The transfer machine keeps on rolling. We'll share our analysis on what to expect from each new arrival from a Draft EPL Fantasy perspective between now and when the Premier League transfer window slams shut on September 1. Our second installment looks at players confirmed by their respective clubs between July 2 and July 15. 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 July 2 and July 15 (check out Part 1 here, and stay tuned for future installments throughout the summer!).
Dominik Szoboszlai
Position: Attacking midfielder/winger (M in Fantrax)
Team: Liverpool
Signed From: RB Leipzig for €70m
Prospects: It’s been more than half a decade since Liverpool have had a genuine fantasy stud in midfield. While Reds fans will no doubt be ecstatic when they look back and see how the funds from Philippe Coutinho’s transfer to Barcelona were reinvested, fantasy managers can be forgiven for being a bit frustrated that there hasn’t been anything to write home about in midfield since the Brazilian left the club. It’s not for lack of trying, of course; it’s just that players like Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thiago have spent more time in the treatment room than on the pitch. Liverpool’s acquisition of Szoboszlai could put an end to the fantasy dead zone that has plagued the club these past four and a half seasons.
At the tender age of 22, the Hungarian international is already a veteran of top-flight football, establishing himself as a regular starter in a dynamic and successful RB Leipzig side in his two seasons there. Szoboszlai is one of the most well-rounded and versatile players in Europe, capable of playing in any position ahead of a holding midfielder. So far in his career, he’s been utilized as a central midfielder, a wide midfielder (on the left and the right), a winger on both sides, a #10 and even once as a central striker. His preferred position is as an advanced attacking midfielder, where he can set up chances or take them on himself. That said, he spent most of last season playing as a right winger for Leipzig – something that may come in handy when Mo Salah is away at AFCON in the winter.
Equally capable of delivering a killer through ball as he is rippling the back of the net with a powerful strike, he has earned comparisons to Premier League and fantasy legend Kevin De Bruyne. That’s obviously a massive weight to bear in terms of expectation, so we should note that he’s still got a long way to go to reach those heights. That said, there is a lot to like in terms of what Szoboszlai can offer from a fantasy perspective. Across 28 starts for RB Leipzig in the 22/23 season, he contributed 6 goals and 8 assists and also ranked in the top 5 in the Bundesliga for open-play chance involvements (either setting up a shot or taking one). He also boasted a high pass completion percentage and delivered just shy of 2 successful dribbles per game. His all-action displays translated into a fantasy output of 14.5 points per 90, 10.5 of which came from ghost points (not from goals/assists/clean sheets). Translated directly into Fantrax Default Scoring, his 394 points would have made him a top 20 overall player last season. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Of course, there are plenty of factors involved so an apples-to-apples comparison isn’t realistic. We have all heard about the “Bundesliga Tax” by this point, and we were hearing similar praise for another RB Leipzig signing who took the legendary #8 jersey at Liverpool a few seasons back. While we’re not expecting Szoboszlai to follow in Keita’s footsteps by any means, it is important to recognize that there may be an adjustment period for him at Liverpool. The expectation is that he’ll take the right-sided #8 role alongside fellow new arrival Alexis Mac Allister. But that may mean a shift in what he’s expected to do and pull him away from goal to allow Mo Salah to continue operating near the penalty area (check out this excellent analysis from Tifo on how Liverpool’s midfield signings fit for more on this point).
The Hungarian is also almost certain to have a decreased share of set pieces, one of his strengths and a key contributor to his fantasy value. With TAA likely to command most set piece situations and Salah unlikely to be displaced as the club’s first-choice penalty taker, Szoboszlai will have to find his fantasy points elsewhere. Given his broad skillset, versatility and growth potential in one of the league's most potent attacking teams, it’s still well worth taking a chance on him becoming a top-tier fantasy asset for your squad.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Mason Mount
Position: Attacking midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Manchester United
Signed From: Chelsea for £55m
Prospects: A challenging 22/23 season may have worn some of the shine off of Mount in the minds of fantasy managers, but on his day we’ve seen that he’s capable of delivering fantasy points at an elite level. The 24 year-old missed all but 45 minutes of the final 14 matches of last season with a pelvic injury, but even prior to that his numbers were far inferior to what we had become accustomed to across his first three seasons in the Chelsea first team. His 8.7 PPS / 6.0 gPPS output from the 22/23 campaign pales in comparison to his stellar 21/22 season, where he contributed 11 goals and 10 assists and put up some exceptional fantasy scores (47.5, 35.5, 31.5, 29 on two occasions). It’s safe to say many Chelsea fans are justified in their fears that they’ll regret selling the midfielder ahead of his prime years, particularly to another Premier League club.
