Transfer season is well and truly under way, with multiple Premier League clubs already confirming one or more new signings ahead of the 23/24 EPL season. We'll share our analysis on what to expect from each of these new arrivals from a Draft EPL Fantasy perspective between now and when the transfer window slams shut on September 1. Our first installment looks at players confirmed by their respective clubs between the window opening on June 14 and July 1. Follow along with our summer transfer series and so much more in our 23/24 Draft Kit. Check out our Pricing Plans for pre-season and season-long access to our in-depth fantasy analysis.
Check out our 23/24 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101. Dominate your draft!
23/24 Premier League Confirmed Transfers Analysis
Below, DraftLad and Gavin Wright list each Premier League transfer individually, providing their analysis of how they will perform in the 23/24 Premier League season. We use a five-star rating model to rank the new signings relative to their draft value; use these as a guide to help get your Draft Premier League season off to a flyer!
We’ve ranked the prospects based on a star rating, from 1 to 5:
⭐️ = Steer clear
⭐️⭐️ = Wait and see
⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Could be worth a punt
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = Great prospect
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ = The Premier League signing you’ve been waiting for!
The Premier League Summer Transfer Signings covered here were confirmed by their respective clubs between the end of the 22/23 season and July 1 (no Mount, Rice, Szoboszlai or Tonali just yet - look for Part 2 soon!).
James Maddison
Position: Attacking midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Signed From: Leicester City for £40m
Prospects: The sharks began circling the Leicester ship as soon as it became clear they were in a relegation dogfight, and it’s no surprise to see Maddison get snapped up early in the transfer window following their demotion to the Championship (though you could be forgiven for expecting a drawn out transfer saga and bidding war for his signature between Spurs and Newcastle). If you’ve been following the midfielder’s development since his days at Norwich, you’ll know his move to North London is a well-deserved next step up for him. You’ll also be aware of the Englishman’s status as a top-tier fantasy asset. Despite playing for a relegated team, he finished the season as the 15th overall best scorer in Fantrax Default Scoring, delivering 14.5 points per start in his 28 Premier League starts.
The Foxes’ talismanic midfielder will join up with new Spurs manager Ange Postecoglu for the upcoming season, a statement signing and perhaps a signal of an intent to return to the free-flowing attacking style they enjoyed under former manager Mauricio Pochettino. Maddison will most likely find himself in a slightly more withdrawn #8 role in Postecoglu’s preferred 4-3-3, but he’ll still have plenty of opportunities to join in the attacking play and likely won’t be expected to be as involved defensively as the other #8 in the team (Bentancur/Hojbjerg/Skipp). With better attacking players around him, it’s not unreasonable to expect him to build on his impressive 19 goal contributions (10G, 9A) from last season.
This certainly sounds rosy, but it’s important to caveat that Maddison is coming into a team where he’ll no longer be the big fish in the small pond. With the likes of Kane, Son and Kulusevski as teammates, he may find himself in possession less frequently and also feel less pressure to take on the creative burden for himself. His share of set pieces may also decline with Son and Perisic in the picture, but you shouldn’t let any of this dissuade you from considering Spurs’ marquee summer signing as anything other than a fantasy asset worth fighting for.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Christopher Nkunku
Position: Second striker (F in Fantrax)
Team: Chelsea
Signed From: RB Leipzig for £52m
Prospects: We’ve known Nkunku was coming to Chelsea since the World Cup, which seems like a very distant memory at this point. Chelsea certainly could have used the versatile attacker for the second half of their 22/23 campaign, but will have to be content with his belated arrival for the upcoming season. The 25 year-old Frenchman is capable of playing in any of Chelsea’s front four attacking positions, but will most likely be deployed as a #10 in a traditional Pochettino 4-2-3-1 or as a second striker if the new manager opts to stick with a 3-at-the-back system while he and his squad adapt to each other.
