PREMIER LEAGUE TRANSFERS: Will They Play? (Part 2)
The transfer market has offered some huge surprises so far, teams are looking more diverse and questionable with each passing day. The Hype Train questions whether or not the players brought in by teams will play, the last thing any FPL manager wants is to have nothing but disappointment on the opening day when they see the team sheets only to find that the league’s latest acquisitions relegated to the bench. Will the newbies play?
Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek Deadline
For the 2016/17 Premier League season, the FPL deadline will be one hour before the commencement of the week's first game. The Premier League website lists each FPL deadline, you can always ask on social media, and you can also view a real time countdown on our Weekly Hype page.
In a change from last season, the early Saturday kick off time has now been moved back to 11:30am, meaning the weekly FPL deadline will also be moving 15 minutes back.
The transfer deadline for GW1 is Saturday August 13th at 11:30am.
The changing face of the Premier League also means teams have begun to implement their annual changes too, and over the summer and in the run up to the gameweek one the FPL community will debate as to whether or not the new players will actually be given a chance. This series of articles looks at the new transfers made by clubs to assess if it is worth the gamble for the start of the season. Everyone can get wrapped up in so much excitement that they forget that teams can sometimes leave things the way they were and allow players to blood in over the long term.
The questions asked will always be the same: are they near the starting eleven, and if so, will they be heavily rotated. Getting down to brass-tax The Hype Train evaluates if the new signings are going to be getting minutes on the pitch.
Part two of this series focuses on another six new Premier League signings.
ALVARO NEGREDO
Club: Middlesbrough
Price: £6.5mil
Position: Forward
Starting XI: Yes
Rotation Risk: High
First Three: STK (h), SUN (a), WBA (a)
The Spaniard joins Boro on a season long loan at the Riverside, and the former Manchester City forward will relish his opportunity in a hungry Boro squad that has undergone a cosmetic face-lift in the transfer window. Negredo hasn't found his best form during his time with Valencia, notching only ten goals in two seasons, so form could be obviously better which puts into question the price-tag he has been given. In terms of competition for the starting spot Boro play a 4-2-3-1 formation, the three attackers behind the striker are responsible in getting the ball to the lone striker so if started he could be the focal point of their attack. FPL managers will be glad to see a team reliant on individuals stepping up, and Negredo has the quality to do that again in the Premier League. Caution is advised because Boro have a deep selection of forwards that could either accompany or dislodge Negredo from the team, so there is a high risk of rotation with Nugent, Rhodes, and Stuani all in good form after the promotion season. Negredo should be the starting striker, but that could mean nothing for the start of the season.
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC
Club: Manchester United
Price: £11.5
Position: Forward
Starting XI: Yes
Rotation Risk: Moderate
First Three: BOU (a), SOU (h), HUL (a)
'Manchester, welcome to Zlatan' was the message that read when the Swede joined from PSG on a free transfer at the end of his contract with the French champions. The goal scoring prowess is famed worldwide and Man Utd fans will be keen to see him replicate his form in the Premier League in their quest to win the Premier League. Zlatan will have been given assurances of his starting position before he moved, and naturally you'd play Zlatan ahead of most strikers. He is Jose's striking specialist, one of the 'fabled four' specialists he is trying to bring under one roof at Old Trafford. Zlatan will start, no doubt about it, but he may be rotated during games if Rashford or Rooney take up the striking role. There is also the cursed reminder that the Red Devils are in the Europa League and that could take some emphasis from a stabled lineup.
JOEL MATIP
Club: Liverpool
Price: £5.5
Position: Defender
Starting XI: Maybe
Rotation Risk: High
First Three: ARS (a), BUR (a), TOT (a)
Arriving from Shalke on a free transfer the Cameroon international is highly thought of and Klopp swooped in quickly before anyone else could in January to convince him to join him at Liverpool. Strangely Liverpool picked up a gem of a player in the heart of their defence, there is an argument he would slot straight into the main team because of his aerial prowess and goal-scoring touch. Matip could also play in a holding role as he has previously done for Shalke before. He could definitely help to solve the defensive woes Liverpool have suffered in recent seasons and is young enough to still develop into one of the best in the league. However, and it is a big however, Liverpool pose the biggest risk of rotation including their defensive assets. In the minds of many supporters and FPL managers they would like to see Matip play every game alongside Lovren. Mamadou Sakho is yet to return from injury and being the only strong communicator in the team and cult hero of the club he could slot back in once he has recovered from his injury. Sakho and Lovren were growing as a good partnership, and Klopp could allow him time to settle as he is still the youngest central defender. Also, there is a sneaking suspicion Klavan could play to bolster the squad with some experience alongside Lovren which actually makes sense if you factor in the culpable defensive unit that is Liverpool.
