Fantasy Football

FEBRUARY’S transfers will be available to gaffers this coming Friday and for some they can’t come soon enough.The Premier League’s winter transfer window always changes the landscape to some degree and there are several notable injuries to negotiate as well.
For this purposes of this exercise, we’re going to focus on some relatively popular players who are fit but haven’t been pulling their weight recently and consequently may need replacing.
First up, it’s William Saliba (£3.5m).
Firing blanksCredit: getty
Arsenal’s No12 made a strong start to the season, racing to 36 points by the end of Game Week 7.
However, the Frenchman has only added a further 33 points to his total in 16 appearances since.
Incredibly, Saliba remains the second-most selected defender in the game with massive ownership of 23.7% but the simple fact is he’s not providing returns worth of his popularity – he’s mustered eight points in his last six outings.
The Gunners’ title charge remains very much on track but the significant points are to be had from the likes of Bukayo Saka (£4.3m) and Martin Odegaard (£3.6m).
Additionally, any gaffers that want to back Arsenal defenders should be aware that Gabriel (£4.4m), Ben White (£4.8m) and even Kieran Tierney (£3.4m) have outscored Saliba this term.
No Silva lining here
Bernardo Silva (£3.1m) provided immense value for money last season but he’s averaging just 1.7 points-per-game in 2022/23.
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The Portuguese midfielder has scored two goals and provided five assists in 29 appearances and five of those goal involvements came in the first month of the campaign.
Worryingly, the 28-year-old has contributed just three points across the last nine Game Weeks (49 overall).
Bernardo and his backers have paid the price for his drop-off – he started the season at £4.5m (and peaked at £4.7m) but he may well dip below £3m by the time February’s action gets underway.
Not in safe handsCredit: getty
Lastly, most Dream Team bosses should realise there are better options than Hugo Lloris (£3.1m) in goal.
Tottenham’s No1 is still the sixth-most popular player in his position at the time of writing but his tally of 47 points represents an underwhelming return.
The Frenchman was undoubtedly a top-tier shot stopper in his prime but these days he commits too many individual errors.
Vicente Guaita (£2.5m), Dean Henderson (£3m) and David Raya (£2.9m) are among the extensive list of keepers above Lloris in the rankings right now.
Those clinging onto the past need to realise that all good things come to an end. More

MANY Dream Team gaffers will still be reeling from the revelation that Joao Cancelo’s (£6m) time at Manchester City is at an end.The Portuguese full-back is joining Bayern Munich on loan with a view to a permanent switch in the summer following a disagreement with Pep Guardiola.
It wasn’t that long ago that the 28-year-old was viewed as one of the most important figures at the Etihad and among the best players in in world football in his position.
Cancelo has amassed mountains of Dream Team points in the last three years and many managers, particularly those who support the defending Premier League champions, will be gutted to see him leave.
A sour end to a happy marriageCredit: getty
As the old saying goes: when God closes a door, he opens a window.
Whether Man City bring in a new recruit before the transfer window closes remains to be seen but at this stage it seems likely that Nathan Ake (£3.7m) will be first-choice left-back for the remainder of the season.
The Dutchman has fulfilled the role a few times already this term and popped up in a Cancelo-esque area last Friday night to combine with Jack Grealish (£3.7m) for City’s winner against Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Factor in a clean sheet plus the Star Man award and Ake has pocketed a very handy 18 points in Game Week 20.
No defender has earned more points this Game Week which, given the developments in the transfer market, is immaculate timing.
A well-timed winner
Ake has 76 points overall but perhaps more pertinently, he averages 3.6 points-per-game.
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To put that into context, that’s more than Lisandro Martinez (£4.4m), Luke Shaw (£3.8m), William Saliba (£3.5m), John Stones (£5.2m) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (£4.1m).
If the ex-Bournemouth defender is to be a first-team regular for the remainder of the campaign then he is reasonably priced at £3.7m right now – although expect that to rise this Friday after his 18-point haul.
He’s helpfully cheaper than the aforementioned Stones, Ruben Dias (£5.9m) and Aymeric Laporte (£4.6m).
Go Dutch!
Generally speaking, Man City’s defence has not provided as many points as usual this season but most gaffers would still back them to register their fair share of clean sheets, especially of presented with a favourable run of fixtures.
Dream Team may be losing one of its superstars in Cancelo but the best managers always look for an opportunity in the wake of a problem and Ake may well fit the bill for those in need of a mid-range defender. More