In either case, we can expect Nkunku to be heavily involved in the London club’s attacking sequences. He managed 16 goals and 4 assists in just 25 appearances (20 starts) for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last season, scoring the equivalent of 340.5 fantasy points for his contributions. That tally would have put him between Phil Foden and Gabriel Jesus in 33rd overall for the 22/23 season. Obviously we can’t make a 1:1 comparison and the Premier League has proven to be a difficult league to step into for Bundesliga signings not named Haaland, but the fact that the forward delivered 16.1 PP90 bodes well for his prospects of being a fantasy star, at the least. Build in a youthful attacking line that plays into his strengths (off-the-ball movement, close control dribbling and quick passing combinations to open space in front of goal) and there’s plenty of reason to feel optimistic. Oh, and did we mention he’s a strong contender to take penalties and possibly some other set pieces as well?
There are a few downsides, however. While the PP90 average is very strong, Nkunku didn’t deliver as many ghost points (8.2 gPP90) as one might expect from a player in his role in a very strong attacking team. Another concern that you’ve likely already picked up on is his availability. In addition to the 13 games he missed in the Bundesliga, he also had to withdraw from France’s World Cup squad. In all, he missed more than 130 days through injury last campaign. Prior to the knee ligament injury he sustained in November, though, he had a relatively clean history throughout his career. If he can improve on his availability this season, it may be enough to offset the “Bundesliga tax” and Chelsea’s apparent hoodoo when it comes to signing promising young talent from the German first division.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Joao Pedro
Position: Attacking Mid (F in Fantrax)
Team: Brighton & Hove Albion
Signed From: Watford for £30m
Prospects: Believe it or not, Pedro is actually Brighton's record signing. For a team that churns out talent and sells for massive fees, they don't tend to spend a lot. It must say something about the 21 year-old Brazilian attacker then, yes? We tend to think so. Pedro is a versatile forward who can play across 4 positions and is coming off a couple of impressive seasons with a bad-to-mediocre Watford side. He's a fantastic dribbler (99th percentile last season compared to wingers in the next 8 eagues), solid finisher (75th percentile xG-G) & shot-creator, and great ball winner for an attacker (83rd percentile in tackles, 78th interceptions, 91st aerials won). Fantasy-wise, Pedro put up 13.6 PP90 & 9.8 gPP90 for Watford in the Championship last season and 10.9 PP90 and 9.2 gPP90 the season before in the Prem.
Pedro is a good fantasy player coming into a De Zerbi-inspired, high power offense. So what's not to like, or at least doubt? Opportunity is the key question here. Pedro has the ability to play as a striker, attacking midfielder or winger. But where will he play and how many starts will he find? With Mac Allister gone and Caicedo likely out the door as well, Brighton do have some spots up for grabs. The central attacking mid spot currently appears to be the most up for grabs with Mitoma and March likely preferred on the wings, and Ferguson and Welbeck returning to play up top. It must be mentioned that youngsters Enciso & Buonnanote as well as Undav played in the attack (and sometimes centrally) towards the end of the season, and Lallana (when fit) and Gross (when not needed further back) also played in the AM role in the beginning of the season. So there's a lot of competition there as well. Pedro could upset the striker pairing and steal starts from the very young Ferguson and the aging Welbeck. Maybe he even rotates on the wings, with Brighton in Europe this season.
The moral of the story is Pedro is unlikely to be nailed in the Brighton XI, but he does have the talent and flexibility to find starts over the course of the season. His production should be high so he's got plenty of upside based on amount of opportunity he gets. Putting that all together, we think Pedro's expectations can be around 19 starts and 10.5 PPS, putting him as a great upside play in the 5th or 6th round. If you think he starts a lot more games, adjust accordingly, but it will be a crowded attack.