Mount is a dynamic, versatile player capable of lining up in either a central midfield or attacking midfield role, or even as a wide forward. Additionally, he offers a level of energy and endurance that United were lacking last season with Christian Eriksen regularly failing to complete a full 90 minutes. The current expectation is that the former Chelsea man will take up the Eriksen mantle for the most part and play as a number 8, a role he’s proclaimed as his best. He’ll be expected to be involved in pressing and defending in addition to his attacking outputs, which could see a reduction in some of the higher-value fantasy involvements like key passes and shots on target and a replacement with some lesser-valued statistics like tackles and interceptions.
Another possibility is that Mount could move forward to allow Bruno Fernandes to play on the left wing, or possibly move to the wing himself, to allow Marcus Rashford to play as the central striker. This seems more like a back-up plan in case United don’t end up signing a striker that they’re in the market for, but is worth monitoring as it could shift the balance of his points. It’s unlikely that Bruno and Luke Shaw will be relinquishing their share of set pieces, so we shouldn’t expect a Mount bounce-back to the same levels as we saw in his best days at Chelsea. However, his quality, energy and ability to be involved in all phases of play means you shouldn’t rule out a return to fantasy greatness for the Red Devil.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Declan Rice
Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Arsenal
Signed From: West Ham for £105m
Prospects: Rice is a massive real-world signing for an Arsenal team building a young, incredibly high potential core. He's one of the best defensive midfielders in the league at only 24. Last season he also proved his ability to play not only as a 6, but also a marauding 8, getting involved in the goals and attack. Arsenal will use him predominantly as a CDM, as a direct replacement for the aging, and inconsistent Partey, likely behind Odegaard and recently signed Havertz. If Partey leaves (as he's currently rumoured to have agreed terms with Saudi Arabian club, Al-Ahli), we'd expect nearly all of Rice's starts to come at the 6. However, if Partey stays, we could see some starts as the 8 next to Partey, instead of Havertz, in harder matchups. In theory, more games at the 8 would come with higher fantasy output, but again, we wouldn't bet on too many of those.
Speaking of fantasy output, the move likely means a lot less for fantasy managers than it does for Arteta and Arsenal. Rice averaged 8.3 PPS and 7.0 gPPS last season, with 4 goals and 2 assists in 37 games played. He took 10% of West Ham's set pieces when playing, accounting for 6% of his fantasy points. At Arsenal, as suggested earlier, with Havertz and Odegaard in front of him, he may have to sit even deeper than last season, and thus be even less likely to get offensive returns. Generally sole 6s do not score particularly well in the Fantrax game, but Arsenal are a better team than West Ham (+58 GD last season comparatively) and Casemeiro (10 PPS) and Rodri (8.5 PPS) offer us some counter examples of useful, similar players in DraftPL. Partey only scored 7.1 PPS as Arsenal's DM as a counterexample.
With all that said, Rice will play loads of games, have a good, if not one of the better fantasy floors due to defensive output, and will be involved in a great football team. As such, a repeat of last season, or slightly better should make Rice a 6th round midfielder or so in drafts. Steady Eddie potential, 22/23 Casemiro upside.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sandro Tonali
Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Newcastle
Signed From: AC Milan for €70m
Prospects: With Newcastle qualifying for the upcoming Champions League campaign, it’s no surprise they’ve prioritized adding some depth to the central midfield. Tonali not only fills an obvious need in the Newcastle squad, but also brings some Champions League experience of his own. The lifelong AC Milan fan was widely expected to be a mainstay in the Serie A squad than the two years he spent there, so his acquisition can be seen as a statement and something of a coup for the Magpies.
