A largely underwhelming Gameweek for many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers has sparked plenty of transfer activity since Saturday’s deadline.
Based on fixtures, form, injuries and bans, these players are being transferred in/out the most.
| Player | Transfers in (round) | Player | Transfers out (round) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Fernandes | 255,327 | Phil Foden | 242,360 |
| Bryan Mbeumo | 121,441 | Marc Guehi | 113,814 |
| Patrick Dorgu | 108,055 | Bukayo Saka | 90,770 |
| Antoine Semenyo | 85,508 | Rayan Cherki | 73,517 |
| Igor Thiago | 84,288 | Morgan Rogers | 68,891 |
| Gabriel Magalhaes | 76,415 | Matheus Cunha | 67,370 |
| Declan Rice | 74,794 | Nick Woltemade | 56,183 |
| Trevoh Chalobah | 73,865 | Nico O’Reilly | 49,633 |
| Florian Wirtz | 66,918 | Antoine Semenyo | 45,410 |
| Enzo Fernandez | 59,172 | Hugo Ekitike | 45,148 |
| Nodri Mukiele | 58,951 | Michael Keane | 35,887 |
| Joao Pedro | 55,251 | Micky van de Ven | 35,619 |
| Cole Palmer | 43,414 | Anthony Gordon | 35,006 |
Above: As of Monday afternoon, the most bought (left) and most sold (right) players heading into Gameweek 23
But whether it’s a good idea remains open to debate.
Here, we share our thoughts on who to buy, keep and sell in Gameweek 23.
BRUNO FERNANDES
Bruno Fernandes (£9.2m) made his return from injury in Gameweek 21.
Since then, he’s delivered two assists, two defensive contribution (DefCon) points and four bonus against Burnley and Manchester City, amassing 17 points.
It lifts his point per start average to 6.1, the third-highest of any FPL midfielder.
Michael Carrick’s return to the dugout at Manchester United on Saturday culminated in a 2-0 win against Man City, with Fernandes playing further forward as the No 10 in a 4-2-3-1.
He created six chances, one of which was converted by Bryan Mbeumo (£8.1m), had a goal ruled out for offside and banked DefCon for a double-digit haul.
“I’ve spoken to Bruno, I’ve known him a long time now, and I thought he was fantastic today. The way he played the position, he’s so clever, and he takes up space. They had a big disciplined role, him and Bryan [Mbeumo] defensively as well, to protect the team from anything coming through the middle as much as possible, so it wasn’t all kind of playing and positivity to that point. He’s just got so much quality, Bruno can adapt and playing in that position he’s a real threat and he made the difference.” – Michael Carrick on Bruno Fernandes
On penalties, free-kicks and corners, the question is not whether we should buy Fernandes, but rather when we should do so.
With a trip to Arsenal up next, who have the best defensive record in the division, with the fewest goals conceded, the fewest shots faced and the most clean sheets, it’s not essential to buy Fernandes this week.
Indeed, the playmaker has produced just one assist in five away league matches against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
That said, Fernandes’ set-piece and penalty responsibilities, as well as his DefCon potential, mean that making a move now could work.
Either way, he really ought to be a priority from Gameweek 24, when United’s fixtures improve.
VERDICT: BUY, BUT FINE TO WAIT UNTIL GAMEWEEK 24
MARC GUEHI
Marc Guehi (£5.3m) has played a crucial role for Crystal Palace this season.
The centre-back has kept seven clean sheets, banked 16 DefCon points and claimed eight bonus in 20 matches, which has helped propel him to fifth in the FPL defender rankings.
Meanwhile, his aerial threat from corners and free-kicks, along with his ability to deliver precise passes beyond the opponent’s defensive line, has helped contribute to his six attacking returns.
However, Guehi is closing in on a move to Man City, with Pep Guardiola’s side having reportedly agreed a £20m fee for the England international.
With Ruben Dias (£5.6m), Josko Gvardiol (£6.0m) and John Stones (£5.4m) injured, Guehi will likely be fast-tracked into the first XI and become a consistent starter.
