Gameweek 5 brought plenty of drama as the game of the weekend between title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal lived up to its billing.
Erling Haaland (£15.3m) continued his rich vein of form with yet another goal for the Cityzens but it was Arsenal’s Gabriel (£6.1m) who has firmly put himself in the minds of FPL managers thanks to the defender’s second goal of the season.
But Rodri (£6.4m) owners will have to find an immediate replacement as the City and Spain midfielder will reportedly miss the rest of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
With a decent set of fixtures in the next few Gameweeks for Mikel Arteta’s side and their London rivals Chelsea, who seem to be finding their rhythm after yet another chaotic transfer window, it may be time to refresh your squad.
FPL managers rush to bring in Gabriel
After scoring his second goal in two Gameweeks, Arsenal centre back Gabriel is FPL’s highest scoring defender with 36 points.
He is the second most transferred in player so far this week – only behind Liverpool’s Luiz Diaz (£7.9m), who scored another two goals at the weekend against Bournemouth.
We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity.
Gabriel has also been subject of a price rise from £6m to £6.1m, reflecting his good run of form.
With Leicester (H), Southampton (H) and Bournemouth (A) in the next three Gameweeks, the Brazilian could see his 18.3% ownership skyrocket.
Are Chelsea finding a method to the madness?
Since Roman Abramovich sold Chelsea to the Todd Boehly-led consortium for £4.25 billion in 2022, the club have spent millions on players in what always appears to be a scatter gun approach.
The Blues spent £220m this summer alone.
But has manager Enzo Maresca finally found a winning formula?
Cole Palmer’s (£10.6m) outstanding 2023/24 season for Chelsea after his move from Manchester City saw him as one of the top FPL assets this season and his 36 points return so far is proving good value.
Senegal forward Nicolas Jackson (£7.7m) grabbed two goals in Chelsea’s 3-0 win at West Ham in Gameweek 5 and is now in the top 10 players for total points earned this season.
Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the game at West Ham. Pic: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez (£4.6m) has earned double figure total points in Chelsea’s last two games.
Chelsea welcome Brighton and Nottingham Forest to Stamford Bridge in the next two Gameweeks.
Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich still hunting for three points
It’s been a difficult start to life in the Premier League for Co Fermanagh manager Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town.
With two losses and three draws, the Tractor Boys welcome Aston Villa to Portman Road on Sunday in what is yet another tough game but the club’s assets are still proving decent differential picks.
Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric (£4.4m) and full-back Leif Davis (£4.5m) have both collected 16 points so far, while midfielder Sam Morsy (£4.9m) and forward Rory Delap (£5.5m) have gained 15 and 13 points respectively.
Ipswich Town’s Sam Morsy scores at Southampton. Pic: Adam Davy/PA Wire.
Morsy scored a late, late equaliser in their 1-1 draw at Southampton on Saturday.
While Ipswich Town’s game against Villa may not be the best time to transfer in McKenna’s players, they take on West Ham (A), Everton (H), Brentford (A) and Leicester (H) in the following Gameweeks.
Read more
News Catch Up – Tuesday 24th September