FPL TRANSFER TIPS | GAMEWEEK 2

Following last week’s goals, drama, joy, and despair, one can finally say that the Premier League is back and along with it has returned the constant buzz of the Fantasy Premier League.

After last week’s results, there has been significant movement in the FPL transfer market where managers are still looking to give that right balance to their squads after assessing each fixture.

Here, in this article, and for the next 36 Gameweeks, I will be bringing you the best transfer tips based on the FPL transfer market, fixture difficulty index, form and other such variables to help you make the correct transfer call each week.

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Paul Pogba – £7.6m | Manchester United (Transfer Ins – 460254)

Everywhere I look, all I see is Pogba, Pogba, Pogba. As I write this article, almost half a million FPL managers have transferred Paul Pogba into their FPL teams. My advice to you guys is, let them. This could be your differential right here. Whether you’re looking to replace a £7.5m-rated injured ?lkay Gündo?an or just trying to add more points to your midfield, the best option at that price is Mason Greenwood.

One key stat most FPL managers have ignored is that Pogba’s four assists came from the five Chances he created and the space that was allowed by Leeds United. That would definitely not be the case when facing teams like Wolves, Newcastle and West Ham. And the other thing to consider is his positional change. With Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial waiting in the wings, Pogba’s time on United’s flanks can get significantly reduced in the coming weeks.

Mason Greenwood, on the other hand, led Manchester United’s forward line in Gameweek 1 and is expected to continue doing that at least for the foreseeable future. Against Leeds, Greenwood had three Shots, one Inside the Box (which he scored), 0.31 expected Goals and accumulated 8 FPL points. With United’s run of fixtures, facing the likes of Southampton, Wolves, Newcastle and West Ham, having Greenwood in your team is a no-brainer.

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Dominic Calvert-Lewin – £8.0m | Everton (Transfer Ins – 145514)

Out of all the forwards, Dominic Calvert-Lewin impressed me the most. No other player was as effective inside the box as DCL. The English forward had 5 Shots against Southampton, all of which were Inside the Box, scored a goal, had one of the highest expected Goals numbers of 0.71 and rewarded his managers with 7 FPL points.

Before the start of the season, I didn’t expect Richarlison to start the season for the Toffees due to Olympics fatigue and assumed Everton won’t have the supporting cast to supply a striker like DCL. Well, they scored three goals and their run of fixtures do suggest DCL could be a decent pick for the coming weeks.

Although almost double the people have gone for Richarlison – a whopping 270,000 managers transferring in the Brazilian – his inconsistency is what worries me. He might prove me wrong and bag loads of points for his managers, but if I had to choose between the two, I would go with Dominic Calvert-Lewin as every attacking output seems to go through him.

Romelu Lukaku – £11.5m | Chelsea (Transfer Ins – 271638)

Since Tuchel has taken charge at Chelsea, no team has underperformed their expected goals (xG) by a higher amount. They have scored 25 goals in 19 games, but, according to their xG, should’ve scored 36. In other words, they’re crying out for a quality striker. Creating chances isn’t an issue; converting them is.

Cometh the hour. Cometh the man.

Romelu Lukaku is back at Chelsea to finish some unfinished business. The Belgium international will don Chelsea’s royal blue following a £97.5m move from the San Siro. Lukaku’s arrival comes at the perfect moment for Thomas Tuchel as he prepares his team to face Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City in their next five fixtures.

With Harry Kane’s transfer still hanging in the air, FPL managers can gamble with Lukaku in their teams but the reward – that remains to be seen. Tuchel’s Chelsea is a well-oiled machine, and the inclusion of a world-class striker can only make it better. But we’ve seen funnier things happen in the Premier League and nothing can be taken for granted. My advice: go for Lukaku after Gameweek 3, it gives you two weeks to assess him and how he impacts Tuchel’s system.

Also Read – 5 BEST PREMIUM MIDFIELDERS FOR 21/22 FPL SEASON

Michail Antonio – £7.6m | West Ham United (Transfer Ins – 257400)

West Ham’s #9 had a decent outing against the Magpies as he finished the evening with a goal and an assist to his name; barring his penalty miss, it was a solid showing from the English striker. From the FPL perspective, Antonio’s exploits earned him 13 points (including three Bonus Points), starting right from where he left off last season.

Like Pogba and a few others, Antonio has also seen a price hike from £7.5m to £7.6m as more than 250 thousand players transferred in the Hammers’ centre-forward. Antonio had four Shots, of which two were on Target, he created one Big Chance and had one Key pass as well but more importantly, he missed two Big Chances himself.

Up and till Gameweek 8, West Ham have a relatively easy run of fixtures – Leicester, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Leeds and Brentford in five of their next seven games – and as seen from their win against Newcastle, West Ham are capable of scoring a lot of goals. If you have the budget, you should have Antonio in your playing XI at least for the first two months.

Jack Grealish – £8.0m | Manchester City (Transfer outs – 176104)

Jack Grealish. Now, I could have had any Manchester City player here, but obviously, he is the most sought-after out of all the Man City players. Although Grealish and, mostly, all of the Man City players were quiet against Spurs, the Cityzens play Norwich in their next match and every Man City player that you possess is a lottery ticket. City are likely to score 3-4 goals this weekend and goals and assists are always shared among their veritable front four, which Grealish is now a part of.

Moreover, in fixtures against the likes of Arsenal, Leicester and Southampton, Grealish with Kevin De Bruyne (if fit) will be running the show, with all three of the above-mentioned teams having a fractured backline. From players like Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez, any two or three of these can easily bag double-digit points. That is why it’s a lottery with Man City players.

Since a lot of FPL managers have different Man City players in their squads, here’s what I would do: if you have a Man City player in your squad already, keep hold of him at least until Gameweek 6. If you don’t have a Man City attacking player, let it be, there’s no need to stress over it. I would suggest you wait it out a bit and look for Pep’s rotational patterns, keeping in mind both Arsenal and Leicester can be dodgy fixtures to negotiate after their disappointing loss at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Konstantinos Tsimikas – £4.1m | Liverpool (Transfer Ins – 251156)

This has to be the most inevitable price rise in FPL after Gameweek 1. He literally just had to get one return or in most cases, just play for Liverpool, for people to take notice of Liverpool fielding a £4.0m defender in the playing XI. His ownership has jumped to 26.0% and more than 250 thousand people have transferred him in at the time of writing this.

Let me be honest here, I watched that Norwich game and on a couple of occasions it made me think whether Tsimikas will actually be getting that nod for Gameweek 2. Because Norwich did try to target him, they did try to run in behind him. But then I cast my mind back to how Jürgen Klopp wants his fullbacks to play. How people on several occasions have criticised Trent Alexander-Arnold for getting caught out of position. But that’s how Klopp wants his team to play.

Now, should you be buying Tsimikas? I believe if you haven’t bought him already, it’s better to not get pulled into it. Although Liverpool play Burnley next which should fetch you some points. Fixtures against Chelsea and Leeds doesn’t make it a good proposition all of a sudden. Moreover, Tsimikas’ minutes depend entirely on Andy Robertson’s availability, which could be before the international break or after it. So, for those wanting to gamble on Tsimikas, I’m afraid that the boat has already sailed.