The transfer window is always a crazy affair. The 2019 summer window has been no different, especially for the Premier League. There has been movement from the top clubs in the transfer market, with even Chelsea, who had a transfer ban, completing deals for Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic.
With the season set to start from Friday as Liverpool face Norwich at Anfield, Fantasy Premier League returns for another season. Avid fans go up against the rest of the fans all around the world to test who can choose the best eleven on a consistent basis over the entire campaign.
While we will be making an entire FPL suggestion writeup, we thought of combining the two most exciting things for fans – new arrivals and FPL. We here have made an entire eleven from just new signings, regardless of whether the business was conducted between two Premier League clubs or the player has moved from the lower leagues or another country.
Note: In case there aren’t enough quality options, the squad will also include players that were not available in the Fantasy Premier League last season, like the ones part of the newly promoted teams and ones who have returned after a loan spell.
Tom Heaton (Aston Villa) – Goalkeeper – £4.5
Aston Villa have come up through the playoffs in the Championship. The Villans have addressed their problem positions straight away, spending lavishly. Tom Heaton is one of them. The Burnley stopper rose to fame under Sean Dyche for his heroics at the club. But, injuries and the rise of Nick Pope saw his first-choice status dwindle.
Heaton though, recovered his status towards the end of the 2018-19 campaign. Heaton amassed 58 points from 19 games in the FPL for the users that picked him. He averaged more than 3 saves a game, which means he could be handy in terms of bonus points.
Villa will have to withstand attacks from the relatively higher quality teams and Heaton’s shot-stopping ability means the users could pocket handsome points from saves through the season. His price has dropped from £5.0 last season to £4.5 for the new campaign.
Villa also have a neat run of games to start their campaign. A shrewd buy overall as well.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United) – Defender – £5.5
The former Crystal Palace star’s price has jumped to £5.5 after his move to Manchester United. But, Wan-Bissaka will perhaps, be more of an active pick for users all over the world. The Englishman managed 120 points last season and is expected to improve upon the tally after joining United, who are arguably a better side than Palace.
Wan-Bissaka will be more adventurous as seen in the pre-season, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer making the full-backs provide the width and the wide forwards cut in to outnumber the opposition defence.
Reece James was an option we were considering and one people can go for, if you do not want to spend the extra £0.5. The Chelsea star though, is unlikely to be the first-choice, something Wan-Bissaka is guaranteed to be. Another suitable option for users is Norwich star Max Aarons at £4.5. Norwich play exciting football and Aarons bagged 6 assists in the Championship last season.
Harry Maguire (Manchester United) – Defender – £5.5
Maguire at that price is a steal. Manchester United’s backline is arguably one of the best in the league after the addition of Maguire and Wan-Bissaka, and the Red Devils are likely to keep more clean sheets than they did last season.
Also, David de Gea had a forgetful season and is unlikely to have two disastrous campaigns in a row, which means people can expect the Spaniard to earn some clean sheets on his own like he has done in the past.
The English international will also be a target in set-pieces for Manchester United and could score some valuable points through goals.
David Luiz (Arsenal) – Defender – £6.0
A deadline-day signing from Arsenal, that too from their local rivals. David Luiz will fill the void created by Laurent Koscielny’s departure. The Brazilian had pocketed his pickers 164 points from 36 games last season and is likely to be at the forefront of an Arsenal squad that has been adequately strengthened.
Gary Cahill (Crystal Palace) – Defender – £4.5
Honestly, Gary Cahill is likely to slot straight into the first eleven. Roy Hogdson’s sides are known to be defensively alert and we could see Cahill pocket a lot of points this season. The veteran could also be a target in set-pieces and might earn points through a few goals through the season.
Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) – Midfielder – £7.5
The USMNT star is set to be a key part of Frank Lampard’s project at Chelsea and arguably, the replacement for Eden Hazard, at least for this season. Pulisic can play all across the front three and it will be interesting to see on which flank Lampard opts to field him.
With Hazard gone and no real reinforcements brought in to address the centre-forward area, much of the responsibility of creating havoc in opposition’s box will land on Pulisic’s shoulders. The USMNT forward is likely to give Chelsea fans and his FPL users something to cheer about throughout the season.
Pablo Fornals (West Ham) – Midfielder – £6.5
West Ham will likely line up in a 4-2-3-1 and Fornals could fit the number 10 role like a glove. Technically adept and with a good squad around him, Fornals will be expected to chalk up assists with ease, especially with West Ham bringing in Sebastien Haller for a club record fee.