Tonali has spent the majority of his career to-date as a deep-lying central midfielder, but he’s not a “number 6” in the traditional sense as a destroyer whose sole responsibilities are to protect the defense and break up opposition attacks. The 23 year-old profiles like a better version of Sean Longstaff in that he primarily will stay deep and act as a ball progressor when in possession, but is also not averse to joining attacking sequences and finding himself in the opposition penalty area. This versatility is likely something Eddie Howe will look to pair with the skillset of Bruno Guimaraes, and we may see some alternating in terms of who advances and who remains behind between the two of them depending on the situation. That could make the Italian a more attractive fantasy option than most defensive midfielders.
One area where Tonali could lose some of his value, however, is with regard to set pieces. He is a more than capable dead ball specialist, but will have to unseat the incumbent in Kieran Trippier if he is to retain any of the value he offered in that regard during his time with AC Milan. Last season, he delivered an average of 10 points per 90 (7.7 of those coming from ghost points) across 30 starts. If he loses out on set pieces, he’ll most likely fall closer to the 6-8 PP90 range that is solid for a player in his position, but not the type of player who will win you your fantasy league. If he does manage to wrest some share of the set piece pie from Trippier, he becomes a more attractive option.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jurrien Timber
Position: Central defender/right back (D in Fantrax)
Team: Arsenal
Signed From: Ajax for €40m
Prospects: Timber is another big signing for Arsenal, but not on the level of Declan Rice in terms of real-world or fantasy impact just yet. He offers fantastic depth and starting potential at both RCB and RB. Last season for Ajax, he played predominantly RCB, but occasionally filled in at both LCB and RB. For an Arsenal team that was relying on an inconsistent Holding, a young Kiwior, and an oft-injured Tomiyasu to back up those 3 positions last season, Timber is a sizable upgrade, particularly at only 22 years old. Whether he starts is the next big question though. While healthy, Arsenal's right side of Saliba and White largely did not put a foot wrong last season, but they certainly weren't always healthy. If either miss any time, Timber is very likely to slot right in. If both are healthy, Timber's easiest path in will likely be at RB instead of White, but we wouldn't bet on that happening until at least mid season, if White's form trails off. Saliba is likely untouchable while fit. One other tactical callout is the potential for Timber to play as the right sided Zinchenko equivalent, inverting and tucking into midfield to help the build up play, and then Arsenal could play Kiwior or Tierney as the LB instead of Zinny.
Stylistically, Timber is a great passer and ball progressor for a defender, and has a knack for getting involved in the offense. He's in the 99th percentile (against next 8 league CB players, according to FBRef) in passes completed, progressive passes, and progressive carries, and 94th for successful take-ons. These stats clearly demonstrate what a possession-based, top tier side want from their defenders. However, they unfortunately don't translate well to the Fantrax game. Timber is not a high-volume defender. 1He was in the 1st percentile in aerials won (1.3 per 90), 1st percentile clearances, 40th interceptions, 55th tackles. That translated to only 3.9 gPPS in 8 games started across Europa and Champions Leagues last season. Timber will, however, be playing for a comparatively better side, so a Ben White-esque 5.2 gPPS seems achievable. He'll likely be a more volatile asset with occasional goal contributions and clean-sheet dependency, but his usefulness in fantasy will be heavily driven by the amount of starts he gets. For now, he appears to be a low-risk punt in late rounds of drafts. More likely he'll be useful as a midseason pickup if White or Saliba get injured or if he ends up winning a starting role.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2
Nathan Collins
Position: Central defender (D in Fantrax)
Team: Brentford
Signed From: Wolves for £23m
Prospects: When Wolves confirmed the transfer of Collins from recently-relegated Burnley ahead of the 22/23 season, there was a lot of talk about how good of a signing it was – both in real-life and fantasy terms. The Irish center back had been something of a revelation toward the end of Sean Dyche’s tenure in charge of the Clarets, earning a starting role in the Premier League as a 20 year-old. He also came on strong in terms of fantasy output toward the end of that season, with 10 consecutive positive scores despite playing on a team at the wrong end of the table. Fast forward to today and the excitement around Collins has dwindled, or at least stagnated. His Wolves career got off to a decent enough start under Bruno Lage and he continued to find himself in the starting lineup through the first half of the campaign, but eventually fell out of favor with Julen Lopetegui and only managed two 90-minute outings between the beginning of February and the end of the season.
