Lanzini can provide cheaper route into West Ham attack

Now that the first international break of the season is out of the way, it’s time to make those all-important FPL decisions once again.

Differentials continue to play a part in that as we prepare for Gameweek 5.

Last time out there was more success for this column as David Silva delivered the goods with two nifty assists in Manchester City’s win over Brighton for a 10-point haul.

Is there another player with his quality waiting to be snapped up? Here are three low-owned players worth considering for Gameweek 5…

Manuel Lanzini 

Price: £6.5m

Ownership: 3.3% 

GW5 Opponent: Aston Villa (A)

It is no coincidence that West Ham’s attack struggled at times last season with Manuel Lanzini (£6.5m) sidelined by a long-term injury.

Now fully fit, the Argentinian has started all four of the Hammers league games since August. 

For players priced at £6.5m or less, Lanzini is ranked joint seventh for final third touches (85). Due to his involvement with set pieces, he also averages 27 minutes for every chance created, which at present is better than the likes of Mason Mount (36 minutes) and Todd Cantwell (44 minutes).

With Sébastian Haller in-form up top, the expectation is for Lanzini to potentially increase his output of assists. 

But he’s also more than capable of scoring, having netted 19 Premier League goals during his first three seasons for West Ham. 

 Dare I say it, is he a bandwagon waiting to happen? His next opponents are an Aston Villa team that have only kept one clean sheet this season having conceded more shots than any other side so far. 

West Ham will relish such an encounter considering their recent goal-scoring run and without a doubt, Lanzini should be key to their attack on Monday night.

Son Heung-min

Price: £9.5m

Ownership: 2.7% 

GW5 Opponent: Crystal Palace (H)

It’s surprising to think that a player with 38 goals and 25 assists over the last three Premier League seasons is owned by only a handful of Fantasy managers right now. 

Then again, Son Heung-min (£9.5m) was suspended for the first two games of the campaign. 

Tottenham have had a mixed and unsettled start to 2019/20. Son’s absence did not prevent them from scoring goals in their opening two matches but they certainly missed his energy up top. 

Since his return to first-team action, he has already registered eight shots on goal, four of which were on target.

Son’s assist in Gameweek 4, winning a penalty for his team, could be an indication of what is to come. 

He hasn’t scored so far, but based on his pedigree it won’t be long until he finds the back of the net again. 

Tottenham’s next Premier League opponents are Crystal Palace and Son has scored three goals in five competitive games against them. 

Having said that, he was playing in a World Cup qualifier in Central Asia on Tuesday night which could put him at a slight risk of rotation for Gameweek 5.

After all, Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t been afraid on occasion to bench the South Korean immediately after previous international breaks. 

That’s the only concern with buying Son right now. But can Tottenham afford any more slip-ups? If he’s fully fit I see no reason why he won’t start on Saturday.

Danny Ings

Price: £6.0m

Ownership: 2.2% 

GW5 Opponent: Sheffield United (A)

It’s fair to say that there’s not been a strong collective desire to buy Southampton’s players over the past two seasons. 

They are no longer a source of reliable clean sheets and it has also been hard to trust their attacking assets either.

The Saints’ fixtures since August haven’t exactly helped their cause either, having faced Liverpool and Manchester United in short succession. 

In spite of these challenges. Danny Ings (£6.0m) has scored a goal and chipped in with an assist. 

The forward has started three games so far and for forwards priced at £6.0m or less he has played the fifth-highest amount of minutes since Gameweek 1.

Of course, Ings hasn’t been playing 90 minutes per game regularly since 2015 as a result of serious injuries and squad management. 

But last season he averaged a Fantasy return (goal or assist) for every 165 minutes played. That’s fairly commendable for a cheap priced and low owned player. 

Having said that, Che Adams will certainly give him competition up top, but he has yet to score or assist in the Premier League and has also missed more big chances than any other player so far. 

Southampton next face a Sheffield United team that has conceded four goals in their last two games which bodes well for Ings as he seeks to add to his goal-scoring tally.