Rating: ️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kai Havertz
Position: Attacking midfielder (F in Fantrax)
Team: Arsenal
Signed From: Chelsea for £65m
Prospects: The much maligned Chelsea "striker" finds a new, hopefully more loving home across London. Will he reinvent himself in a new position, new team, and new system or will his English nightmare continue? Havertz has been a prolific fantasy player in the past, but unfortunately for DraftPL managers, it was only in the Bundesliga (and for those who played, a beautiful, yet horrible Covid-lockdown fantasy Bundesliga month). In his last 2 seasons playing in Germany, he averaged 13.5 and 12.5 PP90 (in 19/20 & 18/19). Whereas for Chelsea he averaged between 9.5 and 10.5 PP90 for 3 seasons (and as low as sub 8 PPS last year). Importantly, during his best statistical seasons, he predominantly played as an attacking midfielder or second striker, coupled with a 9 up top. Arteta's increasingly position-less Arsenal team hope to capture that midfield talent and use Havertz more-so in the Xhaka role (read the Athletic's excellent piece for more depth there).
Now let's consider Havertz's fantasy value in that potential role in the Gunners side. Last season, Xhaka averaged 8.9 PPS and started 35 games. He had purple patches where he contributed multiple returns over a couple games, but he also had runs where he scored like a middling centre-mid (6-8 point games). We would expect Havertz's production when starting to be a bit better than this, considering his offensive talent and likelihood for returns in a strong Arsenal offense. However, we do expect him to start far fewer than 35 games. His opportunity (games started) may be limited by his defensive deficiencies. He's a great presser, but has previously not been a box-to-box tackler type, so we could see Arteta opting for a safer, more defensive-oriented midfielder to pair with Rice in tougher games. Partey if he stays, Lokonga if he stays, Lavia if he signs, are all possibilities there. It should be mentioned that Havertz could start in other "positions" as well, like backing up Jesus up top (Nketiah, Balogun also there), or Odegaard (Vieira there), or Martinelli and Saka even on the wings (Trossard and Nelson probably preferred backups).
With all that said, we have hope for Havertz's ability to shine through in an Arsenal team and system that may better suit his talents. However, we don't necessarily think that will translate to fantasy. He will likely be starting mostly as an advanced midfielder but without primary creative responsibilities (that's Odegaard) or set pieces or many defensive stats to create a stable floor. He may also struggle for starts against top sides, when Arsenal opt for a more defensive midfield. He could start in other positions but faces significant competition, even from the backups in all of them. 9.5 PPS, 25 starts puts him as around a 6th or 7th rounder for me (in a 12-man league), but his current ADP (59) suggests he'll be long gone by then, so you probably won't find draft-day value with Havertz. TBD if Arsenal find real-life value.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Youri Tielemans
Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Aston Villa
Signed From: Leicester City on a Free Transfer
Prospects: Much like his “Golden Generation” Belgium team, Tielemans hasn’t quite lived up to the massive expectations heaped upon him. A poor club campaign in the final year of his contract for Leicester City meant there wasn’t as much clamor for his signature as there was a few seasons back. From a fantasy perspective, he also significantly under-performed his ADP (finishing 94th overall after being drafted around 59th). Still, he’s only 26 years old and will hopefully be in the right mindset to reinvigorate his career with his move to Aston Villa. Unai Emery was a revelation for the Midlands club, navigating them from a relegation battle into European competition for the upcoming campaign, and he was quick to reinforce his midfield contingent with the Belgian.
The move represents an opportunity for Tielemans to move out of the shadow of fellow summer transfer James Maddison, and potentially a return to fantasy prominence as a result. This is slightly anecdotal, but we recall the Belgian being a much better fantasy asset when Madders was out of the Leicester team, although some of that uptick in output likely came from assuming a greater share of set pieces. It’s possible that set piece duties at Aston Villa are up for grabs, but there are a lot of questions that mean you shouldn’t get too excited unless they’re answered in pre-season. Chief among those questions is whether Tiels will be a nailed-on starter in the Premier League or if he’ll be a rotation piece with Douglas Luiz (who, as you may recall, took a fair share of Villa’s sets last time around). He certainly has the talent to step his game up, but how that plays out with Emery’s team selection is anyone’s guess at the moment. Certainly worth taking a punt on, but not before you have at least a couple more nailed-on options in your midfield.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nicolas Jackson
Position: Striker (F in Fantrax)
Team: Chelsea
Signed From: Villarreal for £35m
Prospects: As we mentioned in the write-up for Christopher Nkunku, new Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has become known for using a 4-2-3-1 formation. It’s been a long time since Chelsea had someone who performed at the highest levels as a central striker (is Diego Costa the last Blues player you can say that for?), but they may need to wait just a bit longer even with the signing of Jackson from Villarreal. The 22 year-old made his breakthrough into the first team for the Yellow Submarine in 22/23 and managed an impressive 12 goals and 4 assists in 26 appearances (16 starts).
