Euros have finally finished and while the result leaves much to be desired, England put in a performance to be proud of. But more importantly is that with Euros and Copa America finishing, transfers can get into full swing. Everyone will be reporting back to their teams to begin preseason and while some players will get time off, their agents will be quite busy sorting out their next destination.
While this week’s list of moves is smaller, it’s the midrange transfers that are invaluable in team building. This goes for the teams in the league as well as FPL managers. Finding the best midrange talent means that you’ll maximize your 6.0m and under slots to have the best season possible. Yes even with Raphina underpriced again this year, you’ll still need more than one guy in that range. But let’s get to those signings
Nuno Tavares Left Back Benfica -> Arsenal
As Arsenal has shed wages moving defenders on, new depth options are needed. With Cedric Soares, a right back by trade, playing over 600 minutes at left back last season it’s clear to see exactly the need that Tavares will be filling. If Héctor Bellerín does move on, without new signings, Callum Chambers and Soares will be the right backs with Tavares and Kieran Tierney on the left.
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While the hope would be that Tavares wouldn’t see the field much, Tierney missed 28 games in the last two seasons due to injury so it pays to know who the Arsenal backup left back is. Tavares is pretty raw at 21 but he contributed one goal and four assists in league play for Benfica over the past few years. Tavares wasn’t very involved when it came to defensive metrics but he does dribble a lot and draws fouls as well which is good for Arsenal’s setup. Look out for Tavares’ spot starts as he can easily turn a clean sheet into a massive performance versus the right team.
Enock Mwepu Central Midfield Red Bull Salzburg -> Brighton
I’m not sure what’s going on with all these Red Bull guys making it to the Premier League instead of Germany but I’m about it. Every day, Yves Bissouma is linked to moving somewhere from Brighton daily and they finally added someone who does similar things to him. Mwepu got forward more than Bissouma racking up 11 goals and five assists over 81 matches played for RB Salzburg but it is also important to remember that this is with the best team in the Austrian first division so temper your expectations offensively.
With a good preseason, Mwepu could slot right into a Brighton midfield that featured anyone and everyone last season forming a formidable partnership with Bissouma but I’d anticipate that it will take some time for him to get up to speed. But when he does, be on the lookout especially if he proves to be as press resistant as Bissouma.
Michael Olise Midfield Reading -> Crystal Palace
Patrick Vieira’s first signing is quire the coup getting one of the brightest talents in the Championship to join the setup at Crystal Palace. Last season, Olise registered seven goals and 12 assists at only 19 on a Reading team that scored 62 goals on the season. So Olise was involved in a whopping 31 percent of Reading’s goals last season. If this looks familiar, that’s because it should considering this is a similar profile to Palace adding Eberechi Eze last season. Comfortable playing down the middle or on the right, Olise can replace Andros Townsend for Palace but they can also play together if the team decides to extend a contract offer.
Last season Olise attempted 7.1 crosses per 90 while also putting close to two shots on target which should be music to Christian Benteke’s ears. It will be a struggle to get anything going to start the season with Eze out but with WilFred Zaha, Eze, Benteke and Olise Crystal Palace will at minimum be watchable at times this year.
Júnior Firpo Left Back Barcelona -> Leeds United
The Barcelona cleanout has benefited Leeds filling a position of need. While Stuart Dallas was the left back to open the season, as the year went on, he moved into midfield while Ezgjan Alioski was the starting left back with mixed results. At times, Alioski was a menace in attack and defense bombing up the field but he also could get caught upfield putting the team in a bad spot. Firpo hasn’t played much since making the move to Barcelona from Real Betis but in the season that got him the move to Barca, Firpo registered three goals and four assists.
A tidy passer, Firpo will need to work on his defensive work rate in order to crack Marcelo Bielsa’s lineup but the keys are there. Firpo got dribbled past a good bit he’s a magnet while dribbling and rarely loses possession unless it’s to make a long attacking pass. Priced at only 5.0m, this is my entry into the Leeds defense of choice after their tough start to the season if it’s clear that Firpo is the starter.
Imran Louza Midfielder Nantes -> Watford
Nantes is a midfielder breeding ground and Watford needs all the midfield help that they can get. Dan Gosling, Nathaniel Chalobah, and Will Hughes aren’t the kind of names that scream Premier League survival so I’d anticipate that Louza will get every chance to stick in Xisco’s 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. Nantes didn’t have a good season last year just beating Toulouse to stay in Ligue 1 but they would’ve likely been relegated without Louza’s seven goals and three assists.
Scoring on 70 percent of his shots on target again seems unsustainable but placing 30+ percent of his shots on frame is good. Another area where Louza will likely help Watford is that he took free kicks and corners for Nantes creating a decent number of chances. This is an interesting signing overall for deeper draft leagues but for FPL managers, the hope is that having Louza in midfield will allow the Watford attackers to stay forward.
Trincao Right Winger Barcelona -> Wolves (Loan)
Either Pedro Neto will be out longer than expected or Wolves are about to have quite the log jam at winger. While I like the move on paper with Daniel Podence, Adama Traoré, and Neto for 1-2 spots depending on the formation, Trincao will need to earn his playing time for sure. A talented winger, Trinacao completed an eight-goal, eight-assist season on loan to Braga before returning to Barcelona and registering three goals and two assists in about 700 minutes.
Bruno Lage will be tasked with figuring out the best use of his resources but if he wants to move wolves to a 4-4-2, I don’t know how this move works out. In a 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-3, Trinaco gets much more interesting. Another guy to watch in the preseason to see what happens for me.
For a look at what I think about some of the other signings so far this summer, check this article out.
