In our latest community article, FPL_Runpharm discusses the perils of being stubborn as a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) manager.

Ever been here before?

A player in red-hot form. Everyone is rushing to buy him. His price shoots up £0.2m, £0.3m, £0.4m, maybe even £0.5m in just a few Gameweeks. Fixtures are good, form is better… and yet, you don’t own him.

And somehow, you still don’t buy him.

You tell yourself:

“I won’t be a FOMO manager.”
“I don’t want to be template.”
“His form won’t last anyway.”
“I missed the boat.. why pay more when others got him cheaper?”
“I’ll be proven right eventually for not following the crowd.”

But the truth? 

Sometimes it’s just ego. Not wanting to admit you made the wrong call earlier, you double down (stick with someone off-form or force a differential pick) instead of correcting it.

For me, the example this season is Antoine Semenyo (£7.5m). I didn’t have him in the first three Gameweeks. Years ago, I’d have stubbornly kept Cole Palmer (£10.4m) despite being uncertain to start, inconsistent form, and tougher fixtures after Brentford, because I wanted to be “right.”

But reality is simple: Semenyo’s the better pick. Incredible shot volume, fixture run still good, team attacking well, possible pens if Justin Kluivert (£7.0m) isn’t on the pitch (admittedly, we only knew that after Saturday’s game).

Even at £7.5m, still value. Yes, £7.0m would’ve been nicer. But £7.5m isn’t bad at all. And sometimes the bravest move isn’t to resist the crowd – it’s to swallow your pride and just admit you were late.

That said, I did make one call I was happy with, bringing in Semenyo before the Gameweek 4 deadline. I am buzzing that he did well (I am also happy Palmer came on and scored!). Even better, it left me with the cash to set up the Erling Haaland (£14.1m) move in Gameweek 6.

For those who still don’t have him, I’m not saying you must bring him in now. I’m just saying that the real punishment isn’t paying £0.5m more; it’s watching him haul again while your ego keeps you frozen.