The Senegalese forward is loaded with promising attributes to be able to develop into an elite forward: he’s tall, strong, pacy, a clinical finisher, an excellent dribbler, and is equally proficient with his back to goal as he is running in behind opposition defenses. The issue is that none of these attributes have yet been fully developed, and in combination, it can give Jackson the appearance of being a bit raw. That said, his development has been exponential over the past couple of seasons and Pochettino has a great reputation and track record when it comes to developing young talent. He’ll have to hit the ground running if he’s going to hit the heights needed to propel Chelsea back toward their previous stature in the Premier League however, and we have my doubts that he’ll be tossed in at the deep end to begin the season. Of course, that would mean (in decreasing order of likelihood) Chelsea moving Nkunku or Sterling up top, buying another striker or patching up their relationship with Romelu Lukaku and giving him another chance.
It will be interesting to see how this situation develops as we approach the kick-off to the season, but Jackson is certainly worth drafting on his potential. You may just need to practice a bit of patience if he is eased in. Alternatively, you could avoid him in the draft and look to buy low if that’s the case. He’s one who we think will improve as the season goes on and could develop into a Chelsea favorite in the coming years.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️️
Alexis Mac Allister
Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Liverpool
Signed From: Brighton & Hove Albion for £35m
Prospects: With Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma rightfully earning plaudits for their breakout seasons for Brighton, it’s easy to overlook just how much of a revelation Mac Allister was in 22/23. The Argentine had shown glimpses of his potential in the 21/22 season but was still far from a coveted fantasy asset heading into last season’s draft (backed up by his ADP around the 150 mark). He quickly established himself as a regular in the engine room under Graham Potter and delivered a better-than-expected 10.1 PPS in the build-up to his World Cup final victory. He was even more potent with Roberto de Zerbi in charge, climbing to 12.1 PPS after the global tournament.
The midfielder’s meteoric rise earned him a move to Liverpool as the first piece of their midfield rebuild puzzle. While the move to Merseyside will likely be viewed as a step up in real life (despite Brighton only finishing one place and 5 points behind Liverpool), we can most likely expect a bit of a decline from a fantasy perspective. The 24 year-old will lose penalty duties and likely the small share of set pieces he took for the Seagulls as well. We’ve been quick in the past to highlight Liverpool’s lack of fantasy value from midfielders as well. There was an uptick in production for the likes of Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones with the shift to the new formation, though, so it’s possible Mac Allister could still be a worthy fantasy option. It’s his fellow new Liverpool midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai, who will likely be the more attack-oriented of the two. Prioritize the Hungarian and the Reds players further up the pitch before turning your attention to Mac.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mateo Kovacic
Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Manchester City
Signed From: Chelsea for £25m
Prospects: File this transfer under “good for real life, questionable for fantasy value.” Kovacic is undeniably an elite central midfielder and will restore some quality depth at City following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan and the early-season absence of Kevin De Bruyne. But it’s difficult to get a read on how – and how often – the Croatian will be used by Guardiola in the 3-box-3 formation and, by extension, whether this is a signing that will deliver fantasy value. The transfer status of other City players like Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva could determine the answer to that question. If both end up leaving this summer, there should be a clear pathway to the starting lineup as one member of the advanced midfield pairing alongside Phil Foden or Julian Alvarez, with the other taking up the right wing berth. If one or both end up staying, however, the rotation picture gets a lot more muddied. And, of course, this all depends on how long KDB is out.
