Fantasy Football

POUND for pound, Jarrod Bowen (£3.8m) was arguably Dream Team’s standout asset last season.Having previously looked promising without substantial returns, the ex-Hull winger suddenly ascended to another level, scoring 18 goals and providing 13 assists across all competitions.
When all was said and done, West Ham’s No20 racked up 210 Dream Team points, the fourth-best tally among midfielders.
Naturally, Bowen was then a popular selection ahead of Game Week 1 this season.
But the 26-year-old’s backers were left disappointed as he mustered just 13 points from his first eleven outings.
Bowen’s form has been erratic this season
He enjoyed some prosperous appearances between Game Weeks 8 and 9 when he bagged 34 points from four games but then netted zero points from the following 12 fixtures – a fallow spell that saw his price from £4.6m to £3.2m.
However, the England international has been resurgent of late, registering 43 points in his last six outings.
This purple patch has featured two assists, three goals and three Star Man awards – reminiscent of his 2021/22 form.
Bowen’s upturn has coincided with improved results for the Hammers.
Make no mistake, David Moyes’ side remain in the relegation dogfight but a run of three wins and two draws in their last six games (all competitions) has given the London Stadium faithful reason to be optimistic.
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From a Dream Team perspective, many gaffers may have written off Bowen as a one-season wonder of sorts but his recent returns deserve suitable consideration.
It’s remarkable, and perhaps an indication of his pedigree, that he’s among the top ten midfielders despite two relatively long lean spells this term.
Bowen’s returns have improved in recent weeks
If Bowen can continue his good form then March may be the best time to enact a transfer for Dream Team managers tempted by this proposition.
West Ham resume Europa Conference League duties in Game Week 25 with two legs against AEK Larnaca, currently second in the Cypriot top flight.
Saying that, the Irons’ domestic fixtures aren’t too friendly; they face Man United in the FA Cup this week before league meetings with Brighton, Aston Villa and Man City.
Still, Bowen’s returns are worth monitoring. More

