It’s never too early to look ahead to a new Fantasy Premier League season. As June gets underway, the new campaign is (sadly) still two months away.
So while scouse voices are still hoarse, the transfer rumour mill is in full swing and the UEFA Nations League… happens, we thought it’d be the perfect time to look at what the three promoted teams have to offer in terms of FPL this season.
Where better to start than the Championship champions, Norwich City? If they can get even close to emulating Wolverhampton Wanderers, they will be extremely happy. Here’s five of their best FPL assets:
Max Aarons 🏴
18/19: 41 Apps | 2 Goals | 6 Assists
We’ve heard very good things about Max Aarons and he’s looking likely to be the best defender to invest in from a Norwich perspective.
Not many will have heard of Aarons due to the fact that he only made his Norwich debut last season. This should work to your advantage in a draft format. The likelihood is that he will be on the free agents list for the start of the season at the very least.
Aarons clearly has a lot going for him as you don’t win the Championship’s young player of the year award for no reason. At 19 years of age, you get the feeling this won’t be his last Premier League campaign, regardless of how The Canaries fare in 2019/20.
Strong, quick and good going forward, could Aarons be Matt Doherty 2.0?
18/19 rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
FPL potential: ⭐⭐⭐
Mario Vrancic 🇧🇦
18/19: 36 Apps | 10 goals | 7 Assists
Central midfield is likely to be a position Norwich choose to strengthen ahead of the campaign. But for now, at least, Mario Vrancic looks like a decent FPL option.
Any midfielder who chips in with a double figure goal tally deserves a mention and that’s exactly what Vrancic achieved last season, as well as seven assists.
Vrancic should claim a share of the set pieces should he nail down a starting position in the Canaries XI. Injuries weren’t kind to the midfielder in their title winning campaign but he chipped in with some important goals to ensure he is admired by the fans. Worth a punt in the late rounds of the draft.
18/19 rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
FPL potential: ⭐⭐⭐
Emiliano Buendia 🇦🇷
18/19: 38 Apps | 8 Goals | 12 Assists
Here’s where it gets exciting. According to Norwich City supporting @TheFFChaps, Emi Buendia is “better than James Maddison” : a bold claim indeed!
If Buendia can enjoy a first Premier League season as successful as Maddison’s then the Premier League is in for a treat. A winger who takes up a free role, the Argentinian also commands set pieces and looks to have all the tools necessary to be a hit in the Premier League.
Buendia is still regarded as a hot young prospect so there’s not an awful lot of data around about the Argentinian. Norwich fans think they got a bit of a bargain from Getafe last season and his stats while at Cultural Leonesa in 2017/18 as well as his stats from last season’s Championship suggest that he does have a bit of creative flair about him. A total of 25 assists in two seasons is useful by anyone’s standards.
Thanks to Teemu Pukki (we will get to him in a minute), Buendia should go under the radar a little when people talk about The Canaries. This means he should fall quite far down in must drafts. Unless you’re in a league with a Norwich fan, of course.
18/19 rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
FPL potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Patrick Roberts
18/19 (for Girona) : 19 Apps | 0 Goals | 0 Assists
Norwich’s first signing since returning to the big time came in the form of Manchester City attacker Patrick Roberts.
It’s fair to say last season didn’t go to plan for the City man, having failed to register an attacking return in 19 La Liga appearances on loan at Girona. However, the fact he is still on City’s books must show he is highly regarded by the Premier League Champions.
Rather than dwelling on his less than satisfactory trip abroad, Roberts will be hoping the form he showed at Celtic will be what becomes evident at Carrow Road. Over 55 appearances in the SPL, Roberts managed 15 goals and 14 assists.
At 22 years of age, Roberts is desperate to kick start his Premier League and will be hoping it’s Norwich who benefit from his best form.
An FPL gamble? Certainly. However, it could be one that really pays dividends.
18/19 rating: ⭐
FPL potential: ⭐⭐⭐
Teemu Pukki 🇫🇮
18/19: 43 Apps | 29 Goals | 9 Assists
The one we’ve all been waiting for. If you haven’t heard about Teemu Pukki’s achievements last season, quite frankly you’re already well behind in your FPL preparation!
Pukki is almost certainly going to be the first player drafted from the promoted teams this summer. Why? There’s 29 reasons why in the form of each and every goal that he scored last season.
His attacking returns alone would have earned him 391 points in Fantrax scoring. If Norwich continue their free scoring ways in the Premier League, the Finnish goal getter will be at the centre of it.
However, it’s still extremely wise to tread very carefully with Pukki. As we’ve learned from previous Championship stars (Matt Ritchie, Lewis Grabban, Junior Hoilett etc…) the step up to the Premier League is a massive one. More of a leap really. Pukki was exceptional last season but it was by far the best season of his career to date.
Getting to double figures in the goals column with a few assists would signal a decent season for Pukki. If you go for him in the first five rounds of your draft, if say you’re reaching for him somewhat.
If he’s still available around the 6th and you’ve already got at least one elite/reliable striker, by all means go in for Norwich’s goal machine.
Fantasy Football 92 