With Fantasy Premier League (FPL) live for 2024/25, we’re welcoming back our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers. Here, FPL Family’s Sam wonders if entering Gameweek 1 with two Newcastle United assets – Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak – is a smart idea.
Last season, they were the dream double-up during the closing stages. Anthony Gordon (£7.5m) and Alexander Isak (£8.5m) were so dependable for us, especially when playing in front of home fans at St James’ Park. With both rising in price for 2024/25, the question is whether FPL managers should pick between them or simply own both.
When setting up my squad ahead of Gameweek 1, I immediately selected Isak and he’s been an ever-present in every subsequent draft. I think I’m already onto my 21st draft, so that tells you a lot about how much I rate him.
It’s only been the more recent ones where I’ve started to cast a loving look at Gordon. And I suspect it’s not just me who is thinking about having both Newcastle boys.
Alexander Isak
Last time, Isak’s campaign brought injury disruptions but he was still able to start on 27 occasions. In that time, he registered 21 goals and four assists.
His underlying StatsBomb data shows he exceeded the league average for several key stats, including expected goals (xG) and xG per shot.
18 of Isak’s 25 attacking returns came from Gameweeks 19 onwards, making him the highest goal-scoring forward in this period, alongside Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m).
In fact, Isak actually outscored Erling Haaland (£15.0m) for goals, assists and FPL points.
Above: All of 2023/24’s FPL forwards since Gameweek 19
Both had 104 penalty box touches, whilst Isak beat Haaland for shot accuracy (69.8% v 57.1%).
Over the whole of last season, Isak accumulated 79 shots on goal and 67 of those came from inside the box.
In addition his shot accuracy over the course of the season was 66.7%.
Moreover, from last season’s forwards, only Haaland scored more goals at home. Without the distraction and extra match time of European football, Newcastle could have an outstanding season and, as a result, owning their frontman feels very important.
Especially as he is priced at a relatively low £8.5m in comparison to Haaland and Ollie Watkins (£9.0m).
Anthony Gordon
Also phenomenal was Gordon, from such a cheap starting price of £5.5m. He started 34 league games last season, returning 11 goals, 16 assists, a dozen clean sheet points and 14 bonuses.
Interestingly, all bar two of his strikes took place in home matches and he only blanked twice at St James’ Park. He ended as the fourth-best midfielder for attacking returns, joint with Phil Foden (£9.5m) and Son Heung-min (£10.0m).
That meant Gordon totalled more than the likes of Kevin De Bruyne (£9.5m), Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) and Martin Odegaard (£8.5m), who are all more expensive than him for 2024/25.
Of his 81 overall goal attempts, 52 came from inside the box and 30 ended up on target.
Furthermore, Gordon also created 57 attempts for his team-mates, of which 16 were classified by Opta as big chances.
When you compare the 23-year-old with the other £7.0m-to-£7.5m midfielders, he looks like a great option. Only Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) and Leandro Trossard (£7.0m) netted more times, while just Bowen, Eberechi Eze (£7.0m) and Luis Diaz (£7.5m) had more attempts in total.
As well as that, amongst similarly-priced players in this position, he beat all except Diaz and James Maddison (£7.5m) when it came to chance creation.
Gordon is currently owned by 36.6% of FPL managers. This is higher than all midfielders at this price point. However, it’s still lower than I would expect given last season’s performances.
Should the answer be both?
As for having both, the Magpies’ strong-looking early fixtures are a huge part of the appeal. Between now and the final Gameweek of the calendar year, Eddie Howe’s side only have two red fixtures on our Season Ticker.
So the temptation of having this duo is strong.
Yet, for me, that would mean losing Eze. I suspect it’s the same situation for many other managers.
Throughout a campaign’s early weeks, I like to spread my investments across the Premier League teams. That means it won’t be disastrous if one or two real-life teams start slowly.
On the other hand, I currently have both Brennan Johnson (£6.5m) and Christopher Nkunku (£6.5m). So far, Chelsea have mostly disappointed in pre-season and, if there isn’t much improvement, I could certainly see myself freeing up some money elsewhere in order to own both Isak and Gordon for Gameweek 1.