IT’S easy enough for Dream Team gaffers to check each club’s best performers this season.But we’ve gone one further here and ranked all twenty teams on how reliant they are on their top asset.
We’ve crunched the numbers to work out the percentages for each of the players in relation to their side’s overall tally; for example, if Player x has 100 points and Team y has 1,000 points then the percentage is 10%.
20. ARSENAL – BUKAYO SAKA (£4.8m) – 9.26%
Arsenal’s resident ‘Starboy’Credit: GETTY
The Gunners’ title charge is the absolute definition of a team effort on the basis of this evidence.
Saka is the third-best midfielder in the game and has undoubtedly been one of the standout individuals of the season but the stats don’t lie, Mikel Arteta’s side have spread around the points more than any other team.
A good omen for their title challenge?
19. WEST HAM – JARROD BOWEN (£3.8m) – 9.6%
The Hammers’ No20 has enjoyed an upturn in form recently, producing 43 points in his last six outings.
Prior to that, Said Benrahma (£3m) was the club’s best performer but his overall tally of 78 points is nothing more than respectable.
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18. LEICESTER – JAMES MADDISON (£5.9m) – 10.63%
The Foxes’ playmaker-in-chief is his side’s best player, 12 points ahead of Harvey Barnes (£4.4m), despite the fact he was sidelined for several weeks with a knee injury.
Had Maddison been available more often, Leicester would likely be in the top half of this list as the No10 has clearly been their most successful asset for a while now.
17. NOTTINGHAM FOREST – MORGAN GIBBS-WHITE (£2.3m) – 11.03%
Not much to shout about here as the 23-year-old, as impressive as he’s been, has just 64 points to his name.
Only two other players on this list have fewer points than Gibbs-White.
Dean Henderson (£3m) was actually among the top five goalkeepers at one stage but injury has curtailed his campaign.
Gibbs-White has been a good signing for ForestCredit: GETTY
16. CRYSTAL PALACE – MICHAEL OLISE (£2.9m) – 12.11%
The Eagles are without a win in their last nine fixtures across all competitions and have won just one game since the restart.
The fact that Olise, with two goals and five assists, is their best Dream Team asset is another indication that things aren’t going all that smoothly at Selhurst Park right now.
15. BRIGHTON – SOLLY MARCH (£3.4m) – 12.17%
There’s a cigarette paper between the Seagulls’ best performers with Pascal Gross (£2.8m) on 83 points, Kaoru Mitoma (£3.5m) on 84 points and March leading the way on 88.
This is a case of one position holding up the team rather than one specific player – the aforementioned midfielders have all enjoyed fruitful bursts but Brighton’s defenders and forwards haven’t mustered many returns at all.
14. CHELSEA – THIAGO SILVA (£6m) – 12.82%
The experienced Brazilian is 29 points ahead of his next-best team-mate, Kepa Arrizabalaga (£3.5m), and it’s something of a surprise that he doesn’t feature higher in this list.
Silva has been among the top ten defender pretty much from the get-go in 2022/23 (currently eighth) but the Blues have no midfielders in the top 40 and their best forward, Kai Havertz (£3.3m), is 20th.
Fine wines and all that
13. FULHAM – ALEKSANDAR MITROVIC (£4.4m) – 13%
No prizes for guessing the Cottagers’ best performer this term.
Had we written this article earlier in the season the Serbian No9 would be among the top three names on this list but, partly due to injury niggles, his returns have dropped off in recent weeks – he’s added just three points to his total across the last nine Game Weeks.
Mitrovic’s overall tally of 93 points is still impressive but he’s not the top-tier asset he was during the first third of the season.
12. WOLVES – RUBEN NEVES (£3m) – 14.51%
The Portugal international has quietly earned five Star Man awards so far this season – only four players have more to their name – hence his slightly surprisingly appearance in the top 15 midfielders (84 points).
Wolves were horribly out of form prior to the World Cup but they’ve lost just one of their last seven league games and are heading towards the relative safety of mid table under Julen Lopetegui.
11. MANCHESTER UNITED – MARCUS RASHFORD (£6.5m) – 14.6%
Here’s a fun fact, the Red Devils as a collective have one more point than their “noisy neighbours” with 1,644 to Manchester City’s 1,643 at this stage, making them Dream Team’s outright best team!
Their in-form No10 has been unstoppable of late and his tally of 240 points is second-best overall but the fact Man United are in the bottom half of this list shows Rashford has had plenty of able assistance too.
In fact, seven Old Trafford residents are into double figures – that’s the most centurions of any team.
10. EVERTON – JAMES TARKOWSKI (£2.9m) – 15.14%
Familiar with Dyche-ball
The second of only three defenders on this list.
In characteristic fashion, the no-nonsense centre-back has doubled up at the Toffees’ primary attacking threat since Sean Dyche’s appointment, given the value placed on set pieces.
That being said, Tarkowski has scraped together just 63 points (the second-lowest total of any player listed) and one only team, yet to feature, have fewer points overall than Everton’s 416.
9. LEEDS – RODRIGO (£4m) – 15.49%
The Spanish forward remains one of just seven players to have reached double figures for Premier League goals in 2022/23.
This statistic underlines how much his absence may hurt the Whites in their quest to avoid the drop.
8. NEWCASTLE – KIERAN TRIPPIER (£6.5m) – 16.16%
Generally speaking, the Magpies have relied upon their defensive assets as a whole to amass the bulk of their Dream Team points but their even with Nick Pope (£4.7m) and Fabian Schar (£4.3m) having done so well their vice captain earns a lofty placing in this list because of his massive tally of 191 points.
Kevin De Bruyne (£7.3m) is the only player to have been named Star Man more times than Trippier (seven) this season, a reflection of the England international’s dual purpose at St James’ Park: reliable right-back and prolific chance-creator.
7. TOTTENHAM – HARRY KANE (£8m) – 16.42%
Spurs’ all-time top scorerCredit: GETTY
Another easy one to guess here, particularly with Son Heung-min (£5.3m) having been under par for long periods.
Kane has 20 goals in all competitions already with roughly a third of the season still to fulfil.
With 179 points, the England skipper is Dream Team’s fifth-best asset overall.
6. LIVERPOOL – MOHAMED SALAH (£8.3m) – 16.74%
The Reds have been a source of persistent frustration for many Dream Team bosses these past few months but at least their Egyptian hero has continued to provide the goods.
Last season’s top points scorer is set for yet another impressive campaign this time around having racked up 182 points.
In previous years, Salah has led the way but been ably supported by a strong backing group, however, with the likes of Virgil van Dijk (£4.7m) and Andy Robertson (£3.8m) operating at half capacity in a Dream Team sense, Liverpool’s No11 has had to perform something of a carry job.
5. MANCHESTER CITY – ERLING HAALAND (£8.9m) – 16.86%
As mentioned earlier, Pep Guardiola’s side are just one point off their local rivals in regards to the best collective totals and even with the usual assortment of world-class midfield returns – De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez (£6m) and Phil Foden (£4.6m) are all centurions – it’s hard to look past their monstrous No9.
Haaland has made a mockery of English football in his debut campaign on these shores having raced to 27 goals in 24 league appearances – the Golden Boot is already his for all intents and purposes.
His tally of 277 points is borderline freakish at this stage of the campaign but, incredibly, he now faces stiff competition from Rashford in the race to be named Dream Team’s apex predator come the end of term.
4. BRENTFORD – IVAN TONEY (£5.8m) – 17.23%
Brentford’s top marksmanCredit: GETTY
Ben Mee (£3.7m) is doing himself proud this season but even so, Toney has a 41-point lead the top of the rankings among the Bees.
The 26-year-old needs just one more goal or assist to pass 20 goal involvements for the campaign and despite not having European fixtures to boost his schedule, he’s well placed to finish among Dream Team’s top five forwards.
3. BOURNEMOUTH – PHILLIP BILLING (£2.6m) – 18.1%
Unfortunately, there’s not much to smile about here.
Billing has mustered just 61 points (most of them coming within the first ten Game Weeks) and somehow that’s enough to account for 18.1% of the Cherries’ team total.
The whole situation just screams: relegation.
2. SOUTHAMPTON – CHE ADAMS (£3.3m) – 20.63%
It’s a similar story at St Mary’s too although Saints’ Scottish forward can hold his head high having earned 91 points.
Granted, Adams’ respectable total owes a lot to his five goals in the Carabao Cup but that’s the beauty of Dream Team, gaffers have to be alert to all possibilities presented by the relevant competitions.
Southampton’s No10 deserves plenty of credit of providing over a fifth of his side’s points to date – any danger of helping him out, lads?
1. ASTON VILLA – OLLIE WATKINS (£4.5m) – 20.85%
Watkins can’t stop scoringCredit: GETTY
Top of the pile is a striker who is in great form right now.
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Watkins has scored in each of his last five games, a prosperous run that has generated 39 points – a superb effort considering he’s played Man City and Arsenal in that time.
The ex-Brentford forward has responded excellently to Unai Emery’s tactics – he now leads the line alone – and 65 points across the last 11 Game Weeks speaks for itself. More