SOFIANE FEGHOULI
Club: West Ham United
Price: £5.5mil
Position: Midfielder
Starting XI: Highly Likely
Rotation Risk: High
First Three: CHE (a), MID (h), MCI (a)
Totally dependent on where Antonio plays, if the English winger plays right-back for the start of the season then Sofiane will play right-wing. Could be a bargain pick in the beginning of the season if the English winger is utilised as a defensive option. The Algerian hasn’t been in stellar form but that isn’t to say Bilic can’t bring the best out of him. What is interesting about Feghouli is that in the absence of Payet from the team the African winger is on a lot of the set piece duties which might intrigue a few people, in Europa League qualifiers he was utilised on the left and looked lively. Minutes are difficult to spot, we would like to see him play, but we can’t be one hundred percent certain. The attacking units at West Ham also means he risks rotation throughout the season with the likes of Lanzini, Payet, Tore, and Antonio who could play in Feghouli’s position. That's not including any deal with Swansea for Andre Ayew.
JAMES TOMKINS
Club: Crystal Palace
Price: £5.0
Position: Defender
Starting XI: Yes
Rotation Risk: Low
First Three: WBA (h),TOT (a), BOU (h)
One thing the Palace needed to upgrade was the partner to Scott Dann, and we believe they had done a stellar job in preying the reliable James Tomkins from West Ham under the promise of an assured starting position within the team. Delaney is a good defender but it was obvious an upgrade was needed to help shore up the defence, and Tomkins was a solid player for the Hammers when called upon. Should be bit fit for the opening game against West Brom he will partner Scott Dann without question, he wouldn’t have left West Ham unless it was to secure more permanent first team football. Delaney will be there to deputise when there is an injury, but this is a player locked firmly into position for the upcoming season.
MATT PHILLIPS
Club: West Brom
Price: £5.5mil
Position: Midfielder
Starting XI: Yes
Rotation Risk: Moderate
First Three: CRY (a), EVE (h), MID (h)
After one season absent from the Premier League the valuation of Phillips went £15mil to just £5mil and this is an absolute steal for the Baggies who secured their long term target. A natural winger and goal-scorer many will be happy to see his return to the Premier League under Tony Pulis. He was an asset in the latter half of the 2014/15 season along with then-teammate Leroy Fer, picking up eight assists and three goals in a short period of time showed his qualities on the pitch. West Brom is short on quality on the wings, particularly on the right hand side. The acquisition of Phillips is to plug that gap and bring some pace into the squad and some finishing touch too. Phillips position in the team is safe and he will start the season. The only thinking point is that he isn’t the ‘typical’ Pulis player so there will always be doubts about his place in the team, there are some games when it would appear he would like a goalkeeper and ten central midfielders on the pitch.
Will They Play?
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (MUN): Starter, low rotation risk.
James Tomkins (CRY): Starter, low rotation risk.
Jordan Ibe (BOU): Starter, moderate rotation risk.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (MUN): Starter, moderate rotation risk.
Matt Phillips (WBA): Starter, moderate rotation risk.
Sadio Mane (LIV): Starter, high rotation risk.
Alvaro Negredo (MID): Starter, high rotation risk.
Joel Matip (LIV): Potential starter, high rotation risk.
Victor Valdes (MID): Potential starter, high rotation risk.
Sofiane Feghouli (WHU): Potential starter, high rotation risk.
Steve Mandanda (CRY): Potential starter, high rotation risk.
Ahmed Musa (LEI): Non-starter, high rotation risk.
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The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015 specialising in the Fantasy Premier League (#FPL), providing beautiful graphics and weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb ranking tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review movies, television, live music, festivals, and any relevant topic in the public eye.
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