Cianan’s Column: Transfer chaos ahead of GW17

It appears a lot of people read this column, given that over 800,000 people have brought in Wilson ahead of GW17. That, or they saw his masterful 16-pointer at the weekend and are vehemently knee-jerking. I’ll let you decide. But, in all seriousness, if you can afford a two-week punt, Wilson is a solid short-term option. He’s “in the form of his life”, with Forest (H) and West Ham (A) after that. Remember, you will likely need to sell him after that point, however, as Fulham’s fixtures turn awfully sour.

Other popular players this week include Fernandes, Foden, and Rogers. The first two seem more than sensible moves, with both firing on all cylinders at the moment, with fruitful fixtures coming up and consistent minutes. The latter, however, is a strange move. Why would you bring in a Villa midfielder after they’ve played West Ham (A) and before they face United (H), Chelsea (A), and Arsenal (A)? We talked a lot about jumping on points last week, and to elaborate further, some assets can be played against practically anyone. For reference, there is almost no fixture I’d drop Fernandes or Foden for (if they were fit and available, of course), whereas the same cannot be said for Rogers, whose best hauls this season have come against weak opposition (specifically Leeds and West Ham).

As a result of the five free transfers all managers received for AFCON, a lot of moves have been made as of late. Some managers are even making transfers solely because they have them, and that’s where caution needs to be exercised. Say you used two of your transfers last week, and this week you decide to roll. You’ll be back at five free transfers next gameweek, providing an easy means of making several moves while still keeping one or two transfers for emergencies (sudden injuries, suspensions, etc.). FPL is a relative game, and since everyone got that boost in transfers, you have to consider how to maximise that advantage, and spreading it over the course of your whole season (through a better transfer trajectory from here on out) will provide better rewards than short-term point chasing.

If you are still looking to make a transfer, and it isn’t one of the players I’ve discussed above (and it isn’t a player like Saka who you should already own), you’re probably interested in Semenyo or O’Reilly. Semenyo grabbed a goal in Bournemouth’s 4-4 thriller with United on Monday night, and that seems to have set off alarm bells for many, since he faces Burnley (H) and Brentford (A) in his next two games. Though I’d urge caution to prospective buyers, as he has four yellow cards and poor underlying data, harming his long-term viability. O’Reilly is comparatively more attractive. City are now entering a great run of fixtures, and with most managers now wisely owning Haaland and Foden, many are considering a defender to complete the set. With his £5.3m price point and having returned in seven of his last ten gameweeks, it is, in some senses, a no-brainer. He’s yet to suffer from Pep roulette or ludicrous ownership (currently less than 10% of managers own the defender), so if you want to make a defensive transfer this week, look no further.

Rapid recommendations

● Thiago is easy to hold this week as they face Wolves (A). We’ll reassess next week.
● Chelsea’s talisman Palmer is back! He’s expensive (£10.3m), and the minutes are shoddy, but he was electric in FPL last year. Keep an eye on him.
● Ekitiké is a stellar option over the next four weeks, specifically for GW18 and 19. Given his goal-scoring record when he gets good gametime, not owning him scares me.
● Though he’s scored four goals in his last four games, you can’t trust Calvert-Lewin. Injury-prone and historically ‘streaky’ when it comes to consistency, he’s too frustrating for me ever to bring him in.
● Don’t buy him yet, but Bowen could be a mean differential (6.5% ownership currently) after this week. Despite West Ham’s shortcomings, from GW18, they don’t have a difficult fixture until GW24, and then they don’t have another until GW28.

The Boar standings
1st: Dwight Club (1016) – managed by Cianan Sheekey
2nd: parths11 (967) – managed by Parth Malik
3rd: Meganerd FC (947) – managed by Megan Green