Get ahead of the Group Chat thanks to our new regular column from FPL expert Jonas Sand Låbakk.
By FotMob, in conversation with Jonas Sand Låbakk
Introducing our expert
Jonas is a 21 year old student who, like FotMob, hails from Norway, but unlike the frustrated Fantasy Premier League players in the office, he did something we could only dream of last season. He finished first, ahead of 11 million other managers in the 2023/24 season.
Who better then, to provide us with some expert advice each week.
The Eye Test vs. The Stats
I mentioned Rayan Aït-Nouri (listed as 4.6m in FPL) in my article ahead of Gameweek 8, but now he is even more relevant because of who Wolves face over the next few matches. The managers who bought him ahead of Gameweek 9 were rewarded with a goal, his third goal this season! He shows elite attacking threat for a defender with 0.19 xGI (Expected Goal Involvements) per 90 minutes. There are some worries that Wolves might return to a back four in terms of their defensive shape, but Aït-Nouri should continue to play pretty offensively. Although Gary O’Neil‘s side are one of the worst defensive teams in the league, on paper, I believe Aït-Nouri can provide some serious value at just 4.6m and if they happen to keep a clean sheet, we might be looking at 10+ points because of his offensive threat and bonus points. The only slight worry with him is that he is his discipline record. He’s on four yellow cards and if he gets a fifth, he will be suspended for a game.
Mohamed Salah (12.7m) delivered a double digit FPL points haul against Arsenal in Gameweek 9. The Egyptian king has delivered six such performances (10+ points) in the first nine rounds of the season, scoring 6 goals and getting 5 assists. Against the Gunners, he was the one out of Liverpool’s front three that looked closest to creating something against a tight Arsenal defence. He finished with xGI of 0.43, which is far below his season average of 0.77 per 90. Liverpool have some good fixtures coming up and there is nothing that indicates that Salah will stop performing. Many Fantasy managers may be getting frustrated with Erling Haaland (15.4m) and believe he isn’t returning on that hefty price tag. I think shifting the money into the midfield could be a very viable strategy, even if it requires at least two transfers.
Long shot
Yoane Wissa (5.9m) has been sensational this season, scoring five goals and getting one assist in just six appearances. Wissa is only owned by 3.9% of the managers due to him picking up an injury against Manchester City which left him on the sidelines for a few weeks, but now he’s back with what has now been credited as scoring a brace against Ipswich. He only played 24 minutes in Brentford’s midweek Carabao Cup game, which means he is most probably well rested ahead of Gameweek 10. His stats are also really impressive, averaging 0.93 xGI per 90 in his 406 minutes this season. A great differential I expect to perform well going forward.
Upcoming games to follow
There aren’t that many games I am really looking forward to from an FPL perspective this weekend. Arsenal play Newcastle away, with the Magpies having only managed to score once in their last three matches. William Saliba is back from suspension, but Gabriel might now be missing through injured, but nevertheless, I do expect Arsenal to perform well defensively.
Liverpool play Brighton at Anfield, and could be weakened with rumours that defensive lynchpin Lewis Dunk is out for as long as a month. As mentioned earlier, I believe Salah will be a wonderful pick this gameweek and if you own him, I would captain him.
The last game I am tracking is Southampton vs Everton. I have owned Dominic Calvert-Lewin (6.0m) for a few weeks now, something which has turned out pretty badly despite him racking up good attacking numbers. This will probably be his last chance to prove himself, and if he fails to do so I am likely binning him ahead of Gameweek 11.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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