Kovacic didn’t exactly set the world on fire for Chelsea during his tenure there (backed up by a meagre 4.9 PPS in 22/23), but he was most often used as a deep-lying playmaker. It’s probable that playing as a more advanced midfielder in a team that scores a ton of goals would result in improved fantasy output, but for now there are too many question marks to justify spending your early draft capital on this player unless pre-season gives us some indication that he’ll be in the starting lineup. Even then, this is likely a short-term recommendation at best. He could be one to punt on given City’s attractive early-season schedule, but know what you’re signing up for.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Justin Kluivert
Position: Winger (M in Fantrax)
Team: Bournemouth
Signed From: AS Roma for £9.5m
Prospects: I’ll get to Kluivert in a moment but want to call out that perhaps the most shocking “transfer” so far this summer is not a player, but a manager. Gary O’Neil worked wonders to keep Bournemouth in the Premier League following the Cherries’ dreadful start to the 22/23 season under Scott Parker, but he was unceremoniously dumped at the end of the season in favor of former Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola. That leaves us with a lot of uncertainty with regard to who will be preferred by the new manager and how they will be utilized. Iraola presents a different tactical outlook to O’Neil or Parker, often earning comparisons to Marcelo Bielsa for the high-energy pressing approach to games.
Kluivert is the first signing through the door this summer, but it remains to be seen whether he’s the right fit for what the new manager wants to do. Iraola has historically set up in a 4-4-2 diamond, and his new arrival from Roma (most recently on loan at Valencia) is more suited to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 given his preference to play as a winger. He can operate on either side but prefers the left side to cut in on his stronger right foot. That may not align with Iraola’s tactics, either, though, as the Basque manager prefers to have players drive to the byline and play in crosses. That may be achieved with an overlapping fullback, but unless Iraola pushes Marcus Tavernier to an unfamiliar left full-back role or brings someone like Matias Vina back, he really doesn’t have the profile of player in the squad to support that.
Speaking of Tavernier, he’s one of a handful of players capable of operating in the same spaces as Kluivert. You also have the likes of David Brooks, Dango Ouattara, Ryan Christie and Jaidon Anthony who will be pushing for a wide attacking role in the starting eleven. The Dutch winger probably jumps ahead of at least Anthony and Christie, but the jury is out on whether he’ll be a fixture in the starting lineup from the beginning of the season. He has a varied skillset (pacy, good with the ball at his feet, dangerous delivery) and his 11.2 PP90 at Valencia is fairly promising at surface level, but he only managed 15 starts with 6 goals and a disappointing 0 assists.
If Kluivert is available toward the end of the draft (round 10 or later), I’d be fine picking him up as a lottery ticket type player, but otherwise, you’re probably better off seeing how he performs in the early stages of the campaign and judging whether you want to bring him in via trade. Given Bournemouth’s difficult opening run of fixtures, he may end up being available on the waiver wire after the first few weeks anyway.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2
Dara O'Shea
Position: Center back (D in Fantrax)
Team: Burnley
Signed From: West Bromwich Albion for £7m
Prospects: The 24-year-old Irishman certainly isn't the sexiest transfer on this list, but he may prove useful and value for money to Kompany's promoted troops, as well as some fantasy managers. Opportunity-wise, Burnley could use some proven help at CB after losing starter Taylor Harwood-Bellis back to City (a loanee). They do have a fair bit of promising, young talent at CB though to pair with likely starter Jordan Beyer, who they bought after loaning last season. Ameen Al Dakhil (21) and Hjalmar Ekdal (24) return to the fold to offer competition for O'Shea.
