Premier League football never ceases to amaze me. The last gameweek was one of those that all managers have – every decision I made came back to haunt me. But, we have to dust ourselves off and go again; that’s football.
After some controversial refereeing decisions (I’m looking at you, Mr Moss), gameweek four went exactly as expected. Perhaps the only shock was Manchester United dropping points away at Stoke City. But, if your team is stacked with players from top six clubs, then you should be seeing green arrows all-round.
Anyway, let’s get right down to our three players to buy, followed by our three players to wave goodbye to…
Three players to buy
Ben Davies – Tottenham Hotspur - £5.7million
Let’s start with the most transferred in player this week; Ben Davies. The Spurs man is a sure starter at left-back and the London club have a rather attractive fixture list over the next few weeks.
At 5.7million, he represents great value because not only will he keep clean sheets, Davies will also get into the final third and accumulate points because of his offensive qualities as well. He’s already picked up 32 points this season, making him the highest scoring defender in FPL.
Pascal Groß – Brighton & Hove Albion - £5.4million
My wildcard player for this week is Pascal Groß of Brighton. He has looked like The Seagulls’ best player in pretty much every game so far this season, and at £5.4million he could be an absolute steal for most managers. His price means that you’re not forced to start him every single week, but when the time is right, you can throw him into your line-up.
He will be hit and miss, but there is no time like the present to draft him in – particularly when Brighton’s next two fixtures are AFC Bournemouth (A) and Newcastle (H). These games should offer some excellent opportunities for points. He’s only owned by a low percentage of players too, which is always a plus.
Chris Wood – Burnley - £6.5million
I’ve had my eye on Chris Wood ever since the moment Burnley signed him. I wanted to make sure that he could carry over his sensational form from the Championship into the Premier League, and he has taken to the top flight like a duck to water with two goals in his opening two games.
It’s crazy that only 1.2% of FPL bosses have drafted him into their teams, because at £6.5million the man from New Zealand offers some wonderful value for a low-priced striker. With 6 and 9 points scored respectively in his opening two fixtures, coupled with the fact that he’s coming up against some porous defences in the next few weeks, I can only see his value rising.
Three players to sell
Paul Pogba – Manchester United - £8.3million
Sorry to the 35% of you that own Paul Pogba. The French midfield maestro is going to be sidelined for a lengthy period of time, and £8.3million is just far too much to leave on the bench. This is a man who has become the heartbeat of Manchester United’s attack – whilst picking up FPL points galore.
A good move could be a straight swap, bringing in his teammate Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£8.4million). They’ll now be more onus on the Armenia star to unlock opposing defences, and the former Borussia Dortmund man will almost certainly see much more of the ball.
Sadio Mane – Liverpool - £9.5million
Another pretty straightforward pick. Sadio Mane will miss the next three games through suspension and £9.5million is a lot of cash that can be spent elsewhere. It’s a shame because the Senegal international had started the season in sensational form, and the -2 points that he picked up against Manchester City would have been a big blow to the quarter of bosses that owned him.
Make no mistake about it, Liverpool will miss their key man. However, it could offer Philippe Coutinho a way back into the side. It’s probably too soon to pull the FPL trigger on the Brazilian, though…
Javier Hernandez – West Ham United - £7.1million
After scoring twice against Southampton in GW2, I expected the Mexican hitman to push on and start finding the back of the net on a regular basis. In fact, he’s regressed and that culminated in him being hauled off after the hour against Huddersfield.
A huge 26% of managers still own the forward who is valued at £7.1million. Do yourself a favour, bin him off and bring in Chris Wood who is £0.5million cheaper. No doubt now I’ve said this, Chicharito will go on to bag a hat-trick this weekend.
Good luck ladies and gents, hopefully, we’re all celebrating green arrows once this latest round of fixtures is in the books.