PHIL FODEN’S (£4.6m) season came to a strange halt a few weeks ago.Manchester City’s homegrown starlet came down with illness at some stage, something that has affected a few Etihad residents this term, but his playing time was also reduced because of the form of his team-mates.
Jack Grealish (£4.1m) has been in Pep Guardiola’s good books of late and Riyad Mahrez (£6m) has justified his regular starts with plenty of goal involvements too.
Foden is more than capable of playing in midfield but in recent years he’s generally been deployed in the front three and with the false nine era having been ended by Erling Haaland’s (£8.9m) arrival at Eastlands, he’s had to wait his turn.
Statement made
The England international was given the full 90 minutes to strut his stuff against Bournemouth on Saturday for the first time since City’s 2-0 defeat to Southampton in the Carabao Cup back in mid-January.
And boy did he take his opportunity.
Micah Richards described Foden’s display at the Vitality Stadium as a “10/10 performance” on Match of the Day and while Dream Team’s ratings providers, WhoScored, were slightly less forthcoming (9/10) they agreed that City’s No47 was the best player on the pitch.
Foden was great value for the Star Man award having created the most chances, registered the most touches in the opposition’s box and completed the most passes in the final third.
Most importantly, he scored one of City’s four goals and assisted another.
According to WhoScored, Foden’s exhibition on the south coast was his second-best of the campaign so far – his hat-trick in the Manchester derby back in October earned him a 10/10 rating.
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Foden appears in 17% of Dream TeamsCredit: GETTY
In Dream Team terms, Foden banked 15 points when all was said and done, his first double-digit haul since Game Week 17.
The points would have come as a great relief to the 17% of Dream Team bosses currently backing the midfielder, who remains the fifth-most popular asset in his position despite a dip in returns recently.
Presumably, Saturday’s performance would have put an end to Foden’s mini exile.
With 114 points in total, he’s the fifth-best midfielder, five points ahead of Martin Odegaard (£3.4m) – Arsenal’s captain is over twice as popular.
Foden has scored ten goals and been credited with six assists at club level in 2022/23 – which boils down to a goal involvement every 109 minutes.
As has been established for a while now, he’s a top-tier Dream Team asset when fit and selected… but Guardiola is a cruel taskmaster at times. More