Nicolas Pepe (Arsenal) – Midfielder – £9.5
Pepe is an almost automatic pick for this season. The Ivorian boasted a return of 22 goals and 11 assists in Ligue 1 last season. And, if he can replicate even half of it for Arsenal in 2019-20, he would earn a bucketload of points for users that pick him. Pepe is also a near-automatic starter for Arsenal, with the Ivorian the only natural wide player available to Unai Emery.
Moise Kean (Everton) – Forward – £7.0
Possibly the best signing of the summer from Everton. Marco Silva’s side found goals hard to come by and had to deputise Richarlison upfront. But, with the arrival of the Italian, the manager could be rest assured of some quality chances being converted on a regular basis.
The 19-year-old scored 6 goals in 13 appearances last season in Serie A, with a goal every 89 minutes. An absolute bargain for his current price.
Wesley (Aston Villa) – Forward – £6.0
A forward Aston Villa have high hopes from. The 22-year-old was brilliant for Club Brugge last season, with 10 goals and 9 assists in the regular season in just 28 appearances. With Aston Villa having signed a lot of players in other positions to support Wesley, the Brazilian could be assured of quality service and we could see another Brazilian take the league by storm in his debut Premier League campaign.
Sebastien Haller (West Ham) – Forward – £7.5
While Luka Jovic stole all the headlines at Frankfurt in the 2018-19 campaign, Sebastian Haller proved his worth once again, with a return of 15 goals and 9 assists in Bundesliga alone. Haller seems to have gelled in well at West Ham and has opened his account for the club during the pre-season.
Haller has height and has the technical prowess to be the perfect fit in a West Ham side that has lacked a proper 20-goal striker for years now. At £7.5, he could prove to be one of the more popular picks in FPL this season.
Apart from the first eleven, we present to you the four substitutes or reserves that we think could complete the 15-man squad for the above criteria.
Substitutes/Reserves:
Dean Henderson (Sheffield United) – Goalkeeper – £4.5
Community Player of the Season for Sheffield United in their promotion campaign, Manchester United have allowed Dean Henderson to go for another season on loan at the Blades. Henderson is a certain starter and with Sheffield United likely to have to withstand a lot of attacks, Henderson’s shot-stopping ability can fetch users a lot of points this season.
Regardless of whether Sheffield United manage to stay up or not, Henderson could be this season’s Neil Etheridge.
Ben Godfrey (Norwich) – Defender – £4.5
A bargain pick for users who have spent their moolahs elsewhere. Ben Godfrey was one of the shining stars of Norwich’s dominant promotion campaign. The central defender is set to be a key figure for Norwich in the Premier League, with the club not really investing much in signings.
Ayoze Perez (Leicester) – Midfielder – £6.5
The former Newcastle man needs no introduction. Arguably the most consistent player for Newcastle over the last few years, Ayoze Perez has finally gotten his move to a better club with a higher quality squad surrounding him. If his pre-season form is anything to go by, Perez could have a similar impact to what James Maddison had for Leicester last season.
Perez is likely to play off of James Vardy in a two-pronged attack in a 4-4-2, which has been Brendan Rodgers’ preferred shape so far at King Power Stadium. £6.5 is dirt cheap for a player who has proven himself in England and the Premier League over the years. A true value for money pick.
Callum Robinson (Sheffield United) – Midfielder – £5.5
Brought in from Preston North End, Robinson had a brilliant Championship campaign, with 12 goals and 3 assists in 27 appearances. The winger is currently out with a hamstring injury. But, the 24-year-old will be a brilliant value-for-money pick for the entire season.
A big reason for it could be the fact that Callum Robinson was played as a forward during the pre-season, albeit the club had not signed Oliver McBurnie till then. Still, it is likely Robinson will be played upfront, if at all, which has become a trend of sorts, with Watford playing Gerard Deulofeu upfront and Crystal Palace doing the same with Wilfried Zaha.
FPL New Signings Squad
Goalkeeper: Tom Heaton (AVL)
Defenders: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (MUN), Harry Maguire (MUN), David Luiz (ARS),
Midfielders: Christian Pulisic (CHE), Pablo Fornals (WHU), Nicolas Pepe (ARS)
Forwards: Moise Kean (EVE), Wesley Moraes (AVL), Sebastien Haller (WHU)
Substitutes/Reserves: Dean Henderson (SHU), Ben Godfrey (NOR), Ayoze Perez (LEI), Callum Robinson (SHU)
Total Value Spent: £91
