Arsenal picked up Mikel Arteta
There were some major winners and losers yesterday as the Premier League transfer window closed. Here’s a quick summary and some Fantasy Premier League predictions/analysis to go with it:
- Bolton won as they managed to hold on to Gary Cahill despite interest from both Tottenham and Arsenal. They also picked up Chelsea’s Gael Kakuta on loan as well as David N’Gog from Liverpool. Chelsea man Daniel Sturridge starred on loan last season at Bolton – 8 goals in 12 matches – so Kakuta has a lot to live up to, but the precedent is there…
- QPR got Shaun Wright-Phillips from Manchester City – a player that looked excellent in pre-season. They also picked up Anton Ferdinand from Sunderland. He’s no Rio, but he’s more than capable to rotate as a CB in the lower tiers of the Premier League. Last week Joey Barton and Luke Young joined. SWP could be an attractive fantasy option at 6.4M if he starts on a regular basis as he scored over 100 fantasy points in both the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons.
- Arsenal, of course, were the big winners – landing Mikel Arteta from Everton. Arteta will slot straight into Wenger’s lineup for the home game against Swansea. And since he’s not an international for Spain, he’ll have a week to train with some of his new teammates and he won’t be jet-lagged from travel. Arsenal also picked up a new LB Santos (6.5M in FPL) and CB Mertesacker (6M in FPL) as well as Yossi Benayoun from Chelsea. Benayoun is intriguing because his preseason form was great and when he started in the league in the past (for both West Ham and Liverpool) he picked up his fair share of goals and assists. He’s just 6.9M in the Fantasy Premier League game but will face stiff competition for a starting role from the likes of Gervinho, Walcott, and Arshavin I would assume. If he’s played centrally instead of out wide then the competition is a bit less severe as Ramsey, Song, Wilshere, and Arteta are a bit more injury prone and/or inexperienced so Benayoun could establish himself there with a bit of luck or injuries to those other central players. Keep an eye on developments and Wenger’s preferred formation.
- Stoke got Wilson Palacios, Peter Crouch, and Cameron Jerome. Those players won’t get you into the Champions League but they are superb mid-table acquisitions and proven Premier League veterans. In the summer, Tony Pulis managed to get his hands on two former England internationals for free – Matthew Upson and Jonathan Woodgate – at the back, and those 5 players in sum could bring a lot of quality to the side.
- Chelsea scored big with the signing of Raul Meireles from Liverpool. It’s a strange one for me. Liverpool just bought the Portugal stud last season and he played well for them. In my opinion he’s 2x the footballer that Jordan Henderson is, but it’s not my team. I think Chelsea have found a great player here who is better than the likes of Mikel and Ramires and could slot straight into the team.
- Fulham picked up Bryan Ruiz but he’s classified as a striker rather than a winger in the Fantasy Premier League game which could temper some enthusiasm for the Costa Rican. That said, Zamora and Former Funny Feeling Friday Johnson are now under pressure as is Dembele. Ruiz is 7M.
But it’s not just who came in – it’s also who didn’t go and who will be affected from a Fantasy Premier League perspective? Let’s take a look:
- CARLOS TEVEZ STAYS: Very bad news for Aguero and/or Dzeko owners. Tevez didn’t move. Surely he won’t just sit on the bench. He won the Golden Boot last season. Mancini showed last year that he rotated across his front and back lines often, frustrating owners of Zabaleta, Richards, Kolarov and the like – but Tevez was always a mainstay. He was Club Captain, Penalty Taker, and Fantasy Gold. One of the most consistent performers in the game’s history, to be honest. Surely he won’t be forgotten again. A major worry for Dzeko/Aguero owners who lose value. Mario Balotelli shouldn’t see too much game action either.
- KLASNIC AND K. DAVIES no longer studs? David N’Gog is here to provide competition and the former Liverpool man is just 5.4M in the Fantasy Premier League. Klasnic started the season on a roll, but his long term spot is less secure with the addition of N’Gog.
- AARON RAMSEY OWNERS, BEWARE: Arteta and Benayoun, as mentioned above, could spoil the young Welshman’s run in the first team. He should be safe until Wilshere returns from an ankle injury, but may not consistently start in the long term.
- LEIGHTON BAINES BACK ON PENALTY KICKS: Arteta is gone so Leighton Baines is back on penalty kicks – a pretty big fantasy development as he’s a defender of course. That said, Baines is 8M but with three home games in his next four, you have to expect a goal perhaps from a set piece. One to keep an eye on.
That’s the major transfer news affecting the Fantasy Premier League game. Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments – or send us a tweet at http://www.twitter.com/nickybutt. Here is a list of all Premier League transfers: TRANSFER LIST. Good luck to all managers!
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My fantasy team (drafted team, ESPN scoring) is loving Arteta’s exit so Baines can maybe justify his high draft pick I got him with. A couple questions for ya:
- With Bolton’s new additions, do I drop Klasnic for Agbonlahor or Di Santo? Or do I wait things out?
- A-Ferd is now less valuable on QPR, so do I drop him in favor of adding A.Rangel, Stearman, or Woodgate?
- Ben Foster is my backup GK (Given is starter), but I’m contemplating dropping Ben for Vorm, P.Kenny, or Krul. Good idea? If so, who?
Thanks as always for your great insights!
i was about to say that. Artena to Arsenal means I need to retain Baines in my team. yeah!
What impact do you think the arrival of Crouch and Jerome has on Jones at Stoke? Also, this isn’t really fantasy related but, I am surprised that some of the discussion about Wenger doesn’t center around the failures of some of there previous moves in the transfer market. If Koscielny, Squillaci and Chamakh were on the level he wouldn’t have been placed in such a dire situation this time around.
I’m suprised you haven’t mentioned the influence of Coates and Bellamy on Liverpool…
Don’t quite agree that Arsenal were big winners “of course”, having lost Nasri and Fab in exchange for a couple jaded PL players (santos and mertesacker aside). That being said, Stoke’s signing of Crouch seems massive along with the others and Pulis’ side is starting to scare me…
Now I’m stressing. I own BOTH Dzeko and Aguero. I have some major decisions to make over this next week. Should I transfer both out? The only thing I can hope for is City going to a 4-1-2-1-2 or something similar… I don’t see how a team could have any of the three players on the bench at this point; they’re all outstanding.
Kolo Toure is back. Lescott’s owner shall monitor the situation. Kompany as club captain is a confirmed starter I guess..
Not sure Chelsea did score big with Meireles. It will be interesting to see how he’s used. Although he was a fan favourite (at least until his transfer request), he was clearly not part of the Liverpool future. For a mean looking guy, he gets knocked off the ball far too easily and really hates a hard challenge.
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Meireles could play in a defensive role. I think there’s a good possibility for Villas-Boas to play in his favourite 4-3-3 with Meireles, Ramires and Lampard in the diamond midfield. Meireles in the more defensive role, Ramires more to the right and Lamps to the left of the mid. Mata, Torres and one more in front.