WHO had an Emerson Royal (£4m) renaissance on their 2023 bingo card?The 24-year-old has often been a figure of ridicule since his move to Tottenham, making himself an easy target for internet trolls by revealing that he has spent almost £1million of his own money on additional good and services in an attempt to improve his game.
While the Brazilian wing-back seems a wholehearted enough player, a montage of his worst performances in the last year would make for comedic viewing, unless you’re among the Tottenham Hotspur faithful, in which case it would scarier than The Blair Witch Project.
Royal has found some unexpected form
When the club announced the signing of Pedro Porro (£2.3m) in January, it seemed as if Royal’s playing time would be dramatically cut.
However, he has responded to the challenge admirably, particularly in the realm of Dream Team where he has banked 30 points in his last two appearances.
Royal opened the scoring against West Ham in Game Week 23, combining with opposite wing-back Ben Davies (£3.5m) for a goal typical of an Antonio Conte team, and ultimately contributed to a clean sheet as well to top the match ratings and register an 18-point haul.
A second successive 2-0 win for Spurs in a London derby, this time against Chelsea on Sunday, meant another clean sheet for Royal and, despite his yellow card, he edged out Oliver Skipp (£1m) and Harry Kane (£8m) to claim the Star Man award once again to add 12 points to his overall tally.
No other defender has produced as many points in the same time frame.
Admittedly, that’s a small sample size but a broader view is also flattering; Royal has earned 65 points since the start of Game Week 16 at an average of 5.9 points-per-outing.
Thriving in the world of Dream Team
This unexpected surge has propelled Spurs’ No12 up to 13th in the rankings among assets in his position.
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Incredibly, he now boasts a better total than Manchester City’s best-performing defender this season, Nathan Ake (£3.9m).
Royal also has more points than Virgil van Dijk (£4.7m) and William Saliba (£2.7m), both among the most-popular players in the game, which is notable because his ownership currently sits at just 0.8%.
A quick glance at the schedule suggests his purple patch may last a few more weeks yet.
Spurs play Sheffield United in the FA Cup this Wednesday before taking on Wolves, Milan, Nottingham Forest and Southampton.
The vast majority of Dream Team gaffers would have discarded Royal as a possibility a long time ago but the numbers don’t lie. More

DREAM TEAM gaffers have a lot to contemplate when mulling over potential transfers.One specific aspect to consider is chance creation.
Players who create lots of chances tend to register plenty of assists and earn regular 7+ ratings – and sometimes creativity alone is enough to win a Star Man award.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at which individuals have created the most chances for their team-mates in the Premier League so far this season.
No prizes for guessing who leads the wayCredit: GETTY
PREMIER LEAGUE CHANCES CREATED:

Kevin De Bruyne (£7m) – 73
Kieran Trippier (£6.6m) – 70
Bruno Fernandes (£6m) – 66
Andreas Pereira (£2.9m) – 53
Martin Odegaard (£3.2m) – 51
Bukayo Saka (£4.5m) – 50
James Ward-Prowse (£3.5m) – 49
Pascal Gross (£2.9m) – 45
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5m) – 41
Harry Kane (£8m) – 41

It’s no surprise to see Manchester City’s playmaker-in-chief at the top of pile.
De Bruyne is known for his fizzed crosses and clever throughballs and given he’s got 12 league assists to his name this term (four more than his closest rival) it makes sense that he’s the league’s leading creator in every possible sense.
Many Dream Team bosses will have been wondering exactly why Newcastle’s right-back has been so successful this season and this stat goes a long way to providing an answer.
Not only is Trippier a mainstay of the league’s best defence – the Magpies have conceded just 15 goals – but he’s a top-tier creative force too.
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Trippier’s dual purpose has made him an elite Dream Team asset this season
Naturally, the England international’s probing set-pieces make up a sizeable chunk of his chances created but that’s all the more reason to stick by him despite a lack of clean sheets in recent fixtures.
Interestingly, Trippier has generated 7.4 expected assists (xA) in the top flight this season, the second-most among all players, which suggest his team-mates have not made the most of his output as he’s only got four actual assists.
Manchester United’s Portuguese playmaker completes the podium amid an impressive Dream Team surge.
Feeding the clinical Marcus Rashford (£6.4m), Fernandes has amassed 75 points across the last five and a half Game Weeks!
Look at Fulham’s No18 mixing it with the big boys.
Pereira’s six assists have helped Marco Silva’s side to a position where they are heading into the final third of the campaign thinking not of survival but of European qualification.
It’s interesting to note that the Brazilian’s chances have been of comparatively low value compared to most the other names on this list – his 53 chances amount to just 3.5xA.
A smart signing
By way of a comparison, Arsenal’s captain, the next name down on the list, has generated 5.3xA from two fewer chances.
The Gunners’ homegrown winger is De Bruyne’s closest rival for the Playmaker of the Season award with eight assists to his name.
Saka is one of those loveable Dream Team assets who provides more than his fair share in terms of both goals and assists – he’s got 18 goal involvements this term already.
Liverpool’s right-back is an intriguing inclusion.
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Fans have become accustomed to Alexander-Arnold’s attacking output in recent years but the general perception is that, like the Reds as a whole, he’s been below par this season.
The fact that the 24-year-old is still among the league’s top creators, and the second-best in his position, perhaps explains why he’s 12th among Dream Team defenders despite Liverpool’s problems. More