THERE were a few eyebrows raised when Manchester United forked out £60million for Casemiro (£3.5m) in the summer.It wasn’t a matter of ability, he has long been recognised as a world-class player, but there were some suggestions that, given his age, the Brazil international may see a switch to Old Trafford as a way of boosting his retirement fund rather than a project in which to invest ever fibre of his being.
Those with financial inclinations also proposed that the transfer may not prove to be the wisest bit of business as the 30-year-old would likely have little resale value.
A few months later, both those doubts seem to have been emphatically dismissed.
Casemiro has made a positive impact at Old TraffordCredit: getty
Casemiro quite clearly has a desire to keep playing to the best of his ability for a while longer and his experience has contributed to a significant uplift in the Red Devils’ performances and results.
And while it remains true that the club are unlikely to recoup their investment with a future sale, the balance books will be more than satisfied if the combative midfielder proves to be the difference maker in regards to Champions League qualification.
All things considered, the transfer must be considered a roaring success.
More cynical fans will say there’s no excuse for anything else when paying such a huge fee for a proven player in their 30s but even optimistic supporters have been surprised by the transformational impact of Casemiro’s presence at Man United.
It didn’t take a genius to see that the club needed quality in midfield but the five-time Champions League winner seems to have solved several problems simultaneously.
Naturally, his ability to recover the ball and protect the defence is his strongest asset – only three players have made more tackles in the Premier League this season – but he’s also helped Man United’s ball progression through the middle third.
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Again, this will have come as no surprise to anyone who has taken even a passing interest in Real Madrid’s fortunes in recent times.
History makers
But that’s not all, Casemiro has also chipped in with some very useful goal contributions.
This weekend, he scored a brace in the FA Cup against Reading to take his tally to four goals and five assists this term – a more than respectable return in a half a campaign for a player in his position.
And it’s this factor that has made a Dream Team success too.
Generally speaking, defensive midfielders are unable to keep pace with wingers and advanced playmakers because goal involvements fuel Dream Team but with Casemiro ticking almost every box, he’s earned 91 points to date.
That impressive tally puts him seventh in the rankings among assets in his position at the time of writing and you only have to look at the names above him to get a sense of what an achievement that is: Phil Foden (£4.7m), Bukayo Saka (£4.3m), Martin Odegaard (£3.6m), Riyad Mahrez (£6.1m), Bruno Fernades (£5.8m), Kevin De Bruyne (£7.2m).
An unexpected Dream Team success storyCredit: getty
Whether Casemiro’s returns are sustainable remains to be seen – a drop-off in terms of goal involvements wouldn’t be wholly surprising – but those gaffers who have backed so far have been handsomely rewarded.
Defensive midfielders who rack plenty of Dream Team points are as rare unicorns and right now Man United have themselves one hell of a unicorn! More

DREAM TEAM gaffers should focus their attention on Old Trafford if they’re after an asset specifically for Game Week 20.Manchester United and Southampton are the only teams with two fixtures to fulfil this coming week but since Saints are currently languishing at the foot of the Premier League table it’s probably best to stay clear of their players at present.
Erik ten Hag’s side welcome Reading in the FA Cup on Saturday night before hosting Nottingham Forest in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
All things considered, those are two favourable match-ups for the Red Devils which look ripe for healthy returns.
Saying that, it wouldn’t be wholly surprising if some key players were rested, especially given Man United hold a 3-0 aggregate lead over Steve Copper’s men.
Mountains of Dream Team points between themCredit: getty
Marcus Rashford (£5.7m) is in a rich vein of form having scored ten goals since returning from the World Cup.
The England international scored a brilliant long-range strike against Arsenal before cashing in with another goal against Forest to take 16 points from Game Week 19.
It could be argued that the 25-year-old is playing the best football of his career right now and so if he’s unleashed upon the Royals, currently mid-table in the Championship, his backers will surely be confident of more returns.
He’s the player who has been transferred into the most teams this month with his ownership now at 31.7%.
Rashford’s form has been so extreme that more casual observers may not realise the extent of Bruno Fernandes’ (£5.8m) success in recent weeks.
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The Portuguese midfielder has registered 67 points over the last seven Game Weeks.
This prosperous spell has propelled him up to second in the rankings among assets in his position, only Kevin De Bruyne (£7.2m) has more points than Fernandes’ 112 – 23 more to be precise.
Even more notably, he’s earned three Star Man awards since the restart, no mean feat given he’s been in direct competition with a rampant Rashford.
The nuclear option
A double header against Reading and Forest also raises the possibility of back-to-back clean sheets.
Lisandro Martinez (£4.4m) was the joint-best defender last Game Week thanks to his goal at the Emirates and a 13-point haul in midweek.
And the Butcher, as he’s known, looks a good bet for the forthcoming week again, assuming he’s selected to start.
Finally, if you really want to target Man United’s two upcoming fixtures with a view to snatching some short-term gains then Wout Weghorst (£3.2m) may be worth a whirl.
The Dutchman scored his first goal for his new club in midweek and he will probably be given his fair share of minutes in the cups with Ten Hag keen to fully integrate the target man into the squad as quick as possible.
Although if you do opt for this slightly rogue strategy then you’ll probably want to switch him out again in February, given the array of top-tier options up front in Dream Team this season. More

