This season’s Fantasy Premier League managers will be presented with a number of challenges which they might not be used to.
The Premier League’s official site has introduced a draft system for the first time, bringing a fringe game (at least in terms of European sport) into the mainstream.However, alongside this, managers will still be able to pick a team in the traditional manner, presenting them with a very top-heavy selection of players to pick from.
If 2016/17 was the season of the manager, the narrative surrounding the upcoming campaign will be all about strikers. Manchester United now have Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea have Álvaro Morata, and Arsenal have a new record signing in the form of Alexandre Lacazette.
Further down the league, we have new additions Sandro Ramirez and Javier Hernandez, while Jermain Defoe and Jay Rodriguez have made notable moves from one English club to another. Then there’s Gabriel Jesus, coming into a first full Premier League campaign after an injury-interrupted start to Manchester City life.
In short, most of us will blow a fair chunk of the budget on forwards, which means we’ll need to make savings elsewhere. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions for players who won’t set you back as much.
Robbie Brady – Burnley - £5.5 million
After losing Michael Keane to Everton, Burnley have been tipped to have a tough second season back in the Premier League.
Sean Dyche has set his stall out with signings who seem destined to help the Clarets resume the direct football that helped them spend most of the last 12 months in mid-table, not least former Stoke man Jon Walters, and will need to make set pieces count for them again.
Last season, 31% of Burnley’s goals came from set pieces – only five teams achieved a higher percentage – and will look to Irish international Brady to produce the quality of delivery needed to ensure they remain a threat from corners and free-kicks.
He notched one goal and two assists last season despite starting just seven games following his January arrival and has since had a chance to familiarise himself even more with his Turf Moor teammates.
Manolo Gabbiadini – Southampton - £7.0 million
Another player who showed flashes of quality after joining in January, and another who ought to only benefit from more time getting used to his surroundings.
Gabbiadini’s £7.0m price tag is lower than that of Danny Welbeck, Lucas Pérez and Vincent Janssen, none of whom can be expected to be regular starters in North London.
Furthermore, his competition for game-time has lessened with the departure of Rodriguez to West Bromwich Albion, while Shane Long struggled in front of goal last year and Charlie Austin – while a worthy rival for a starting slot – has not had an injury-free season since suffering relegation with QPR in 2015.
There is still a notable question-mark in the form of new manager Mauricio Pellegrino, who might not suit Gabbiadini in the same way as predecessor Claude Puel.
Still, a 25-year-old Italian international – coming into the season off the back of six goals in 12 games on the south coast – looks a steal at that price.
Ademola Lookman – Everton - £5.5 million
The presence of a major international tournament at the end of the season presents an opportunity for exciting English youngsters to force their way into the international reckoning.
In 2014 it was Luke Shaw and Raheem Sterling. In 2016 it was Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Marcus Rashford. Lookman seems like a leading candidate to do the same this time around.
With Yannick Bolasie still likely a couple of months (at least) away from a return to first-team action, and with Ross Barkley looking set to move on this summer, Ronald Koeman may well give the former Charlton player a run in the team as the season gets underway.
Competition remains in the form of the returning Aaron Lennon and new arrival Henry Onyekuru, but Lookman will come into the new campaign high on confidence after helping England’s Under-20 team to World Cup glory over the summer.
If he can repeat his international performances at club level, Koeman will surely find it tough to leave him out.
Angelo Ogbonna – West Ham United - £4.5 million
The arrival of José Fonte at the London Stadium in January left some question marks around Angelo Ogbonna’s future at West Ham, but he appears to have provided an answer in the form of a new five-year deal.
The Italian was out of action when Fonte arrived, going in for surgery once his performances in crucial wins over Burnley, Hull and Swansea gave the Irons some breathing room in their relegation battle, and only returned on the final day of the season.
However, the new deal suggests the Italy international will return to the starting line-up, be it in a back four or a back five.
West Ham kept just 10 clean sheets last season, but the campaign was hit by injuries to starting full-backs Sam Byram and Aaron Cresswell and uncertainty in goal, where Adrián and Darren Randolph traded places.
Those issues appear to be a thing of the past: Joe Hart will almost certainly play every game when fit, while Pablo Zabaleta and the now fully-fit Arthur Masuaku mean Slaven Bilić’s team are well-stocked on either side of the defence.
West Ham will begin their season with three straight away fixtures, due to the World Athletics Championships, so the onus will be on the defenders to stand firm against the threat of Lukaku, Gabbiadini and Dwight Gayle in those first three outings. Now entering his third Premier League campaign, Ogbonna will be keen to prove he’s the man to do just that.
Roberto Pereyra – Watford - £6.0
As Watford sunk further and further down the table under Walter Mazzarri, many looked at the Hornets collapse as something that just tends to happen to the Hornets. After all, a run of two wins from the last 12 games of the campaign had spelt the end for Mazzarri’s predecessor Quique Sánchez Flores.
However, to take that approach would be to ignore the very substantial impact of Roberto Pereyra’s absence from the first-team picture.
Pereyra became Watford’s record signing when he joined from Juventus last summer, and scored barely 10 minutes into his debut as a substitute at home to Arsenal.
He added one more goal and two assists before suffering a horror knee injury in December which cut short his season, and no other member of the squad could produce the spark offered by the £13m Argentine.
There is always a risk plumping for someone coming off a serious injury, but Pereyra has already rejoined the first team for full training and should be ready to play a part against Liverpool on the opening weekend of the season.
New Hornets boss Marco Silva has form for getting the best out of talented attacking midfielders, as shown with Lazar Marković at Hull last season, and Pereyra ought to enjoy his football under the Portuguese coach.
Coming in at just £6.0m, less than the likes of Ahmed Musa and Erik Lamela, he barely even classes as a gamble.
