In his latest article, three-time top 200 finisher Lateriser looks at the favourable fixture runs ahead and the looming return of a near-must-have defender.
First and foremost, here’s wishing a Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating!
I just got back from a holiday in Thailand, having met my pod partner Zophar for the first time ever – despite doing a pod together with him for five years and knowing him for over a decade. Our trips overlapped by about two days and it was lovely to finally meet the man in the flesh.
I felt like sharing the story to keep with the festive times.
I’m sharing another post I made below because I do believe the connections we all make through this shared interest in FPL go a long way. Of course, sometimes the inverse can happen if we get too consumed by the game and let it affect our mood, but it is always worthwhile zooming out and remember that it is a game after all.
Anyway, coming back to FPL. I find myself in a position where I already own Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) and Hugo Ekitike (£9.0m) before the events of last Gameweek. I wrote about a move for Ekitike last time out when contemplating team structure.
With the unfortunate events that unfolded regarding injuries to Bruno Fernandes (£9.2m) and Alexander Isak (£10.3m), I find myself in a position where I’m likely ahead of transfers compared to the rest of the FPL managers. However, I also think that the two key differentials I was looking forward to owning will now become fairly template.
It’s all part of the game and there are pros and cons to both sides of the coin. By the way, for those wondering if Ekitike and Cunha are good transfers in, they absolutely are, in my opinion.
Now the path forward is what I’ll focus on with this article. Let us take a look at where we’re going to need transfers in the future:
LIVERPOOL ASSETS
Obviously, Liverpool are the team to target now with home games against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United and Burnley in the next five Gameweeks. That is the reason why Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk (£5.9m) and Florian Wirtz (£8.1m) are popular considerations for everyone at the moment. I don’t own Virgil, which is why he’s definitely in my thinking, as Liverpool have looked a little better defensively of late. Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.6m) would have been a very popular option right now but unfortunately, he’s suspended for the best game of the lot! He’s still a great option next week onwards, given his price and that he’s on penalties. He might even play on the right wing, which adds another string to his bow.
Why I say his price is important is because he’s a lot cheaper than Wirtz and we’re going to need transfers in the future for two things primarily.
GABRIEL’S RETURN
Firstly, Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.2m) isn’t far away from coming back to fitness and we must not forget that, alongside Erling Haaland (£15.1m), he was simply one of the best assets in the game when fit. If I move to Virgil or the more maverick Jeremie Frimpong (£5.7m) right now, they serve as decent, expensive placeholders for Gabriel when I want to get him (he might even be fit this Gameweek).
It is worth noting that you could potentially wait till Gameweek 22 to get him in but the way prices are moving nowadays, he could be a lot more expensive by then. For an asset like Gabriel, it isn’t worth doing.
CHELSEA’S RUN FROM GAMEWEEK 24
The other thing we need to save money for is Chelsea’s incredible run from Gameweek 24 onwards. I mean, a run that reads West Ham United (H), Wolves (A), Leeds United (H) and Burnley (H) is as good as it is possible from an FPL point of view. You can even go early on Chelsea with their run looking good from Gameweek 21 onwards.
These are the two standout places where we might use our transfers in the future, which is why I am wondering whether to move now or whether to accumulate transfers.
Other runs that stand out to me include:
- Aston Villa from Gameweek 20 onwards
- Everton, Manchester United and Newcastle United now
MY TEAM PLANS
In terms of my own team, these are the options I am looking at:
- Save and play four at the back. Look at options next week.
- Chris Richards (£4.6m) and Joachim Andersen (£4.6m) to Virgil/Frimpong and Omar Alderete (£4.0m), which sets up a placeholder pricewise for Gabriel. The Brazilian could be an option as soon as now, however.
- I would have really liked a punt on Wirtz but it requires an Igor Thiago (£7.1m) downgrade to Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.8m) and then keeps money tight for investment in defence.
- I could do Yankuba Minteh (£6.1m) to Anthony Gordon (£7.3m), who I think is a very explosive asset, but unfortunately, his minutes are a concern. If his minutes looked better, I’d really, really fancy Gordon.
At the moment, I am leaning towards option one or two as I suspect Gabriel isn’t very far away from fitness. I will see what the press conferences bring before deciding.
I hope this article helps you with your planning as well. Happy holidays to all of you! May your arrows be green and hearts be full.