In terms of production, he put up 9.6 PP90 and 8.7 gPP90 last season and a very impressive 13.2 PP90 and 11.3 gPP90 in 21/22 (both for West Brom in the Championship). He'll likely concede far more goals in 23/24 than either of those seasons, but his substantial ghost point floor may make him useful anyways. The downside there is the potential for scores more similar to his last Prem stint (with West Brom in 20/21) where he averaged 4.6 PP90 along with 8.4 gPP90. He averaged 4.2 aerials won per 90 last season (95th percentile compared to CBs in the next 8 leagues) along with 1.8 interceptions. Burnley open the season with a pretty tricky defensive schedule, but you may want to jump on O'Shea before GW2 against Luton Town. If Burnley manage to achieve a mediocre defense in the Prem, and he becomes a nailed starter, he seemingly has the ghost point floor to achieve a Tarkowski-esque cult following in Fantrax.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️️1/2
Mahmoud Dahoud
Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Brighton & Hove Albion
Signed From: Borussia Dortmund on a Free Transfer
Prospects: Dahoud is a 27 year old German central mid who's played for Dortmund for the last 6 seasons. He's a shrewd free signing for Brighton, who could use a steady hand in the middle of the pitch after losing Mac Allister and likely Caicedo, although do still have Gross, Gilmour, Milner (newly signed), Lallana (returning from injury), Moder (also returning), Sarmiento (also returning from injury), and Ayari for those spots. Dahoud had a very promising career at first, playing next to Granit Xhaka for Mönchengladbach, and then being heralded as the next Gundogan after signing for Dortmund. Injuries and competition from others got in the way over the next several years, but he was still a solid if unspectacular contributor. Solid if unspectacular also describes his past, and likely future, fantasy career as well.
Without even considering the competition for spots and injury issues, Dahoud profiles as a standard fantasy centre-mid who's not very attacking, and not a high-volume defender. He's a good passer and tackler but doesn't contribute a whole lot more in the fantasy-relevant stats. In his last season with significant starts (20 in 21/22) he averaged 8.3 PP90 and 7.2 gPP90. If we assume a similar, centre-mid role that level of production appears reproducible but likely with fewer starts. Dahoud is probably worth nothing more than a late-round punt or mid-season pickup if he gets a run of starts in a good Brighton run of form.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Michael Obafemi
Position: Striker (F in Fantrax)
Team: Burnley
Signed From: Swansea City for an Undisclosed Fee
Prospects: First, it must be said, that the news just broke that Obafemi will be getting surgery and will miss the beginning of the season, so you should not be drafting him. Burnley's striker situation is murky at best, with some uninspiring options like Jay Rodriguez and the returning Wout Weghorst competing with the younger Lyle Foster and Obafemi. Missing the beginning of the season will make winning a starting role that much more difficult. Even if he does get back in the side, the expectation is that the Burnely attack will not be prolific in the Prem. For Swansea last season, Obafemi averaged 5.9 PP90 and 3.3 gPP90 in 12 starts. He came off the bench 12 times for Burnley and scored better, but only as an impact sub. Enough said for now.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Chiedoze Ogbene
Position: Winger/Wing back (F in Fantrax)
Team: Luton Town
Signed From: Rotherham United on a Free Transfer
Prospects: Luton Town are odds-on favorites to finish last in the league. Ogbene is a free signing (worth £2m on Transfermarkt). He's a winger who can play up top, but will most likely slot in as a wing-back in Luton's 3-5-2 system. After losing James Bree (to Southampton) and Cody Drameh (back to Leeds), they really don't have anyone else suited for the role on the right side. Ogbene put up 7.9 PP90 and 5.3 gPP90 in the Championship for Rotherham last season, but I'd expect that to come down even further in a bottom-tier side. His dribbling abilities (90th percentile for successful take-ons of wingers in next 8 leagues, with 1.61 per 90) may win some real-world admirers and his forward designation in Fantrax may win him some desperation fantasy starts, but we wouldn't bother drafting.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Jefferson Lerma
Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Crystal Palace
Signed From: Bournemouth on a Free Transfer
Prospects: Let’s illustrate how important it is to dig a bit deeper than total points scored/overall rank when preparing for your draft: Lerma finished ahead of Christian Eriksen, Marcus Tavernier, Julian Alvarez and Wilfried Zaha in 22/23 and finished just outside the top 100 overall scorers. So, by that logic he should be worth drafting, right? If we were playing zombie leagues where you made no changes from your draft, then sure…the Colombian would have been a useful enough player over the course of the season. But with active leagues searching for week-to-week value, Lerma is at best a streaming option when Palace have good match-ups. Outside of an anomalous two-goal outing for Bournemouth toward the end of last season, the central midfielder typically scored between 3 and 7 points per week. His biggest strength in terms of scoring is his availability; he started all but one match last season, which brings him in line with the aforementioned players who were less available but offered much greater upside when they did start. Those are the types of players to target. Steer clear of drafting the 6 PPS types of players like Lerma; there will be plenty of opportunities to stream them in a pinch.
