If you’re anything like me, you’re refreshing Twitter and checking in on the gossip columns daily as transfer silly season gets underway. This season has been crazier than most!
As a draft manager, new transfers come with a mixture of excitement and skepticism. For every Mo Salah and Bruno Fernandes there’s a Gonzalo Higuain or a Radamel Falcao. In this article, we hope we can analyse the league’s new boys in enough detail to ensure you end up on the right side of the transfer gamble!
We’ve ranked each transfer as follows:
⭐ – Avoid!
⭐⭐ – There’s potential here but maybe not straight away…
⭐⭐⭐ – Worth a go!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Great signing, worth getting him in
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Don’t hesitate, draft!
Bryan Gil – Tottenham (Forward)
No doubt a silky talent, but Bryan Gil is likely to be one for Tottenham’s future and so I wouldn’t use up a draft pick here. The young winger was a mainstay for Eibar, scoring four times and assisting four more in 29 appearances last season. It’s unlikely, however, that Gil will see regular game time at White Hart Line this season with the likes of Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order, not to mention the obvious names. Rather than drafting Gil, I’d be tempted to wait for his rare starts and be quick to get him off the free agents pool in order to see whether he is worth the roster spot!
Verdict: ⭐⭐
Danny Ings – Aston Villa (Forward)
Where on earth did this come from?! Like the good old days of Ceefax, the Danny Ings move to Aston Villa was announced by the club before any of the Twitter “in the knows” even got their hands on it! This can only be described as amazing business from Villa as they spend that Jack Grealish money. In terms of fantasy value, his move only increases his value. Having only had JWP to supply the bullets to him before, the likes of Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Buendia, Leon Baley (we’ll come to him) and Bertrand Troare will ensure that the hitman has plenty of chances. In short, that 4-5th round pick became a 3rd rounder.
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Leon Bailey – Aston Villa (Forward)
Sticking with the transfer window highlight that is Aston Villa, the much sought after Leon Bailey joined the ranks days before Danny Ings to bolster and already strengthening squad. Having been linked with Chelsea for several summer previous, Bailey finally made his move over to England, instead joining the Midlands club for a £30 million fee. The Jamaican winger possesses all the attributes needed to be a Fantrax hit, namely key passes and successful dribbles. His contribution of nine goals and nine assists (a career best) in the league last season is even more promising. The only question mark? Playing time. This Villa squad is now blessed with depth and Bailey will have his work cut out fighting with Bertrand Traore for minutes. I’d still take Bailey in the 5th round.
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jack Grealish – Manchester City (Midfielder)
STILL staying with Villa. Sort of. Well…that’s exactly what hasn’t happened here as the longest running transfer saga of the window came to an end with Jack Grealish joining champions Manchester City. The star midfielder joins for a hefty British record fee but surely still now comes with the risk of rotation as he is the latest world class star to join Pep roulette. Having said that, Grealish is still a first round pick but now maybe he drops from 4th place to 7th/8th.
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Joachim Anderson – Crystal Palace (Defender)
Now this is some excellent business by Crystal Palace! Their new side under Patrick Vieira is starting to take shape in the form of talented young centre back Marc Guehi and his new sidekick Joachim Anderson. The classy Dane was the reason for Fulham’s dramatic upturn in defensive fortunes and even though he couldn’t do quite enough to rescue his old side, he showed that he has all the attributes needed to be a very good Premier League centre half. Out of the two new defenders, Anderson should be the more dominant in the air and should pick up plenty of defensive contributions. A late round pick but one you can rely on.
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐
Fantasy Football 92 