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#3:
Toby Alderweireld
(Tottenham Hotspur)
In the FPL, it has become a standard rule (although not without exceptions) that full-backs are more of an asset compared to centre-backs, given the potential of attacking returns from full-backs in the form of assists and goals added to the clean-sheet bonus.
As a centre-back, Toby Alderweireld suffers a bit in that regard. Last season, he scored only two goals and assisted as many. Add to that Spurs’ struggling form, Alderweireld could only gather 97 FPL points last season.
For £5.5m, Alderweireld's return seems a bit underwhelming when compared to the array of defensive assets at the disposal of FPL managers this season.
However, if you happen to be absolutely stuck on acquiring a Spurs defensive asset this season, Eric Dier at £5m might be one to consider.
#4:
Paul Pogba
(Manchester United)
If Manchester United are to make a mark in England and Europe this season, it’s hard to argue that it may have to be without an in-form Paul Pogba orchestrating the midfield.
Paul Pogba has never managed to break through as an FPL asset over the seasons. His best FPL output came in the 2018-19 season when he scored 179 points. But other than that, since signing for United in the summer of 2016, he has been in and out of the club's starting XI with recurring injuries and occasional tiffs with managers.
So, his price at £8m seems to be a bit steep at this point in the game as he plays in a deeper role. Even if he remains injury free and starts regularly, Mason Greenwood (£7.5m), who plays further up the pitch, seems to be a better bet than the Frenchman.
Also, with Bruno Fernandes (£10.5m), Anthony Martial (£9m), Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford (£9.5m) ending their Premier League runs on a high, it’s difficult to consider someone else from United for our FPL teams at this point.
#5:
Roberto Firmino
(Liverpool)
When it comes to Liverpool’s indispensable front three, it is Roberto Firmino who facilitates the fluid functioning of the attacking forces. His brilliance on and off the ball has been written and talked about in plenty.
However, as an FPL asset, Firmino is a bit below the desired curve. At £9.5m, he can be demarcated as a premium forward, but he had an attacking output of just nine goals and as many assists last season.
If you’re paying the big bucks for the forwards, you’d expect them to challenge for the Golden Boot. Firmino doesn’t primarily excel in those quarters. He massively underperformed in that regard, as his tally of 16.69 xG (Expected Goals) last season showed.
Although it seems that there is a significant potential for more goals, with Raul Jimenez and Danny Ings both available for £8.5m, Firmino is too big a punt to take at the start of the season.
Pushing Firmino into your FPL squads would also mean filling up one of the spots in your three-player-per-team limit for Liverpool. With the big guns like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane up for grabs, Firmino might not be the best choice at the start.
