FPL managers have been looking at all the possibilities to include Cristiano Ronaldo into their squads and the knock-on effect has resulted in many assets being discarded without proper assessment.
Cristiano Ronaldo‘s arrival has certainly taken away the limelight from his fellow Portuguese teammate at Man United, and the knock-on effect on the rest of the squads can be seen with the volume at which certain players have been bought or sold.
After some number crunching and playing out different permutations and combinations, the Bruno Fernandes, Danny Ings ‹—› Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota swap looks like the most rewarding combination, at least until Gameweek 7, while adding a premium forward right now will also provide better rotation among the likes of Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku (£11.5m) and Harry Kane (£12.3m) for future Gameweeks.
With so much to consider, let’s take a look at the top Transfer tips for Gameweek 4.
Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.5m) | Transferred IN: 1450047
Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.5m) is an FPL legend, and the majority of FPL managers have shipped him into their squads based on the sheer point-scoring potential he possesses. Moreover, I’m also one among those managers who were quick to get him in, so I won’t suggest you to do otherwise.
However, there is certainly a big question mark over his selection for the weekend. I hope he’ll get some minutes and potentially an attacking output too. Thus, I would recommend people to buy him before the Newcastle game but unlike so many, I won’t be Captaining him for Gameweek 4. Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) and Romelu Lukaku (£11.5m) are better Captaincy choices playing against Leeds United and Aston Villa respectively.
Also Read – Cristiano Ronaldo: the Return, the Romance, the Reality
Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) | Transferred OUT: 836113
Before including a premium forward, you need to remove one premium from your midfield. Now, for my squad, and I believe for most FPL managers, Salah and Fernandes were the only two premium picks. One simply cannot drop Salah, just because of his consistency and regular outputs, while in Fernandes’s case, Ronaldo’s arrival will take away the spot-kick duties and perhaps the direct freekicks as well.
Although I’ve already made my transfers for Gameweek 4, in hindsight, it feels like I should have kept Bruno at least for another week given his record against the Magpies and the uncertainty surrounding Ronaldo starting the match for Man United. Bruno’s ownership has dropped to 38.1%, but those who’ve kept hold of him are simply playing the waiting game.
Ferran Torres (£7.1m) | Transferred IN: 837506
Just like the “Ronaldo-Jota” combination, many people are banking on the output of the Manchester City false 9, Ferran Torres (£7.1m). The Spain international already has two goals and has provided one assist from City’s opening three fixtures. Torres, so far, has accumulated 23 FPL points for his managers, which is about eight points per game.
However, what I feel is that Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9m) and Phil Foden (£7.9m) are nearing full fitness, which is bad news for every Ferran Torres owner. De Bruyne was Pep’s false 9 last season, while Foden, too, was deployed there three times in that position. It is the risk of rotation because of which I refrained from opting for this “Torres-Ronaldo” combination.
Also Read – FPL: BEST CAPTAIN CHOICES FOR GAMEWEEK 4
Emiliano Martínez (£5.5m) | Transferred OUT: 658821
Emiliano Martínez (£5.5m) along with his Argentine teammate Emiliano Buendía (£6.4m) will miss Aston Villa’s visit to Stamford Bridge after the duo along with two others were sent to Croatia following a breach of COVID protocols while in Brazil.
It really baffles me as to how so many people are willing to waste their free transfers on a keeper replacement. But then, Villa are also entering a hellish run of fixtures and their defence doesn’t seem to be able to keep pace with the opposition so far this season.
We all have a second goalie, right? If you have Emi in your squad and haven’t made any transfers yet, I suggest you hold onto him at least until Gameweek 6 before taking that final call. There might disciplinary issues and fragility in the Villa backline, but Martínez’s shot-stopping abilities cannot be questioned.
Demarai Gray (£5.5m) | Transferred IN: 565111
At £1.4m, Demarai Gray (£5.5m) has been an excellent piece of business by the Toffees. The 25-year-old is a former Birmingham City youth product, previously seen in Leicester colours before making the switch to Merseyside after half a season with Bayer Leverkusen. Occupying the hole in between the midfield four and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£8.2m) up front, Rafael Benítez seems to have found a way to play him to his strengths.
Moreover, Calvert-Lewin is racing against time to make the Everton squad for the game against Burnley. Gray already has two goals against his name, and there is no reason why he cannot extend this run given Everton have a relatively modest set of fixtures until Gameweek 9.
Also Read – FPL – BEST FPL TEAM FOR GAMEWEEK 4
Luke Shaw (£5.5m) | Transferred OUT: 403895
If I was edging towards Shaw —› OUT before the end of the transfer window, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival, I’m certainly back to Shaw —› IN, simply because Luke Shaw wasn’t not creating chances or whipping in quality set-piece deliveries, but after Ronaldo’s arrival, Man United finally have someone who can get at the end of those deliveries and bury the ball in the back of the net.
Moreover, with Raphaël Varane slotting in beside Harry Maguire, United’s backline has that much-needed stability and quality at the back to produce consistent clean sheets. For me, in all fairness, keeping hold of Luke Shaw is a win-win situation.
Diogo Jota (£7.6m) | Transferred IN: 360701
Diogo Jota has had an excellent start to the 2021/22 Premier League season. He has been lively, involved and, more importantly, getting at the end of chances and finishing them. And with Roberto Firmino (£8.8m) sidelined for at least a couple more weeks, the Portugal international is set to enjoy an extending run in that Liverpool lineup as the #9.
The 24-year-old has two goals against his name and holds an exceptional Expected Goals (xG) value of 1.64. Furthermore, the Reds face Leeds, Crystal Palace and Brentford in their next three fixtures before the showpiece encounter in Gameweek 7 against Manchester City.
Also Read – FPL: Gameweek 4 Preview
Danny Ings (£8.0m) | Transferred OUT: 714825
Now that Aston Villa’s easy set of fixtures have run out, people are getting their Villa assets off the books as early as they can. Emiliano Martínez is a prime example.
However, with Danny Ings, it’s a tricky call. He was part of a Southampton setup that was a far weaker side than the current Villa squad, and based on performances in the last two seasons, Ings is only behind Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane in terms of goals.
Ings is a proven goal-scorer, and his current season, although with a small sample size, still justifies that. Villa have been poor, both defensively and on the attacking front, yet the 29-year-old has managed to score two goals and provide one assist from three games. He returns from the international break with 19 FPL points, averaging 6.33 per game. As a differential, he’s an excellent pick.
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