Playing for a defence that is currently ranked second for goals conceded and joint-second for clean sheets obviously carries appeal, especially at a price of only £5.3m.
But given the tricky nature of City’s fixtures beyond Wolverhampton Wanderers, it may be prudent to assess Guehi’s impact on Pep’s backline, as well as his ability to adapt to a new playing style (i.e. seeing more of the ball in the build-up, playing higher up the pitch), before the schedule starts to improve in Gameweek 26.
VERDICT: KEEP
NICO O’REILLY
After five successive blanks, as well as failing to start at left-back in Gameweeks 21/22, Nico O’Reilly’s (£5.2m) FPL ownership is starting to decline.
However, with Wolves up next, is it really the best time to sell him?
The minutes uncertainty is far from ideal, especially with Rayan Ait-Nouri (£5.7m) back from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and Nathan Ake (£5.3m) also offering competition.
Longer-term, then, O’Reilly can easily be sold, but it may be best for his owners to retain his services for one more Gameweek, particularly in light of Wolves’ lack of goal threat.
Indeed, while they have improved defensively, Rob Edwards’ team rank 18th for expected goals (xG) during their recent four-match unbeaten streak.
Consequently, City will feature prominently in any clean sheet odds lists you encounter this week.
If Ait-Nouri plays in Europe on Tuesday, we could see a back four of Matheus Nunes (£5.5m), Abdukodir Khusanov (£5.4m), Guehi and O’Reilly against Wolves, which would obviously carry appeal for the young left-back.
O’Reilly could then be replaced by a defender from Chelsea or Bournemouth in Gameweek 24.
VERDICT: SELL IN GAMEWEEK 24
COLE PALMER
Cole Palmer (£10.4m) was far from his best against Brentford on Saturday; however, he made no mistake with his second-half penalty to claim nine points for his 12% ownership.
Encouragingly, Palmer played the entire 90 minutes in Gameweek 22.
He also banked DefCon for the first time and is now expected to be rested for the midweek home encounter with Pafos, making it likely that he will be back in the starting XI for Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace.
But Palmer is clearly trying to manage a groin issue, and didn’t look completely fit on Saturday.
According to The Athletic, he is “100% fine” from a medical point of view, but is still struggling to gain full match fitness/sharpness.
And given the intensity of Chelsea’s upcoming schedule, there is much uncertainty, particularly in Gameweeks 25 and 26.
- Wed 21 Jan: Pafos (h) – Champions League
- Sun 25 Jan: Crystal Palace (a) – Gameweek 23
- Wed 28 Jan: Napoli (a) – Champions League
- Sat 31 Jan: West Ham (h) – Gameweek 24
- Tue 3 Feb: Arsenal (a) – Carabao Cup
- Sat 7 Feb: Wolves (a) – Gameweek 25
- Tue 10 Feb: Leeds (h) – Gameweek 26
- Fri 13 Feb: Hull (a) – FA Cup
It now becomes a tricky balancing act for Liam Rosenior as he attempts to get his star man back to full fitness.
As a result, it’s probably best for Fantasy managers to remain patient before reassessing the situation in advance of Gameweek 24.
VERDICT: KEEP
BUKAYO SAKA
At the turn of the year, Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) was on a run of eight attacking returns in nine matches, with 58 points in that period, the third-most of any FPL midfielder.
Crucially, he started eight of those games, averaging 87.4 minutes per start.
But after successive blanks, as well as failing to start in Gameweeks 20 and 22, many of Saka’s owners are losing faith.
However, there is hope that Saka will now be rested for the next two largely inconsequential Champions League matches, which would enhance his minutes prospects for the upcoming Premier League fixtures.
Even in limited playing time against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Saka was Arsenal’s biggest attacking threat, forcing Matz Sels (£4.6m) into a fine second-half save. A considerable improvement on Noni Madueke’s (£6.8m) showing, you’d now expect Saka to start in Gameweek 23.
It is worth noting that there are several favourable fixtures ahead, too, so it may be wise to allow Saka a few more Gameweeks, rather than move off him prematurely before this series of matches.
VERDICT: KEEP