A TIP of the hat to Martyn Frankson, Game Week 19’s top Dream Team gaffer.The Everton fan amassed 162 points this past week thanks to a healthy allotment of big names and a couple savvy bargains.
Let’s take a closer look at how he topped the pile…
A brilliant blendCredit: dream team
By now, Dream Team gaffers know that Newcastle’s defensive assets are ultra reliable and two more clean sheets meant Nick Pope (£5.3m), Fabian Schar (£5m) and Kieran Trippier (£6.6m) combined for 50 points.
The latter is now 21 points shy of bringing up his double century having earned a whopping SEVEN Star Man awards – the most of any player so far this season.
Martyn’s stroke of genius was not going all in on Eddie Howe’s defence; instead of backing Sven Botman (£4.7m) or Dan Burn (£4.9m) he opted for Lisandro Martinez (£4.4m).
The Argentine centre-back scored against Arsenal and earned a 7+ rating to counteract the minus points he endured because Man United conceded three to the Gunners.
Martinez then scooped a Star Man award after ensuring his side kept a clean sheet against Nottingham Forest in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg in midweek.
The Red Devils’ No6 banked 19 points in total to finish level with Trippier as Game Week 19’s best defender.
Holy goalieCredit: getty
Both Kevin De Bruyne (£7.2m) and Riyad Mahrez (£6.1m) are among the top three midfielders overall and the Man City pair combined for a steady ten points this past week.
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Bukayo Saka (£4.3m) scored a wonderful long-distance goal on Sunday to pouch eight points at the expense of Erik ten Hag’s side.
Martyn brilliantly complemented these three popular superstars with Kaoru Mitoma (£2.6m).
The Japan international scored a pleasing curled effort from the edge of the box against Leicester, his fifth goal in his last nine games at club level.
The 25-year-old features in just 0.5% of teams which meant Martyn was among a tiny minority of managers who benefited from the winger’s 13-point haul.
One of many Brighton assets punching above their weight
In contrast, Erling Haaland (£9.1m) is by far the most-popular asset in the game with a massive ownership of 74.2%.
Man City’s prolific No9 scored his fourth Premier League hat-trick of the campaign to take Wolves for 28 points – his total now stands at a ginormous 256.
Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford (£5.7m) continued his scoring flurry with goals against Arsenal and Forest, he’s scored ten goals since returning from the World Cup.
Man United’s boy wonder added 16 points to his total this past week and his ownership is up to 31.7%.
Last but by no means least it’s Eddie Nketiah (£3.5m), another of Martyn’s savvy bargains.
Arsenal’s junior poacher bagged a brace in the entertaining 3-2 win over Man United and scooped the Star Man award in the process to claim 18 points.
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Impressive work from a Dream Team boss who clearly has his finger on the pulse.
Good luck to all gaffers for Game Week 20! More

IS it possible that Dream Team managers are sleeping on Lisandro Martinez (£4.1m)?That seems unlikely given the Argentina international recently won the World Cup – that sort of thing tends not to go unnoticed – but his current ownership of 6.8% feels a tad low all things considered.
We’ll give gaffers the benefit of the doubt and conclude that his popularity is still recovering from his absence post-Qatar when he was given extended leave to attend celebrations in his homeland.
However, the Manchester United centre-back underlined his viability with a mighty 19-point haul this Game Week.
Now a top ten defender in the realm of Dream Team!Credit: getty
The unstoppable Kieran Trippier (£6.3m) was the only defender to match Martinez for points in Game Week 19.
Racking up such a haul is difficult enough for a defender in normal circumstances but the 25-year-old managed to do it despite being part of a defence that conceded three goals at the Emirates on Sunday.
Martinez left north London with his head held high despite his side’s defeat to Arsenal because of his headed goal and a thoroughly deserved 7+ rating to pouch six points when all was said and done.
He then banked a further 13 points thanks to a Star Man display (and clean sheet) against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.
Game Week 19 was Martinez’s most profitable of the campaign so far and his overall of 87 points is enough to make him the tenth-best defender in the game.
Erik ten Hag’s side may have been humbled by the Gunners but, generally speaking, they have made big strides in recent months.
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The loss to Mikel Arteta’s troops is their only defeat in their last 12 games.
The Butcher stands tallCredit: getty
And a quick glance at the Red Devils’ upcoming fixtures suggests a good chance of more positive results to come.
They face Reading in the FA Cup this Saturday before fulfilling the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Forest, in which they hold a 3-0 aggregate lead.
After that they host Crystal Palace in the league before a double header against Leeds, who they have beaten heavily a few times since the Yorkshire club were promoted.
It depends on team selections of course, but Martinez will be eyeing his fair share of clean sheets and 7+ ratings from those five fixtures.
The ex-Ajax defender will surely be a relatively popular recruit once transfers are refreshed in February. More