It’s not so clear which defenders Dream Team bosses should back right now.Newcastle assets have generally been the best over the course of the whole season but, as we detailed yesterday, four games without a clean sheet has slowed their progress dramatically – they play the two Manchester clubs next as well.
Manchester City have conceded their fair share of goals and Pep Guardiola’s rotation policy means it’s hard to pin down a regular anyway – one week Rico Lewis (£3m) appears to be the standout bargain in the game and the next he’s totally inactive.
Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool all have their much-documented problems.
Even league-leaders Arsenal are averaging one conceded goal per game in the top flight.
All things considered, it’s a tricky position to master at the moment.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best seven defenders currently priced at £4million or cheaper.
Kenny Tete
An underrated gemCredit: GETTY

Fulham
£3m
71 points
0.3% ownership
Ranked 16th in his position

Very much an unsung hero outside of Craven Cottage, as evidenced by his minuscule ownership.
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The Dutchman has chipped in with four assists from right-back and, while he’s prone to a yellow card, he’s been a key contributor to Fulham’s impressive showing upon their return to the Premier League.
In terms of Dream Team viability he’s not banging down the door but if Marco Silva’s side hold on for European qualification then he could be one to monitor next season.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Manchester United
£3.7m
73 points
1.7% ownership
Ranked 15th in his position

Old Trafford’s resident spider averages 4.6 points-per-game, putting him above the likes of Dan Burn (£4.9m), Thiago Silva (£6m) and Ruben Dias (£5.7m) in the same metric.
Limited in attack but among the best one-on-on defenders in Europe, Wan-Bissaka did very well when tasked with filling in for Diogo Dalot (4m) while the Portugal international was injured.
Having impressed Erik ten Hag, he may be given a decent allotment of minutes in the final third of the season but Dream Team managers should be aware that Dalot is Man United’s first-choice right-back.
Nathan Ake
Not Guardiola-proof

Manchester City
£4m
76 points
5.6% ownership
Ranked 13th in his position

The Netherlands international is the best-performing defender for the defending champions this term (now that Joao Cancelo has exited) and he was a relatively safe pick when deployed at left-back.
However, Guardiola has been getting funky recently with Bernardo Silva (£2.7m) occupying the role vacated by Cancelo with mixed results.
Ake’s owners may have to ride out this current wave of tactical quirkiness.
Ben Mee

Brentford
£3.9m
92 points
2.8% ownership
Ranked 12th in his position

A centre-back you can set your watch to.
The 33-year-old has improved Brentford’s defence since signing from Burnley in the summer and would be one of the first names mentioned when discussing the Bees’ ongoing unbeaten streak of eleven league games.
Mee’s total is boosted by three goals, an assist, and three fully deserved Star Man awards.
Gabriel
Ever presentCredit: GETTY

Arsenal
£3.8m
98 points
17.8% ownership
Ranked 9th in his position

It’s interesting that William Saliba (£2.9m) is more popular (22.5% ownership) than his centre-back partner because he’s 32 points shy of the Brazilian’s total.
Mikel Arteta has remained loyal to his starting XI and Gabriel has played every minute of every league game in 2022/23.
It’s worth noting that the Gunners’ No6 has earned just one point from his last seven games but the fact he’s still a top-ten asset among defenders speaks volumes for his overall consistency – he needs to stop the rot sharpish though.
Diogo Dalot

Manchester United
£4m
108 points
5.4% ownership
Ranked joint-4th in his position

One wonders what tally the Portuguese full-back would be on had he not missed 11 games through injury.
Dalot is one of just eight defenders to have achieved 100+ points at this stage of the campaign having produced four double-digit single-game hauls.
If Man United can edge out Barcelona on Thursday night and go deep in the Europa League then there could be plenty of Dream Team points on offer for the 23-year-old.
Luke Shaw
A Shaw thing

Manchester United
£3.8m
108 points
11.2% ownership
Ranked joint-4th in his position

It’s a similar story for the Red Devils’ No3 who has the exact same points total as Dalot at the time of writing.
Shaw has admirably filled in at centre-back a few times in recent weeks but it’s at left-back, his natural position, where he truly excels.
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The England regular has contributed to 14 clean sheets so far this season and with 29 points across the last three and half Game Weeks, he’s on the charge.
It’s not unthinkable he could finish the campaign on the defenders’ podium. More