So, what of his prospects at Brentford? Their central defenders are entering into the later stages of their careers, so building for the future is necessary. A six-year deal for the now 22 year-old suggests a plan for Collins to be a regular starter at center back long-term, but with Ben Mee and Ethan Pinnock forming a strong partnership last season he may not go straight into the starting lineup in 23/24. The good news for the youngster is that we know Thomas Frank often relies on a 3-CB formation in games where more defensive stability is needed, and this could see Collins called upon as a starter (especially now that Pontus Jansson has moved on). The bad news is that those matches are usually against tougher league opponents, which could mean more goals conceded.
Both Mee and Pinnock were in the Top 50 overall in fantasy points last season, so there is precedent for Collins to be a valuable fantasy asset with enough minutes. Keep an eye on pre-season for any indicators that he may in fact be called upon to begin the campaign. If so, he could be a good option to pick up in the last few rounds of your draft. If not, consider streaming him when he does get starts, especially if he’s replacing Mee or Pinnock rather than joining them.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2
Tahith Chong
Position: Right winger (M in Fantrax)
Team: Luton Town
Signed From: Birmingham City £4m
Prospects: A former Manchester United prospect, Chong had a productive season for Birmingham City in the Championship last year and is a record signing at 4m for Luton. He had 4 goals and 5 assists last season in 38 games, playing predominantly as a winger but sometimes as an attacking midfielder or second striker. Within Luton's usual 3-5-2 system, he'll most likely slot in as the most attacking central midfielder, but may get a chance on the wing if they ever switch to a 343 (which may make sense with the previous signing of winger Ogbene). Fantasy wise, and statistically speaking, Chong doesn't look like he'll be a very good or consistent asset. Compared to next 8 league attacking mids and wingers, Chong has not particularly excelled at any fantasy-relevant stat. His only metric above the 50th percentile, according to FBRef is tackles, with 1.65 per 90. Otherwise, he looks pretty mediocre with 8.3 PPS and 6.3 gPPS, and over 30% of those points coming from set pieces. With or without set pieces, for an expected bottom-tier Luton side, Chong will struggle to reach even those numbers in the Prem. If he does get a fraction of sets, he may become rosterable during good fixture runs.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2
Mads Juel Andersen
Position: Central defender (D in Fantrax)
Team: Luton Town
Signed From: Barnsley for an undisclosed fee
Prospects: Andersen most recently played in League One, but also has some experience in the Championship. At 25 years old, the Premier league may be a step too high for him, but Luton have a shoe string budget and have brought him in to compete for a starting role. If he does win it, in games where they don't concede multiple, Andersen actually may be a viable streamer, due to his fantasy-friendly profile. In his 21-22 Championship season, he was 86th percentile in aerials won (4.5 per 90), 91st pctile in clearances, and 93rd in interceptions (only 14th in tackles) compared to next 8 competition CBs on FBRef. That aerial prowess and high volume defending, combined with an on-the-back-foot Luton side, may lend itself to some significant ghost point performances. In 21/22 he averaged 9.1 gPP90 (and 7.8 PP90) for Barnsley, who were relegated. If he can manage a similar season and a significant amount of starts, he could be a useful asset! The downside of limited starts and multiple multiple goal conceded games is very real too, though. He's a late round punt or wait and see if he starts - GW6 home to Wolves could be the time to pounce.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2
Pau Torres
Position: Central defender (D in Fantrax)
Team: Aston Villa
Signed From: Villarreal for £33m
Prospects: Another impressive coup from Emery's Villa, Torres is a left-footed, 26 year old centre back that many of the biggest clubs in the world sniffed around in the past few years. Instead, he ends up at the Europe-bound Villa, competing with 3 other quality centre backs for 2 (or maybe more) spots in the backline. Many Villa supporters expect Torres to slot straight in with his talent and price tag, but we're not so sure. It was a similar story with Diego Carlos last season, and injuries aside, he never did manage to displace the pair of Mings and Konsa. Still, Torres is younger and better on paper, so his chances do appear better. Whether due to injuries or something more, Emery did appear to lose faith in Cash at RB last season, so we could see him opt for 3 out of the 4 CBs with Moreno bombing forward from LB. That could present Torres with more consistent starts.
