in their respective positions.
It’s no surprise.
The Brighton and Hove Albion trio are in fine form, and have the underlying numbers to back it up:
| Players | Starts (subbed on) | Mins | Shots | Chances created | Expected goal involvement (xGI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross | 5 | 450 | 10 | 15 | 2.63 |
| Kostoulas | 4 (1) | 357 | 13 | 2 | 1.42 |
| De Cuyper | 5 | 424 | 7 | 11 | 2.22 |
But while Gross, who has multiple routes to points, could continue to excel if his minutes are managed in Europe, there may be better alternatives to Kostoulas and De Cuyper.
Georginio Rutter (£5.3m) was back on the bench for Albion prior to the international break, replacing Kostoulas in the 75th minute against Arsenal. Remember, the Frenchman started the season as Fabian Hurzeler’s first-choice centre-forward.
Given Brighton’s schedule (see below), it may be difficult to pinpoint which matches Kostoulas starts in the upcoming period. Gonzalo Garcia (£6.0m) or Thierno Barry (£5.7m) may be better options to consider, then.
Image from Legomane
De Cuyper has profited from playing out of position as a left-winger in Gameweeks 1–5. His role on set plays has helped him create 11 chances – the most of any FPL defender – making him one to keep for now.
- READ MORE: The FPL half-term report: Brighton
However, with wingers Yankuba Minteh (£5.8m) and Kaoru Mitoma (£5.9m) both set to return from injury in the coming weeks, plus some iffy upcoming fixtures from a clean sheet perspective, other players like Lewis Hall (£5.3m) or Antonio Silva (£5.0m) may appeal more as longer-term ‘buys’.
Brighton also sit 14th for expected goals conceded (xGC) over the first five Gameweeks, so they’ve perhaps been fortunate to keep three clean sheets.
BUKAYO SAKA
Bukayo Saka (£9.6m) has taken 15 shots so far this season, the most of any Arsenal player.
Most of these have come from dangerous positions inside the box, which the graphic below clearly shows…
This season, it definitely feels like there has been an instruction from Mikel Arteta to get Saka into central areas in the attacking phase. This is backed up by his goals against Coventry City and Aston Villa.
Certainly, if he keeps putting up the numbers he currently is, Saka looks primed to hit double figures for Premier League goals.
As for his immediate prospects, the international break injury to Kai Havertz (£7.6m) is a blow, given the fluidity he brings to the Arsenal attack. In the Germans’ absence, you suspect Viktor Gyokeres (£7.1m) will get plenty of playing time, which will probably impact Saka taking penalties.
However, he still has set plays, lots of open-play threat and some decent fixtures ahead, with Arsenal top for projected goals over the next six Gameweeks.
As a result, Gameweek 6 feels like a decent opportunity to buy Saka.
A complete rest in England’s win over Czechia on Tuesday was also very welcome.
VERDICT: BUY
BRUNO FERNANDES / BRYAN MBEUMO
Bruno Fernandes (£11.9m) hasn’t been at his best since his 23-point haul against Ipswich Town in Gameweek 2.
In the three subsequent matches, he’s produced only six points.
He’s also had just one big chance involvement from eight shots and seven chances created.
But Bruno has hit the woodwork twice in that period and remains his side’s most important player, so he’s probably worth keeping for Gameweek 6. Indeed, the Portuguese playmaker returned both home and away against Tottenham Hotspur last season.
How Manchester United get on this Saturday, though, will probably determine whether he’s worth keeping beyond that, with Michael Carrick’s men fifth-bottom of the ticker in Gameweeks 7-12.
The same applies to Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m), who has looked like United’s most dangerous attacker in the early weeks…
The potential return of Amad Diallo (£5.7m) from injury could be key for both players, as the Man Utd attack tends to function much better when he is available.
VERDICT: KEEP, REASSESS IN GAMEWEEK 7
DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN
After two blanks in his last three matches, Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s (£6.0m) ownership is falling, with Leeds United firmly towards the bottom of the Fixture Ticker over the next six Gameweeks…
But if you own Calvert-Lewin, is there an argument to keep the faith?
After Saturday’s trip to Arsenal (maybe you can play someone else this weekend?), upcoming opponents Man Utd, Sunderland and Bournemouth have combined for just one clean sheet. Prior to those matches, each of those teams will play in midweek, too.
As for Chelsea, their last shut-out was in January.
Also, while Calvert-Lewin may have blanked in Gameweeks 3 and 5, he missed three big chances in those matches.
So, owners probably don’t need to be in any rush to sell Calvert-Lewin, particularly given Leeds’ unbeaten start to the season, plus their lack of involvement in Europe/EFL Cup, with plenty of rest time in between matches.
VERDICT: KEEP
NEWCASTLE PLAYERS
Newcastle United have four players represented in the table above, so like Brighton, we thought we’d round them up in one section.
Firstly, the immediate fixtures are pretty good for Matthias Jaissle’s side. They rank fifth on the ticker in Gameweeks 6-10…
BEING BOUGHT…
Lewis Hall (£5.3m) and Harvey Barnes (£6.1m) are both in the ‘transfers in’ column.
Hall is a high upside pick at the back, so we have no reservations here. He has banked defensive contribution (DefCon) points in three of his five matches.
There is plenty of attacking threat, too, with five shots and five chances created, helped by a prominent role on set plays.
As for Barnes, he probably doesn’t carry quite as much appeal as Marcus Tavernier (£6.1m) in his price bracket, which we discussed in much more detail here.
However, given Newcastle’s increased left-flank focus under Jaissle, with 42% of the Magpies’ attacks coming from that side of the pitch, both Barnes and Hall feel like solid picks to attack the next five Gameweeks.
… AND BEING SOLD
Meanwhile, Anthony Elanga (£6.1m) and Yoane Wissa (£6.2m) appear in the ‘transfers out’ column.
Elanga currently has a hamstring injury with no set return date. Given the appeal of others in his price bracket, with more routes to points, he feels like an easy sell.
Wissa missed a penalty prior to the international break. However, while his minutes remain good (he’s averaging 88.4 minutes per appearance this season), he’s probably a hold given the fixtures.
If he underperforms against Coventry City on Monday, you could potentially consider a future transfer to Garcia.
