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FPL Transfer Tracker returns at full strength after a long and unforeseen hiatus. There’s no sensible way to touch on all the things that happened since the last time my words appeared on Rotoworld. So rather making an attempt and pandering on and on to make up for lost time, the comeback edition will focus on what’s to come.
The speculation around and outcome of mid-season transfer dealings hold a dear place in my heart. Although the majority of new arrivals usually underwhelming, there have been enough moves in January to warrant further exploration. This week’s column begins with my take on the relevant transfers to date and concludes with the standard FPL Transfer Tracker shortlist of options for Gameweek 24.
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January Transfers
Gonzalo Higuaín, £9.5m: Higuain is the most significant signing of the window and also the most polarizing from an FPL perspective. The Argentine had his most prolific season under Maurizio Sarri during 2015/16 at Napoli, where he scored 36 goals in 35 Serie A appearances as the spearhead of their attacking 4-3-3. Higuain isn’t the same forward that averaged a goal every 84 minutes and went no longer than two matches without finding the back of the net in Naples, having failed to live up to expectations at Juventus and then AC Milan this season. But despite being three years old and roughly three years removed from his best days, I wouldn’t write him off just yet. Higuain doesn’t need to wow to be a success at Stamford Bridge. The obvious impact is Eden Hazard being restored to his best position. The Belgian is averaging a league-best 2.7 chances created per match this season and an even more impressive 3.3 per game when he plays on the left wing. Higuain essentially walks into a situation where adapting to the link-up play in the Premier League and being in the right place at the right time will provide him with a chance to be a weekly fixture on the scoresheet. I think he’s worth the early risk in FPL as a hot start will surely he his price climb above 10.0m by the time we reach mid-February.
Samir Nasri, £5.5m: West Ham appear to have done another piece of smart business with Nasri, snatching the midfielder up on a free transfer after his one-year doping ban. The Frenchman made an immediate impact with an assist against his former club Arsenal in GW22 and has performed well enough across two appearances to displace Robert Snodgrass from the starting XI. Nasri should be good for a few more assists this season, as the career two chances created per match man will sit in the central attacking midfield as long as he stays fit. For me, he’s a differential option under the condition his price remains below 6.0m.
Ryan Babel, £5.5m: Honestly, I thought the first few mentions of Babel to Fulham on Twitter were jokes. It was less to do with the player and more to do with the fact that the club has the league’s worst defence and should be spending money to address this problem. The former flash in the pan at Liverpool returns to the Premier League after putting together three solid seasons at Besiktas, with 28 goals and 12 assists to show from 89 appearances. He even played his way into the Netherlands squad. Babel did a decent job of convincing me that his arrival was a good choice on his debut though. In a match when Claudio Ranieri’s relegation strugglers fell to Tottenham, he had three shots and created two chances in 55 minutes off action. Playing in a frontline with Mitrovic and Schurrle should see the 32-year-old get enough chances to have some relevance in FPL given his price. However, my concern is that Babel won’t be a starter on a match-to-match basis given the presence of Ryan Sessegnon. I would pass on him until we get a better idea of his role.
Oumar Niasse, £5.0m: The Senegal international was a really good signing. Cardiff City needed to sign a goal threat and Niasse has proved capable of putting way chances when given the opportunity. The striker was the most consistent scorer on the books at Everton last season. He finished 2017/18 as the second top scorer with eight goals and went no more than 180 minutes without notching a goal under all three managers. Niasse has given Neil Warnock the ability to play a two-striker system and a potential solution for their attacking issues. The club sits joint-second bottom in goals scored and the third bottom in shots per game. In Niasse, Cardiff has added a striker with 12 goals on 26 shots on target in 44 Premier League appearances. My expectation is numbers comparable to his time on loan at Hull City, where he scored four goals and was good for 1.5 shots per match. A nailed-on place in the starting XI and a cut-rate price makes him a viable option as a budget third forward.
Nathaniel Clyne, £4.4m: Bournemouth needed a right-back and, as a rental for the rest of the season, they couldn’t have done much better than Clyne. In short, England international is a great addition for Eddie Howe’s side in their push for a top half finish but only an option in FPL if their defensive record improves. Roughly 80% of his fantasy production came from clean sheets and minutes played as a starter at Liverpool, and three of Bournemouth’s six clean sheets have come in matches when the opposition was reduced to 10 men. With that said, Clyne could be useful during the backend of the season if his price remains at 4.4m. Eight of his final nine matches look set to come against clubs in the bottom half.
Jason Puncheon, £4.2m: Huddersfield Town is the lowest scoring club in the league. They’ve scored just 12 goals in 23 matches and only one has come from their primary striker, Steve Mounie. But rather than signing a striker, the club added Jason Puncheon on loan. Town essentially put bandaid on a broken bone as they brought in an ageing creative midfielder to help address the lack of a consistent goal threat. He’s the cheapest fifth midfielder you’ll find who starts, but there’s no week-to-week value.
Gameweek 24
Marcus Rashford, £7.7m: Rashford remains the go-to option this week. He’s scored in four straight matches and has six goals and four FPL assists under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Rashford tops all forwards in FPL points and assists since GW16, while his 10 chances created are third at the position. Manchester United are home to Burnley, away at Leicester City and home to Fulham, the worst defence in the league, in their next three. Even with the looming fear of rotation with Lukaku back in the mix, Rashford should do damage in the two starts he gets.
Sead Kolasinac, £4.9m: I don’t understand why Kolasinac is only the fifth most sought-after defender at the moment. The left-back has created 21 chances and tallied four FPL assists in 12 starts. His 1.8 key passes per match are joint-most by a Gunner alongside Mesut Ozil and second best amongst all defender, bettered only by Lucas Digne (2.1), since GW11. Since Unai Emery installed Kolasinac in the starting XI, he’s tallied as many assists as Andrew Robertson and returned 46 FPL points, a total just two less than Marcos Alonso. Arsenal’s fixtures are also very favorable for the next four gameweeks. Home matches against Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town sandwich a trip to Manchester City, followed by back-to-back matches at the Emirates against Southampton and Bournemouth. He’s the defender to grab this week.
James Ward-Prowse, £5.0m: Can someone explain why JWP wasn’t in the picture until now? No Southampton player has been more effective since Hasenhuttl took over. His 10 chances created and two goals are both club bests over the last four matches, while his six shots are joint-top with Shane Long. The dead-ball ace has also regained set-piece duties since being restored to the XI, having taken 19 of their 21 free-kicks and corners since GW20. With matches against Crystal Palace (h), Burnley (a) and Cardiff City (h) up next, JWP is a sharp budget grab at 5.0m.
David Brooks, £5.0m: Brooks has emerged as the first-choice option on the right wing for Eddie Howe but, due to the form of Ryan Fraser, his development has flown under the radar. Brooks has scored five goals and tallied three FPL assists in 19 starts. In his last six starts, he’s scored twice, grabbed two assists and racked up 32 FPL points. Based on what I’ve seen from Brooks thus far, I wouldn’t be shocked to see his ownership slowly climb in the build-up to Bournemouth’s appealing run of nine matches to end the season. While that’s planning much too far ahead, the Wales international is selected by just 5.9% of teams at moment. He’s a cost-effective differential option with a high ceiling as the fourth musketeer in Eddie Howe’s attack.
