FPL Potential of NEW Premier League signings

Fantasy Premier League new signings and the possibility of Harry Kane to Manchester City from Spurs are discussed ahead of Gameweek 1

We always have to tread carefully when selecting newly transferred players in FPL but it can be useful to consider the impact they might have.

What are their credentials? How did they fare last season? Whose place could they take in their new team?

Here are seven players – who’ve either recently moved clubs or are strongly linked to a move – and some thoughts on their fantasy potential:

Please note that all player prices and ownership percentages were correct at the time of publishing.

Jadon SANCHO – 9.5M | 13.0% owned

First 3 fixtures: Leeds Utd (H), Southampton (A), Wolves (A)

Having finally made his long-awaited move to Old Trafford, Jadon Sancho looks set for an immediate role in the starting XI; deputising on the left-wing for Marcus Rashford – who’s undergoing surgery.

The 21-year-old winger endured a slow start to last season with Dortmund but impressively bagged 8 goals and 8 assists in his last 15 Bundesliga appearances.

Sancho reached double-figures for goals and assists in each of the two seasons prior – the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns.

But whilst the youngster is sure to improve United’s attack this season, his £9.5m starting price makes him tricky to fit in alongside Bruno Fernandes (12.0) and therefore, perhaps more of a ‘wait and see’.

It would be a big call to ditch the Portuguese international – who sits in over 40% of FPL teams and is sure to be heavily-backed for captaincy early on.

Mason Greenwood (7.5) – also set to benefit from Rashford’s absence – is a more affordable option for the double-up, in those initial Gameweeks.

Emi BUENDIA – 6.5M | 14.4% owned

First 3 fixtures: Watford (A), Newcastle (H), Brentford (H)

With Jack Grealish reportedly set for a move to Manchester City, Emi Buendia could be left to fill the void as Aston Villa’s creative spark.

The Argentine offers a small saving on Grealish – at £6.5m, enjoyed a title-winning campaign with Norwich last season and already boasts Premier League experience.

In the 2019/20 season, just three players offered more than his 83 attempted assists – a remarkable achievement considering he was playing for a side that finished comfortably bottom of the league table.

The 24-year-old has been linking up well with Ollie Watkins in pre-season and with opening fixtures against Watford, Newcastle and Brentford – he’s certainly someone to consider, right from the off.

Ben WHITE – 4.5M | 23.6% owned

First 3 fixtures: Brentford (A), Chelsea (H), Man City (A)

Recently completing a move from Brighton, Ben White will bolster an already improving Arsenal defence.

Tallies of 22 blocks and 62 interceptions ranked the centre-back top amongst Brighton defenders last season.

The Gunners kept 4 clean sheets in the last 8 Gameweeks of the season; trailing only Everton.

No team conceded fewer goals (4) or shots on target (17) in that time, while only Man City allowed fewer big chances (6 to 7).

Likely to offer value at £4.5m, White could be especially useful for Arsenal’s run-in from Gameweek 4 to Gameweek 11.

Patson DAKA – 7.5M | 2.5% owned

First 3 fixtures: Wolves (H), West Ham (A), Norwich (A)

Signing for a fee of £23m, 22-year-old Patson Daka could shake up the partnership between Vardy and Iheanacho upfront for Leicester.

The highly-rated forward was the top goalscorer in the Austrian Bundesliga last season, netting 27 goals – just one of which was a penalty.

Whilst it’s always hard to compare numbers across different leagues, it’s worth noting Daka had a 9-goal lead over the player in second-place.

But a settled team is the ideal scenario for an FPL manager – a team where you know exactly who’s starting and where – and that’s just not the case with Leicester at the moment.

James Maddison and Harvey Barnes returning from injury adds to that issue.

So, for me, there’s just too much uncertainty there to invest in their attack right now.

*Raphael VARANE – [info to be confirmed]

First 3 fixtures: Leeds Utd (H), Southampton (A), Wolves (A)

Manchester United will look to shore up their defence with the acquisition of 28-year-old France international Raphael Varane.

The centre-back was part of a Real Madrid side that ranked amongst the top two teams for clean sheets in each of the last two La Liga seasons (19 – 2019/20, 17 – 2020/21).

He’s yet to be officially announced and priced up by FPL but if all goes to plan, you’d expect to see him at £5.5m – along with Maguire, Wan-Bissaka and Shaw.

Personally, I’d still opt for each of those three ahead of Varane – with Luke Shaw the number one choice – but the Frenchman undoubtedly boosts their potential for clean sheets.

He could also impact United further up the pitch, allowing Solskjaer to use just one holding midfielder and shift to a more attacking 4-3-3 formation.

Jack GREALISH – 8.0M | 31.8% owned

First 3 fixtures: Spurs (A), Norwich (H), Arsenal (H)

According to reports, Jack Grealish is edging closer to a move to Manchester City for a fee in the region of £100m.

With a direct involvement in 18 goals last season (6 goals, 12 assists), despite missing a third of the campaign through injury, there’s no doubting the Englishman’s credentials.

But as an FPL asset, at Man City, there are still lots of unknowns: will he play in the front three or in a deeper midfield role? Whose starting place could he take?

How will he fare alongside a more talented group of players, where he’s no longer the sole talisman?

After his participation for England at EURO 2020, Grealish is unlikely to get much time to work with Guardiola in pre-season.

Definitely huge potential –  given his £8.0m price tag – but too much of a risk to include him in Gameweek 1, in my opinion.

Harry KANE – 12.5M | 24.4% owned

First 3 fixtures: Man City (H), Wolves (A), Watford (H)

There could be further change amongst the Man City attack, with Harry Kane failing to return to training for Spurs this week – presumably to help push through a move.

The champions have rotated between using Gabriel Jesus and a false nine in recent times but the England captain would surely be one of the first names on the team sheet – in similar fashion to Kevin De Bruyne.

His outstanding record from the spot would almost certainly see him take over penalty duties as well.

Bruno Fernandes and Mohamed Salah have been the go-to premium picks ahead of Gameweek 1 but if Kane was unveiled as a Man City player and was in line to start against Norwich in Gameweek 2 – that would certainly shake things up!

* Indicates the transfer is just a strong rumour and/or the deals hasn’t been completed or announced yet.

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Thank you for reading ‘FPL Potential of NEW Premier League signings’ which was written and produced by FFPundits & FPLTips.