Statistically he's a 96th percentile progressive passer, 97th percentile progressive carrier, and 97th percenttile in take-ons (for a CB in the top 5 leagues, according to FBRef). Fantasy wise, though, it doesn't translate well with Torres scoring 5.8 PP90 and 5.8 gPP90 last season in La Liga. Largely due to a lack of defensive stats,Torres was 29th percentile in aerials won, 34th percentile in tackles, and 1st percentile in interceptions. All in all, Torres profiles as a Mings-esque fantasy CB (5.9 PPS last season) who will be clean sheet dependent and not a nailed on starter to begin the season. But he could be worth a pickup/stream in GW2 (Everton).
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Anis Slimane
Position: Central midfielder (M in Fantrax)
Team: Sheffield United
Signed From: Brondby for an undisclosed fee
Prospects: The 22 year old Tunisian centre mid comes from the Superliga in Denmark where he scored 3 goals and bagged 1 assist in 19 starts (and 30 games played) last season. Signed cheaply, largely for his potential, Slimane offers a much younger option than Norwood (32), Fleck (31), or Osborn (28), Sheffield's other CMs. Sander Berge, at 25 years old, is their only other younger option, and transfer rumours have swirled about him leaving, due to his contract situation as well. Slimane appears not close to the finished product, but there may be starts up for grabs in a weak midfield. It's hard to find much scouting or stats from his time in Denmark, but it appears he largely played as a central, attack-minded, midfielder, often on the right side of a midfield 3 for Brondby. He won a lot of tackles and passed and carried the ball well. Unfortunately, that's about all there is to see out there. The Sheffield midfield does not inspire a lot of confidence, so wait and see if he even gets gametime.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Manor Solomon
Position: Winger (F in Fantrax)
Team: Tottenham
Signed From: Shakhtar Donetsk on a free transfer
Prospects: While Kane and Son have finished as the top overall scorer in the past two seasons, one of the areas Tottenham has struggled with over the past few years is finding adequate stand-ins for their star players. Richarlison may yet be called upon to fill Kane’s boots, and it appears that Ange Postecoglu believes Solomon can be the right man to do so in the event of an extended absence for Son (such as the AFC Asian Cup). The 23 year-old Israeli made a splash in the fantasy community last season while on loan at Fulham when he scored goals in four consecutive Premier League games (three of which were substitute appearances) in February.
Solomon missed the first half of the 22/23 season following a serious knee injury, and it’s worth noting he’s got a fairly extensive injury history for a player his age. That said, it’s unlikely we’ll see the winger in the Spurs starting eleven too frequently in the EPL this season outside of his possible stint covering for Son in January and February given the London club’s lack of European football. He has spent some time playing on the right flank and in central midfield as well, so there is a possibility he could spell the likes of Kulusevski and Maddison from time to time. But without any developments in pre-season that offer a surprise path into the team he’s a firm wait-and-see candidate who’s probably not worth drafting.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Ashley Young
Position: Right back (D in Fantrax)
Team: Everton
Signed From: Free agency
Prospects: One of the Premier League’s elder statesmen, Young will no doubt bring a wealth of experience and leadership to an Everton team that just narrowly avoided relegation last season. Sean Dyche likely won’t have a huge transfer purse to work with, so securing the services of the veteran 38 year-old for free will be seen as a victory for the squad’s survival prospects this season. We’ve seen from his time at Aston Villa last season that Young can still be a viable fantasy asset when called upon, but given his age and the growth potential of youngsters like Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko in the fullback positions he would likely occupy, he’s not worth drafting unless one of them picks up a pre-season injury. Even then, don’t expect him to be a long-term hold in your team. Stream the old-timer in good match-ups in a pinch.
Rating: ⭐️
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