Fantasy Football: 3 to buy, 3 to sell - featuring Manchester United and West Ham stars
It was business as usual in the Premier League last week – Ibrahimovic and Agüero both netted braces as they aim to emulate the sort of dominance Messi and Ronaldo have over their domestic league, Liverpool’s defenders lost points again after succumbing to the wrath of a side they were widely expected to beat, whilst Leicester City continued to disappoint following a bore draw with Arsenal. With the international break fast approaching, FPL managers will be considering many potential options with two free transfers at their disposal. Here are some prospects you may want to consider and avoid.
BUY
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg – Southampton
Price: £4.5m
Ownership: 3%
Position: Midfielder
Despite his tender years, Højbjerg was certainly a contender for man-of-the-match following their defeat to Manchester United in the first game of GW2. After only coming on as a substitute in the first game of the season, the 20-year-old showed his quality (no doubt acquired from his time at Bayern Munich) with some memorising touches, skill and passes at the heart of the Saints midfield. His strong performance will most certainly guarantee him a starting birth at home to Sunderland, where he is a sure bet to grab at least an assist. Out of all the £4.5m options you can have in the your midfield, Højbjerg is by far the most promising – whilst Capoue is also a strong acquisition following his run of goal scoring form continuing on from pre-season.
Antonio Valencia – Manchester United
Price: £5.5m
Ownership: 10%
Position: Defender
The decision to list Valencia as a defender this season as opposed to a midfielder makes him a particularly interesting prospect in terms of scoring assist points. The doubts being cast on Ibrahimovic’s ability to dominate in the Premier League have very much subsided with three goals in the first couple of games, and his ability in the air means that he will surely be burying away plenty of Valencia’s crosses. Luke Shaw was the defender who bagged the most points last time around (11), but as the Ecuadorian is a natural winger, one can expect him to bomb forward with more intent than Shaw over the course of United’s season. Either way, a United full back is a must for your fantasy league team.
Vincent Janssen – Tottenham Hotspur
Price: £8.0m
Ownership: 2%
Position: Striker
With a fairly hefty price tag, Janssen is the riskiest player on this list to purchase, shown by his low ownership. But whilst Harry Kane continues to recover from his Euro 2016 hangover, Spurs will be looking towards the Dutchman to provide the goals. Pochettino showed faith in Janssen’s ability by starting him in the lead striker role with Kane stationed behind him as part of the attacking midfield trio in a 4-2-3-1. With Lamela in sharp form and eager to prove that he can indeed flourish in England, Janssen will be on the receiving end of plenty of through balls and crosses when they take on a Liverpool defence that has conceded a joint league record of five goals in the opening two matches.