THIS is it, the crescendo of Newcastle’s defensive dominance.On Tuesday night, the Magpies beat Southampton 1-0 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Yet another clean sheet means that Eddie Howe’s first-choice back four now occupy the top four spots in the Dream Team rankings where only defenders are concerned.
The Fab Four
DREAM TEAM’S TOP 10 DEFENDERS

KIERAN TRIPPIER (£6.3m) – 179 points
FABIAN SCHAR (£4.8m) – 129 points
SVEN BOTMAN (£4.6m) – 103 points
DAN BURN (£4.6m) – 103 points
Gabriel (£4.7m) – 101 points
Joao Cancelo (£6m) – 99 points
Thiago Silva (£5.5m) – 99 points
Ben White (£5m) – 96 points
Diogo Dalot (£3.7m) – 91 points
Luke Shaw (£4.1m) – 79 points

Newcastle have kept 16 clean sheets this season, 12 of them coming in the Premier League.
As a result, Nick Pope (£5m) is the clear front runner in the race for the Golden Glove, he’s three clean sheets clear of his closest rival, Aaron Ramsdale (£4.2m), at this stage.
Naturally, the England international is also Dream Team’s outright best goalkeeper.
His overall tally of 126 points is 49 greater than that of David de Gea (£3.8m), the game’s second-best custodian at present.
Top of the classCredit: getty
Trippier remains the main man because of his sheer influence on every aspect of his side’s play.
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He wears the captain’s armband almost every week, is a key contributor to the string of clean sheets, and is hugely influential to the Toon’s build-up play, creating more than his fair share of chances.
As an in-form Swiss army knife, the England international has hoarded 7+ ratings for fun, 20 of them to be precise, more than anyone else.
Crucially, he’s also pocketed a whopping SEVEN Star Man awards, one more than Kevin De Bruyne (£7.3m) and Erling Haaland (£8.8m) have collected respectively.
With an ownership of 50% Trippier is the second-most popular player in the game – only runaway points leader Haaland appears in more teams.
Dream Team’s top defender (by a huge margin)Credit: getty
However, Botman and Burn feature in 6.6% and 5% of teams respectively, meaning the vast majority of gaffers have missed out on their significant returns in recent weeks.
Block picking defenders from one team has long been a legitimate tactic.
In recent seasons, backing three or four Liverpool, Chelsea or Manchester City defensive assets would have paid out huge dividends if timed correctly.
But 2022/23’s version feels different, probably because Newcastle players have not had European fixtures to bolster their schedule, not to mention the unexpected nature of their top four push.
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How long will Newcastle’s supremacy in this field last?
Well, they’ve got Saints again at home on Tuesday before they resume league duties against West Ham then Bournemouth, two teams in the bottom five… More

“Maybe Riyad had a problem coming back from the summertime, not the World Cup.”That was Pep Guardiola’s assessment of Riyad Mahrez’s (£5.8m) sluggish start to the campaign and subsequent resurgence.
The Algerian winger desperately struggled for rhythm in his first nine outings this term, failing to register a goal involvement or even a single Dream Team point.
However, he broke the shackles at the start of October with a goal and assist in a Star Man showing against Copenhagen in the Champions League and he hasn’t looked back since.
A man in formCredit: getty
Mahrez has scored ten goals and provided four assists in his last 15 games, a run that also includes four Star Man awards.
Having started Game Week 8 with zero points, the four-time Premier League winner is set to end Game Week 19 with 103 to his name.
Despite giving his peers a massive head start, Mahrez is one of only five midfielders to have celebrated their century at the time of writing, alongside Bukayo Saka (£4.1m), Martin Odegaard (£3.6m), Bruno Fernandes (£5.6m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£7.3m).
In fact, the 31-year-old is third among assets in his position right now, an extraordinary achievement given he essentially overslept at the start of the season.
Making up for lost timeCredit: getty
And it’s probably because of his false start that Dream Team gaffers have been slow to back Mahrez.
Even now, after 60 points across the last four Game Weeks, he only appears in 7% of teams – he’s less popular than Christian Eriksen (£3.4m), Pascal Gross (£3.4m) and Dejan Kulusevski (£3.8m).
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Having publicly acknowledged Mahrez’s poor form at the start of the campaign, Guardiola has heaped praise on the winger in recent weeks and while second-guessing the decorated tactician’s starting line-ups is easier said than done, this one seems like a lock for now.
It’s worth noting that Mahrez has outscored De Bruyne, Dream Team’s leading midfielder, by 24 points since that game against Copenhagen that started his fruitful run.
Got a transfer or two remaining from January’s allotment? You could do a lot worse than recruiting City’s No26. More