Rating: ⭐️
James Milner
Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Brighton & Hove Albion
Signed From: Liverpool on a Free Transfer
Prospects: While he is a legend for being one of the longest-serving and fittest players in the Premier League, we’ve likely reached the end of the line for draft-worthiness when it comes to Milner. His leadership and versatility will no doubt factor into Brighton’s success this season, and he’ll remain a solid streaming option if and when he is in the Seagulls’ starting lineup. That’s unfortunately not enough for him to be worth consideration for your draft board unless there’s a fairly serious injury issue in central midfield or at right back (not an uncommon occurrence for Brighton - keep an eye on those pre-season fixtures!).
Rating: ⭐️
Potentially Relevant Loan Returns
Destiny Udogie (D, TOT) - With 9 PP90 and 7 gPP90 as a LWB for Udinese last season, Udogie may be Porro's equivalent on the left side; very active in attack, not so much in defense. Can you fit both him and Porro in the same system? Possibly in a 3-4-3, but Ange may want to get away from that. Loads of potential upside at only 20 years old, Udogie could be a fun late-round punt. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Levi Colwill (D, CHE) - Returning from Brighton, Chelsea and Poch have high hopes for the LCB. He hasn't signed a new contract yet, but the expectation is that Colwill starts a lot of games this season (instead of Badiashile). Not a great ghost point floor, but if Poch shores up the defense, Colwill will have a nice ceiling. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Malo Gusto (D, CHE) - Chelsea finally appear to have a capable RWB backup for Reece James with the attacking Gusto, returning from Lyon where he averaged 7.4 PP90, and 9.3 gPP90 last season. Excellent crosser/shot-assister, high volume, yet inefficient defending. He'll be an immediate pickup and high level streamer if Reece gets injured or misses any games. Wise managers may get ahead of the curve and handcuff/draft in the later rounds. ⭐️⭐1/2
Simon Adingra (F, BHA) - Following the Mitoma pipeline (loan at Union SG), profiling like Mitoma (great dribbling & carrying ability, good amount of goal involvements), can he break into the Brighton side, and upset the winger depth chart? Probably not immediately, but one to watch out for in preseason and later in the season. ⭐️⭐️1/2
Jarrad Branthwaite (D, EVE) - After losing Mina & Coady, Tarkowski is left without a partner, unless you count Keane, Godfrey, or Holgate. The 21 year old may get his chance after a successful PSV loan spell. He looks a proper Dyche-ian defender with 2.9 aerials and 1.6 interceptions per 90, plus a knock for getting shots/headers off in the box. Watch and see if he is a starter in preseason/early on. ⭐️⭐️
Amad Diallo (F, MUN) - Nearly Championship player of the season, Diallo was fantastic for Sunderland last season, averaging 12.6 PP90 and 13 goals in 37 games (as a RW and AM). Fairly unlikely he gets a chance outside of the odd start at United behind Rashford, Antony, Sancho, Bruno, and possibly Garnacho. ⭐️⭐️
Bryan Gil (F, TOT) - Gil could offer Ange some more of the tricky, direct wing play his teams thrive off, but being behind Son, Kulusevski, Richarlison, and now Solomon in the depth chart, Gil may need to wait another year. Immediate pickup if he finds his way into the XI though. ⭐️⭐️
Djed Spence (D, TOT) - Maybe he'll get a start this season. Unfortunately he profiles comparably to Pedro Porro, and Royal is still at Spurs as well, so wait and see what Ange does at the back. ⭐️⭐️
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